Overview

On July 2, 2026, the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), convened the first‑of‑its‑kind Namaste Mumbai Conclave 2026 alongside The Grand CivicTech Fund Quest. The day‑long event brought senior government officials, industry leaders, academicians, creative professionals, investors and entrepreneurs together to chart a roadmap for positioning Mumbai as a globally recognised creative capital and innovation hub.

Key Addresses

  • Sudhanshu Vats, President of the Bombay Chamber and Managing Director of Pidilite Industries, opened the conclave, recalling the Chamber’s 190‑year legacy and urging that Mumbai’s next growth phase be driven equally by culture, tourism and quality of life alongside infrastructure.
  • Ashwini Bhide, IAS, Municipal Commissioner of BMC, delivered the keynote, stating that while Mumbai is undergoing one of the country’s largest infrastructure transformations, the city must also strengthen its creative identity, cultural vibrancy and public spaces. She highlighted projects such as the Coastal Road and Metro network, urging that new infrastructure become a foundation for nurturing the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs and innovators.

Panel Discussions

1. Branding Mumbai – One City, Many Identities – Moderated by Priyanka Sinha Jha (COO, Screen Academy; Indian Express Screen Foundation). Panelists included Ashwini Bhide, actor‑producer Jamnadas Majethia, Ajit Andhare (COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures) and filmmaker Gajendra Ahire. The discussion focused on building a unified global brand through heritage, theatre, cinema, public spaces and cultural infrastructure.

2. Mumbai 3.0 – The Creative Capital Opportunity – Moderated by Latha Venkatesh (Executive Editor, CNBC‑TV18). Participants were Vishwas Mote (Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Zone III, BMC), Dr. Indu Shahani (Founding President & Chancellor, ATLAS SkillTech University), retired IAS officer Rajiv Jalota (Former Chairperson, Mumbai Port Authority) and Uday Khanna (Past President, Bombay Chamber and former Independent Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Castrol India, Pfizer and Pidilite Industries). The session underscored integrating infrastructure with culture, education, tourism and industry partnerships.

SMILE Council Initiative

Representing BMC, Shashi Bala, Chief – Business Development and Director of the SMILE Council – CivicTech Incubator, outlined the Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship (SMILE) Council’s mandate to nurture entrepreneurs and transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses. SMILE currently supports 24 startups and has 17‑18 additional startups in the pipeline. Startups receive mentorship and the opportunity to test technologies in real‑world civic situations by collaborating directly with BMC departments.

Grand CivicTech Fund Quest

Ashith Kampani, Chair of the PE & VC Committee of the Bombay Chamber and Chairman of CosmicMandala 15 Securities, introduced the finalists and jury. Ten shortlisted CivicTech startups presented solutions evaluated on Opportunity, Scalability, Capability and Monetisability.

  • Champion: Niramai Health Analytix Pvt. Ltd., led by Dr. Geetha Manjunath.
  • First Runner‑up: EcoBio Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
  • Second Runner‑up: Saltech Design Labs Pvt. Ltd.

The top three receive cash prizes and structured mentorship from industry leaders to accelerate growth and market adoption.

Significance

The conclave and Fund Quest together showcased a unified vision where creativity, culture, innovation and entrepreneurship are integrated with Mumbai’s massive infrastructure projects, aiming to transform the city into an internationally competitive, culturally vibrant, and livable metropolis.

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