The AI Impact Summit 2026 is not just an event—it’s India’s launchpad to AI leadership worldwide. This was the resounding message from Anna Roy, who serves as Program Director at NITI Aayog and heads the Women Entrepreneurship Platform as Mission Director.
Roy unveiled plans for an exclusive capacity-building track for 150 top women-led AI ventures. Partnering with ecosystem players, it promises structured advice and vital connections to propel these startups forward.
Detailing the competitive landscape to journalists aside the main sessions, she shared, ‘More than 800 applications flooded in. We kicked off with in-house reviews, followed by 63 online panels.’ EY’s end-to-end facilitation, complete with blind online assessments, upheld rigorous standards.
In the focused discussion ‘Access to Acceleration: How WEP Supports Women Founders,’ Roy outlined WEP’s holistic approach. ‘We drive empowerment by sparking behavioral transformations, providing on-point knowledge, and guiding women entrepreneurs from ambition to achievement,’ she stated.
The elite top 10—featuring Able Credit, Aso AI, Power Lifeline, Verify Technologies, Project Drives, Prosigo Language, Video HR, That Creating, Water Ultra AR, and Jiko AR—earned accolades for their superior showings.
Hosted at Bharat Mandapam until February 20, this summit convenes international heavyweights, collaboratively defining AI’s global destiny and cementing India’s pivotal role.