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TiEcon Delhi 2024 lauds the power of resilience & innovation with awards across sectors
Mumbai: TiEcon Delhi 2024, the flagship startup event by TiE Delhi-NCR recognized the power of resilience and innovation in the startup ecosystem with awards & recognition across categories.Themed ‘The New Bharat: Confident | Bold| Inclusive’, the conference witnessed the celebration of entrepreneurial spirit, exclusive business networking opportunities, in addition to spotlight on exceptional startups.
TiE Delhi-NCR & Power2SME celebrated the tenth season of the Spirit of Manufacturing Awards, honouring startups in the manufacturing domain for their remarkable achievements and innovations. The winners were awarded across four categories based on the innovative skills and the tangible impact showcased. Startups which won included: IT Adoption & Innovation: Indo Wings Pvt Ltd led by founder & CEO – Paras Jain; Social Impact: Asli Ayurveda Wellness Pvt Ltd – founder & MD, Mohit Sardana; ·Woman Entrepreneur of the Year: Stuti Sidhu, founder, I-Gro energy Pvt. Ltd.; Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Dheeraj Kumar Tiwari, co-founder & CEO, and Himanshu Singh Raghuvanshi, co-founder & COO at CapGrid Solutions Pvt Ltd; Special Jury Award: Barbrew Beverages Pvt Ltd led by Ruchi Gupta, co-founder & CEO.
Power2SME founder & CEO R Narayan said, “India’s ascent as a global hub for entrepreneurship owes much to its pioneering innovations, empowering start-ups and SMEs. Key government initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ have significantly bolstered manufacturers and small businesses. The Spirit of Manufacturing Awards, now in its 10th season, remains steadfast in its mission to laud exceptional ideas, products, and entrepreneurs in the Indian manufacturing sector. This initiative underscores the vast potential inherent in India’s manufacturing landscape. Year after year, we pledge to spotlight and honour the ingenuity driving progress in this vital industry.”
TiEcon Delhi 2024 also played host to edition 16 of the TiE-Lumis Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards, a platform that honours individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary resilience exemplifying prudence, agility & strategic vision. DigiBoxx led by the CEO, Arnab Mitra was recognized as the winner for exhibiting exceptional entrepreneurial skills in the digital industry.
Lumis managing partner Sandeep Sinha commented, “Celebrating the 16th year of the TiE Lumis Entrepreneurship Awards fills us with immense pride. Over the years, these awards have recognized and honored the trailblazing ventures that have become category leaders, inspiring countless others in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The TiE Lumis Entrepreneurship Awards have not only celebrated success but have also served as a beacon of hope for emerging startups, showcasing their potential and fostering a spirit of innovation. We look forward to continuing our journey of supporting and spotlighting more startups as they shape the future of entrepreneurship.”
The conference also marked the 1st edition of the Startup CFO Awards in collaboration with Binary Semantics Ltd. The groundbreaking initiative was aimed at celebrating the exceptional achievements of chief financial officers (CFOs) in the startup ecosystem. These awards acknowledged the trailblazers whose transformative leadership are reshaping the trajectory of modern startups. The winners were awarded under multiple categories: Manufacturing Startup CFO of the Year – Ridhima Modi Agarwal, CFO of Kanpur Flowercycling Private Limited (Phool.co); Digital Enablement Startup CFO of the year – Shailesh Kaul of Signodrive Technologies Pvt Ltd; Consumer Products, e-commerce Startup CFO of the year – Harsh Khaitan, CFO of Kwikpic; · Energy, Infrastructure and Cleantech Startup CFO of the year – Vaibhav Anant, representing Bambrew; Governance and Compliance Excellence Startup CFO of the year – Ritika Khatua, CFO of Larkai Healthcare
Binary Semantics growth and strategy leader Srijan Choudhary said, “India’s entrepreneurial growth story needs their continued focus on harnessing technology to build strong, sustainable startup ecosystems. At Binary Semantics along with TiE Delhi-NCR, we are proud to be part of a transformative journey of acknowledging and honouring the visionary CFOs shaping India’s entrepreneurial terrain. We congratulate the winners of this year. These recognize their spirit of innovation and strategic acumen driving the startup ecosystem forward”.
TiE Delhi-NCR’s Assistive Solutions cohort comprising Neomotion, key2enable, NobaFlix put a spotlight on startups committed to advancing the quality of life for differently abled consumers.
TiE Delhi-NCR executive director Geetika Dayal commented, “For the past decade, TiE Delhi-NCR has played a crucial role in offering a platform for founders to present their innovative ideas. We are proud to support and cultivate young businesses in India. We congratulate all the winners of this year for their unwavering commitment towards bolstering the flourishing Indian economy.”
Edition 13 of Young Turks ‘TiE the Knot’ showcased high-potential startups pitching to a group of investors in a televised format. Startups with registered Indian entities in operations for at least three months, seeking equity investment between Rs 1 crore to 5 crore, participated in the event, demonstrating the dynamism and potential of the Indian startup ecosystem. The finalists included Nexus Power, Insurance Samadhan, CoutLoot, Degpeg, Travsie and NymbleUp which pitched to investors.
MAM
Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
