Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati hosted the 17th Indian STEPs and Business Incubators Association Conference ISBACON 2025 from 10 to 12 December 2025. Held for the first time in Northeast India and centered on the theme Enabling the Enablers for a Viksit Bharat the conference opened a new dialogue on the evolving role of incubation in shaping the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
The inaugural session welcomed Dr Ashok Puranik Director AIIMS Guwahati as the Chief Guest and Shri Rajesh Thakur ACS and Administrator of Guwahati Biotech Park as the Guest of Honor. Prof Devendra Jalihal Director IIT Guwahati also marked his presence. ISBA President Mr Prasad Menon reflected on the significance of the event noting that the annual gathering stands as a pivotal moment for the enabler community especially as ISBA celebrates twenty years of its contribution to the startup landscape.
ISBACON 2025 brought together more than 200 participants and over 300 delegates from across sectors reaffirming its position as India’s largest annual startup incubation congregation. Leaders from prominent incubation centers institutional investors government bodies and industry shared insights on how incubation frameworks can accelerate innovation driven entrepreneurial growth across the country.
The three day conference included twenty sessions featuring panel discussions masterclasses and keynote addresses. Thought provoking conversations explored ISBA at twenty international linkages for incubation and acceleration partnerships for growth the rise of Tier II and Tier III incubation ecosystems for deep tech and India’s multi sectored strategic approach.
A compelling round table on Vision for Deep Tech Innovation and Incubation in the times of Viksit Bharat provided participants with an analytical perspective on policy requirements infrastructure gaps and collaborative pathways essential for advancing India’s deep tech landscape.
Thirty seven distinguished speakers including representatives from the ISBA Advisory Board contributed to a forward looking blueprint covering incubation excellence emerging technologies innovative funding mechanisms social impact and the creation of resilient future ready institutions.
Reflecting on the conference Dr Swapnil Sinha CEO IIT Guwahati BioNEST expressed confidence that hosting Northeast India’s first ISBACON would empower regional enablers and create a meaningful launchpad for innovation.
The event was supported by leading financial institutions including IDFC First Bank and HDFC Parivarthan along with government bodies such as the Department of Science and Technology DST the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology MeitY and BIRAC. Together they reinforced the conference’s role in strengthening national capacity building policy integration and cross regional collaboration for innovation and entrepreneurship.
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