Standing alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais des Expositions in Nice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made an unambiguous declaration to the world’s top investors, venture capitalists, and innovators: India is no longer content to consume technology – it is ready to lead, create, and share it.
Addressing the inaugural session of Bharat Innovates 2026, a three-day deep-technology showcase bringing together 120 Indian start-ups and over 350 global investors, PM Modi delivered a sweeping vision of India’s transformation from a developing-world technology buyer into a confident global innovation hub – and extended a personal invitation to the world to “come to India, work with us, design in India, develop in India, and create solutions for the world.”
A Partnership Built on Vision, Not Just Interest
PM Modi was at pains to underscore that the India-France relationship represents something deeper than conventional diplomacy. “Countries around the world engage in trade with one another, and many share strategic partnerships,” he said. “But there are some relationships that are driven not only by shared interests, but also by a shared vision. The relationship between India and France is one such partnership.”
The bilateral relationship, which has steadily expanded over the past decade, now spans cooperation in Artificial Intelligence, the International Solar Alliance, Indo-Pacific security, and clean energy. PM Modi thanked Macron – who co-inaugurated the event – recalling that during his earlier visit to India, the French President had called on both nations to “come together to address the challenges of this century.” PM Modi told the audience on Sunday that Bharat Innovates was precisely that – a step in that direction.
The event itself is a product of the India-France Year of Innovation, launched in February this year, and reflects a deliberate effort by both governments to transform their strategic partnership into a tangible innovation corridor. Bharat Innovates, PM Modi said, is “becoming a bridge between Indian talent and European capital” and a platform where “young Indian minds have the opportunity to connect with European expertise.”
200,000 Start-ups and Counting
PM Modi used the occasion to project the scale and depth of India’s start-up revolution. While the Nice showcase features around 120 to 125 start-ups, he reminded the gathering that India now hosts over 200,000 start-ups, making it the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem. The sectors on display – Quantum Computing, Semiconductors, Biotechnology, Defence, Space, Healthcare, MedTech, Advanced Materials, and Clean Energy – reflect, he argued, a country no longer operating at the margins of frontier technology but squarely at its centre.
Sketching out the breadth of Indian innovation, PM Modi highlighted entrepreneurs using AI to transform village life, satellite technology to empower farmers, and green hydrogen, battery technologies, and electric mobility to build a sustainable future. “Bharat innovates with scale and speed. Bharat innovates for a sustainable future. And Bharat innovates for the whole world,” he declared.
Human Impact Over Market Valuation
Perhaps the sharpest message of PM Modi’s address was directed at the venture capitalists and investors in the room. In a pointed departure from conventional start-up culture, he argued that the measure of a company’s greatness “does not lie merely in its valuation” but in its human impact. “Start-ups should be judged not just by their market valuation, but in equal measure by the impact they have on humanity,” he said, framing this as the “core message” of Bharat Innovates.
This philosophy, he added, runs through India’s broader digital vision – from its Digital Public Infrastructure to its AI policy framework of “AI for All,” articulated in Sanskrit as Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya – for the welfare and happiness of all.
An Open Invitation
Closing on an ambitious note, PM Modi threw open India’s doors to global collaboration, calling for joint research, co-development, shared manufacturing, and long-term partnership. Recent reforms in India’s defence and nuclear energy sectors, he said, have created fresh avenues for innovators worldwide.
As Bharat Innovates runs through June 16, the gathering in Nice marks a pointed moment in India’s global positioning – one where New Delhi is no longer asking to join the table of technological powers, but actively setting it.
