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National,15th February 2026: As the government prepares to host its landmark AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this week, former President Ram Nath Kovind said the country’s emergence as the world’s third largest startup ecosystem must now be defined not only by scale and speed but by ethics, credibility and national purpose. Addressing an event hosted by Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), he said India’s global technology moment must be matched by value driven enterprise at home.
Speaking to founders, investors and mentors at ILLUMIN8, JITO’s national startup initiative, Kovind placed India’s global technology spotlight within the broader transformation of its entrepreneurial landscape.
“India becoming the third largest startup ecosystem in the world is far more than a ranking. It represents the resolve of our young entrepreneurs who have chosen to build rather than wait. In barely a decade, we have moved from a few hundred startups to more than two lakh recognised ventures, with over a hundred achieving unicorn status. Whether in technology, agriculture, healthcare or clean energy, our innovators are shaping opportunity with their own hands and, in the process, generating employment and confidence across the country.”
With global leaders and technology voices converging for the AI Impact Summit, Kovind stressed that innovation, especially in emerging technologies, must remain anchored in integrity.
“Business and values must walk together. Profit has meaning only when it is anchored in purpose. A society driven only by financial gain may appear to advance for some time, yet without ethics it slowly begins to lose its compass. When enterprise is guided by integrity, it creates not just wealth but credibility. And credibility, in the long run, is what gives enterprise its strength and permanence.”
The former President delivered the address at ILLUMIN8, an initiative of the JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation, which provides a structured platform for early stage startups to access mentorship, evaluation and investor engagement. As India hosts a global conversation on artificial intelligence, his remarks framed the country’s innovation ambitions within a larger ethical and developmental context.
Speaking on the occasion, Jeenendra Bhandari, Chairman, JIIF, said “India’s startup story is no longer just about valuation. It is about value creation for the real economy. The government’s continued commitment, including initiatives like Startup India Fund 2.0, sends a powerful signal that risk taking and innovation are not just tolerated but also encouraged. When policy support aligns with entrepreneurial courage, capital becomes catalytic and ideas turn into industries. India’s founders are not merely building companies. They are building economic momentum, jobs and global competitiveness.”
ILLUMIN8 showcased select high potential startups from across the country, offering them mentorship and live pitching opportunities before an investor panel. The initiative seeks to strengthen the bridge between innovation and capital while reinforcing responsible and sustainable growth at a time when India is under the global technology spotlight
