NITI Aayog, in association with Vision India Foundation, is organising the Venture Capital Symposium 2018 to deepen the economic relationships between France and India. Following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, 20 of the biggest French venture capital and private equity funds are coming to India to explore investment opportunities.The Venture Capital Symposium 2018 is a three day event where the French investors will be interacting with 100 early to mid-stage Indian start-ups.Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, along with Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Additional Secretary, DIPP addressed the inaugural address of the Symposium, which was attended by Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India and Shri Yves Jego, Vice-President of French Parliament.In his address, Shri Amitabh Kant, who focussed on the Indian Start-Up ecosystem and also showcased India’s entrepreneurial might and the strides taken in innovation for solving the challenges faced by the country. He urged the investors to focus on India to not just target one billion people but to build solutions in India for the seven billion strong global market. He exhorted them to utilise their funds more effectively by investing in India, which has the ‘3D advantage’ of demographic dividend, demand & democracy.This event was attended by various investors from France including Safran Ventures, Eren Group, Luxury Tech,Fahsion Capital, Educlever, Olymp Capital, Affectio Familiae, Brands and beyond, Galileo Partners, Winevestworld, TNP, Claranova among others.
Four investor groups - Eren Group, Claranova, Olymp Capital and TNP - made announcements of setting up offices in India and commitments to invest in various sectors such as energy, aerospace, blockchain and Internet of Things.The event facilitates interactions between French investors, Indian investors, Indian start-ups and critical government functionaries. The French investors will explore the investment landscape as well as the socio-cultural richness of India.The Venture Capital Symposium 2018 aims to support the Start-up India programme that was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The three day symposium is being organized by NITI Aayog and Vision India Foundation is the Knowledge Partner for the event.In his address, Shri Yves Jego declared, “This collaboration is not only a business participation of French capital in India, but it will prove to be a long term partnership between the organisations of the two countries.”Shri Alexandre Ziegler said, “Not only do we invest in India, not only do we Make in India, but we Innovate in India.”Addressing the gathering, Shri Atul Chaturvedi highlighted the plethora of initiatives undertaken by the Government of India for improving the Ease of Doing Business in India. Further, he also spoke on about the focus of the Prime Minister to create an enabling ecosystem for Start-Ups in India and to attract flow of foreign capital to India, making India the most preferred destination for Foreign Direct Investment.