India Gateway 2026, organised as part of the Indo-German Innovation Studio, was held recently at the Think Tank Theatre, Rathinam Global Deemed to be University, Coimbatore.
The event brought together distinguished leaders, industry experts, innovators, entrepreneurs and ecosystem stakeholders from India and Germany for meaningful dialogue, networking and collaboration.
AIC RAISE organised the event in collaboration with Rathinam Global (Deemed to be University), The Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA), and German Indian Roundtable – Coimbatore Chapter.
The initiative focuses on encouraging greater interaction between the Indian and German ecosystems through innovation, entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange, technology and business engagement.
The event was graced by Manfred Ockel, Mayor (Bürgermeister), Kelsterbach; David Rendel, Mayor (Bürgermeister), Raunheim; and Diana Taubert, CEO, ETL IP – European & German Patent Attorney.
Madan A Sendhil, Chancellor, Rathinam Global (Deemed to be University), represented the academic and institutional leadership supporting the initiative.
A significant milestone of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Rathinam Global (Deemed to be University) and the German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA).
The partnership aims to foster stronger institutional cooperation and create opportunities for collaboration in areas including education, entrepreneurship, innovation, industry engagement, and international knowledge exchange. The MoU marks an important step towards developing sustained engagement between the two ecosystems.
The gathering also featured Nicolas Escherich, Executive Board Member, Ray Sono and Founder, Think-Smart.AI; Joern Plettig, Senior Counsel, ETL IP; and Sathiyann Ponnusamy, CEO, SensrSkin UG, bringing perspectives from technology, innovation and intellectual property.
From the business and entrepreneurial ecosystem, Selvakumar Periasamy, Co-Founder & Chairman, German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA gUG); Nirmal Raman Kannaiyan, Co-Founder & CEO, German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA gUG); Manikandan, Member, SICCI Executive Committee and Managing Director, Spero Mobility & Energy Solution; and Nagaraj Balakrishnan, Vice President & CEO, AIC RAISE, participated in the gathering.
Natalie Mayroth, Journalist, TAZ, also contributed to the diverse exchange of perspectives.
Representing the innovation and startup ecosystem, Pradeepraj, AVP, AIC RAISE and Vivek Manoharan, SICCI Startup & Innovation Committee Chair and CBE Co-Founder – Bipolar Factory, were also part of the event.
Following the MoU signing, the event featured an Exclusive Session on AI, focusing on the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape and its growing significance across startups, businesses and innovation ecosystems.
The session provided an opportunity for participants to gain expert perspectives, exchange ideas and explore the emerging possibilities and applications of AI across industries.
The event placed strong emphasis on networking, expert interaction, community engagement and founder interaction, enabling participants to connect with leaders and professionals from diverse sectors and explore potential areas of collaboration.
