IMI Kolkata inaugurated the ISDSI Global Conference 2025 with an impactful event, positioning innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability not only as academic ideals but as actionable imperatives for India’s growth story towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The Speed Dating / Elevator Pitch – ISDSI Global Investment Summit 2025 set a decisive tone, translating research, ideas, and enterprise thinking into tangible dialogue between academia, industry, and emerging entrepreneurs.
The opening deliberations framed entrepreneurship as a national capability rather than an individual pursuit. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Arindam Sengupta, Executive Director, Grameen Foundation for Social Impact, emphasised the urgency of innovation-led development, stating, “If India has to become a developed country, innovation and entrepreneurship are not optional; they are essential.” His remarks reinforced the need for robust ecosystems that encourage risk-taking, creativity, and long-term value creation across sectors.
Strategic perspectives were further enriched by insights from Professor Bhimaraya Metri, Conference Chief Patron, President ISDSI-Global & Director, IIM Nagpur; Prof. Ravi Jain, Conference Patron, Secretary General ISDSI-Global & Director, IILM Gurugram; Professor Mohua Banerjee, Chief Patron, 19th ISDSI-Global Conference 2025 & Director, IMI Kolkata; and Prof. Harivansh Chaturvedi, Director General, IILM New Delhi. Collectively, the speakers examined the realities of building scalable enterprises in India, encompassing grassroots entrepreneurship, traditional industries, technology-led ventures, and sustainability-driven business models. They highlighted that execution discipline, resilience, and adaptability are central to entrepreneurial success.
A key outcome milestone of the programme was the launch of Grameen NEEV, a sustainability accelerator programme, by the guests. Grameen NEEV focuses on empowering underserved communities by identifying latent capabilities and strengthening them through structured learning, mentoring, and targeted capacity-building, reinforcing the conference’s emphasis on inclusive, action-oriented sustainability.
Emphasising the strategic relevance of the platform, Professor Mohua Banerjee noted that “platforms like the ISDSI Global Conference are critical because they bring together research, practice, and policy on one stage,” enabling meaningful exchanges that bridge academic insight with real-world application. She further underlined the evolving role of management education, observing that “sustainability today is not an option or a peripheral discussion; it is central to how businesses, institutions, and economies must evolve,” reaffirming IMI Kolkata’s commitment to fostering research-led dialogue, innovation, and responsible leadership.
A key outcome of the programme was the “Investment Summit’, an active integration of students, entrepreneurs, and researchers into the investment discourse, reinforcing the conference’s emphasis on future-ready leadership. Participants presented perspectives on innovation, agribusiness, sustainability, and emerging business models, engaging directly with practitioners and mentors. These interactions highlighted the role of institutions like IMI Kolkata in nurturing enterprise-oriented thinking, where students are exposed to market realities, investor expectations, and impact-driven decision-making from an early stage.
Sustainability emerged as a unifying theme across sessions, with speakers underscoring that long-term economic value creation is inseparable from social and environmental responsibility. The discussions repositioned sustainability as a strategic lever for innovation and competitiveness rather than a compliance obligation, encouraging businesses to embed responsible practices at the core of their operating models.
The programme’s proceedings concluded with an interactive exchange of ideas, reflections, and forward-looking perspectives on policy alignment, institutional responsibility, and industry collaboration. The inaugural sessions successfully set the tone for the ISDSI Global Conference, reaffirming IMI Kolkata’s role as a catalyst for research-driven dialogue, entrepreneurial action, and globally relevant solutions, while positioning the conference as a platform focused on measurable outcomes and sustainable impact.
