Inc42 to Host CTO Summit Focused on India's AI Era

Inc42 is set to host its inaugural CTO Summit 2026 on September 30, 2026, at the JW Marriott in Bengaluru. The event will convene more than 175 senior technology leaders responsible for building and scaling some of India's most significant technology businesses.

The summit is designed to delve into how India's technology ecosystem is navigating the current transition driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Discussions will center on the practical, operational challenges faced by technology leaders, moving beyond conventional technology categories.

Recent data highlights significant growth in India's AI sector. In the first half of 2026, Indian AI startups raised $676 million, a more than fourfold increase compared to the same period last year. This surge occurred even as overall Indian tech startup funding declined by 9%. The "Google x Inc42 Bharat AI Startups Report" estimates India's AI opportunity could reach $126 billion by 2030.

The summit will address three core questions: How does one build at Indian scale? What does an AI-native engineering organization truly look like? And what is the future for experienced engineering talent? Additionally, it will explore critical issues surrounding security, infrastructure, reliability, governance, and technology economics that are increasingly shaping the CTO mandate.

The invite-only summit targets CTOs, VPs of Engineering, Heads of Technology, CISOs, AI and ML leaders, architects, and founders from growth-stage startups and scaled technology businesses.