National Technology Day 2026: Tech Leaders on Responsible Innovation for Inclusive Growth

Nisarg Pandya, CEO, DrivebuddyAI

Responsible innovation, to us at drivebuddyAI, means using AI to solve real problems without compromising trust. At drivebuddyAI, we build safety technology that helps commercial fleets protect drivers, reduce risk, and improve efficiency – while staying transparent about consent, data use, and real-world performance. Because Indian roads and Indian driving patterns are unique, we design and validate for those conditions from the start. That is how technology becomes inclusive: not just smarter, but safer, more accountable, and useful at scale for the entire ecosystem.

Ish Thukral, Head of APAC, Neo4j

On National Technology Day, the conversation around innovation is increasingly being shaped by how effectively organizations harness AI to solve real-world, high-impact challenges. At Neo4j, we see AI delivering the most value when paired with connected data, using graph technology to add greater context to the knowledge layer and make AI systems more accurate, explainable, and governable. As we look ahead, the convergence of AI and graph technology will define the next generation of enterprise intelligence, enabling businesses to move from reactive insights to predictive.

Prateek Jain, Co-Founder & COO, Addverb

The Indian technology and manufacturing ecosystem is evolving rapidly through AI-powered, flexible automation and real-time decision-making. The shift from programmed automation to autonomous systems is enhancing efficiency, safety, scale, and operational resilience across warehouses, factories, and supply chains. However, this transformation also depends on building a skilled, future-ready workforce capable of working alongside intelligent systems. Responsible innovation, deep skilling, and human-machine collaboration will define future leaders. At Addverb, we are committed to advancing both adaptive robotics and the talent needed to sustain India’s next generation of industrial excellence.

Nitesh Gupta, Director at Optiemus Electronics Limited

India’s technology journey is entering a decisive phase, where manufacturing is converging with innovation, design, and advanced technologies to drive long-term competitiveness. Over the last decade, electronics manufacturing output has grown nearly sixfold, with exports rising eightfold. The next phase of growth lies beyond assembly, focusing on strengthening components, semiconductor ecosystems, embedded systems, and product design. At Optiemus Electronics Limited, we believe sustained investment in localization, innovation, and strategic partnerships will position India as a globally competitive technology powerhouse.

Avinash Punekar, CEO, iCreate

Responsible innovation is about building technologies that solve India’s unique challenges while creating opportunities that are inclusive and scalable. For India, this is especially pertinent, importing solutions reactively is not a long-term strategy. Through collaborations across government and industry to strengthen India’s AI and deep-tech ecosystem, we are seeing stronger momentum toward indigenous innovation. We have the talent and entrepreneurial capability to build globally competitive solutions; what’s needed now is faster institutional support, patient capital and enabling ecosystems that help startups scale sustainable impact. iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology)

Maaz Ansari, CRO & Co- Founder, Oriserve

Responsible innovation is not just about building advanced AI systems, but ensuring they create meaningful impact for every section of society. Inclusive growth can only happen when technology is accessible, multilingual, secure, and designed to solve real-world challenges at scale. The future of innovation lies in creating AI that empowers businesses, governments, and citizens alike, while bridging digital and socio-economic divides responsibly.

Govind Rammurthy, CEO & Managing Director, eScan

India’s technology self-reliance requires building capabilities others won’t share - especially in cybersecurity. AI tools discovering 271 Firefox vulnerabilities demonstrate technology’s dual nature: strengthening defenses or weaponizing attacks depending on control. Responsible innovation means mandatory disclosure timelines requiring AI researchers to share findings with developers before publication, strict guardrails preventing LLMs from generating functional exploit code, and ensuring open-source models undergo the same scrutiny as proprietary systems. India needs indigenous AI-powered security addressing actual Indian threats - regulatory compliance, regional patterns, and local constraints - rather than importing foreign solutions designed elsewhere.

Manish Chasta, Co-Founder & CTO, Eventus Security

As India continues to strengthen its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies, the conversation around responsible innovation has become more important than ever. AI is no longer experimental — it is rapidly becoming part of how organisations operate, scale, and make decisions. While this unlocks enormous opportunities, it also introduces new cyber risks that many organisations are still preparing for. The reality is simple: innovation cannot move faster than trust. As businesses accelerate towards AI-native systems, cloud-first operations, and interconnected digital ecosystems, cybersecurity can no longer remain just a compliance exercise. It must become part of the foundation on which innovation is built.

Venkat Ramana, CEO, NthEye and Value Pitch, NthEye

Technology today must move beyond convenience and focus on prevention, especially in critical sectors like healthcare where every second matters. At NthEye, we believe AI-led intelligence can help hospitals detect risks, identify blind spots, and respond to anomalies in real time. India’s next phase of technological growth will be defined by systems that are more aware, responsive, and safety driven. National Technology Day serves as an important reminder that innovation should solve real operational challenges institutions face daily.

Rohit Mahajan, Founder & CEO, plutos ONE

India has already established itself as a global leader in Digital Payments. The next decade will belong to Payment Infrastructure, where banks and fintech ecosystems will scale digital access to 100 million+ customers. India is not just building for Bharat — it is building the future of global digital payments.