Agra’s next chapter in enterprise brings startups, MSMEs and investors to one summit

AGRA, 22 October 2026: For an entrepreneur, the next stage of growth often starts with a difficult choice. Find more customers or sell more to existing ones? Borrow for expansion or bring in an investor? Build a new capability, buy it or work with a partner?

Those questions will shape a joint summit in Agra on Saturday, 24 October, as Global Startup Summit, MSME Business Summit and Sansad MSME and Investor Summit come together at The Grand Imperial. Scheduled from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, the gathering connects startup founders and investors with established business owners, industry practitioners and academics around the practical work of building an enterprise.

The programme includes a dedicated Sansad MSME session from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. The organisers’ current agenda lists Shri S. P. Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, for this segment.

A programme built around business decisions

The morning opens with registration, a welcome address and Global Startup Battles, featuring three startup pitches. Mohit Sureka, Founder and CEO of Global Startups Club and Mojo Capital, is scheduled to deliver a keynote, followed by the GSC News and Network launch.

The first discussion, “The Next ₹1 Crore: More Customers or More From Existing Ones?”, examines how MSMEs should choose between acquiring buyers, increasing order sizes and broadening their product range. The speaker line-up includes Ankul Maheshwari, Founder of Censie Capital, and Jaspreet Kaur, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Dayalbagh Educational Institute.

For founders preparing to raise equity, “The Evidence Room: Proving a Startup Before Equity” turns the focus to customer behaviour, repeat use and the milestones that support an investment case. Hardik Chadda, Director of Hankernest Technologies; career growth coach, author and speaker Neha Goel; and Prof. Sumita Srivastava of Dayalbagh Educational Institute are listed for the session, with Jignesh Shah, Founder and CEO of Insignyx Technologies, as moderator.

The next panel, “Build, Buy or Partner: Choosing Capital for the Next Chapter”, looks at expansion from the perspective of an established business. Sanchit Kundra, an inventor and shoe technology innovator, and Achintya Sharma, Founder of Amiach Technology Pvt. Ltd., will discuss how production capacity, strategic partnerships and acquisitions call for different approaches to capital, control and execution.

From stronger suppliers to repeat customers

After lunch and the Sansad MSME session, the agenda moves to a challenge familiar to many small producers: becoming a supplier that larger buyers can depend on.

“From Job Work to Preferred Supplier: The Qualification Leap” brings together chartered accountant Nidhi Garg; Adv. Namrata Mishra, a legal and compliance consultant for MSMEs and startups; and CA Nitesh Gupta, Vice President of Laghu Udyog Bharti, Agra. The discussion is designed around quality standards, delivery records, compliance and the preparation needed to pursue repeat institutional orders.

Consumer brands face a different test: earning the second purchase. “The Second Sale Begins With the First Return” will explore how service promises, product expectations and reverse logistics affect customer trust and margins. The panel features Vishal Verma, Founder and CEO of Aikia Flavours; Richa Bansal, Founder and Director of Purple & Pink Digital Marketing Pvt. Ltd.; Suruchi Bhargava, Founder of Kisseagrase; and Sangati Bansal, Founder of Currypatta.

The final panel, “Before the Bot: The Data an MSME Can Actually Trust”, puts business records ahead of technology promises. Arpit Gupta, Founder and CEO of Gropto; Mayank Sikarwar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RS Techno Group; and Dr. Ritu Bhatnagar, CEO and Founder of PixelTruth, are scheduled to examine which order, inventory and production data a business needs before automation or AI can deliver useful results. Jignesh Shah is listed as moderator.

A wider business network

The summit’s own-brand network includes Mojo Capital, 100X Brands, Global Startups Club, 3X Events, House & Habit, International D2C Conclave, JustYou.Diamonds, ShaadiVibez, MSME Business Association, HealthySoya, MSME Business News and Global Startups News.

The organisers’ partner roster for the Sansad MSME segment lists Amul, Empowering The Armed Forces, Life Insurance Corporation, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, Bank of India, Mother Dairy, State Bank of India, Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd., Small Industries Development Bank of India, Central Bank of India and the Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association. Other listed brand partners include ShopDeck as an Allied Partner, alongside Tracxn, Hello Mumbai News and Startup Unplugged. ShopDeck helps offline brands and marketplace sellers go D2C with an all-in-one solution for website development, performance marketing, logistics, and growth, empowering sellers to build and scale their own D2C brand.

With open networking scheduled from 5 pm, the day leaves space for conversations beyond the stage. Its central thread is the connection between an entrepreneur’s ambition and the operational choices needed to support it: credible evidence for investors, readiness for larger buyers, reliable information for technology and a customer experience that brings people back.

The joint summit takes place on 24 October 2026 at The Grand Imperial, Agra. Event information and registration are available at https://summit.globalstartups.club/agra.