The evening was graced by Shri Sanjay Seth, Hon. Minister of State for Defence, as the Chief Guest. Adding star power to the evening were acclaimed actors Nikita Dutta, Adil Hussain, and Anup Soni, who lent their presence to the celebration of India’s entrepreneurial icons.
Power-Packed Conclave Sessions
The conclave sparked meaningful conversations through three thought-provoking panel discussions.
The first session, “Funding the MSME Revolution”, moderated by RJ Sarthak, explored unlocking growth capital through banks, venture capital, private equity, and government-backed schemes. It featured insights from Shalil Gupta (Managing Director, Ozonetel), Varun Singh (Founder & Managing Partner, Foresight Law Offices), and Manish Khurana (Founder, Innovations Venture Studio).
The second session, “Viksit Bharat @2047: The MSME Blueprint”, also moderated by RJ Sarthak, examined how MSMEs will shape India’s journey towards a $5 trillion economy through innovation, technology adoption, skilling, and global competitiveness. Panelists included Ajay Jain (Chairman, Innovation Park & Board Member, IIM Calcutta), Samir Sathe (Founder, Sam'space), and Sapna Shah (Professor, School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi).
The third panel, “GST 2.0: Simplifying Taxation, Empowering MSMEs”, focused on reducing compliance complexity, improving working capital flow, and enabling transparency through a simplified GST framework.
Voices of Vision
Sharing his vision, Darshan Shah, CEO & Co-founder of NewsReach, remarked:
“Working closely with entrepreneurs across the country, I’ve seen how their grit and passion can truly transform communities. They are the real Bharat Builders of Tomorrow, carrying forward India’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Through Bharat Nirmaan at NewsReach, we want to celebrate their journeys, tell their stories, and stand with them as they shape the nation’s future.”
Adding to this, Ramesh Menon, CEO of Fever Network, said:
“At Fever, we believe in amplifying voices that matter. This collaboration gives us the opportunity to not only celebrate success but to inspire action, conversation, and collaboration that empower MSMEs across the country.”
Celebrating Sectoral Achievements
The highlight of the evening was the felicitation of outstanding entrepreneurs and enterprises whose contributions span diverse industries.
In the immigration and work visa sector, Madhav Immigration was recognised for its outstanding contributions, while in digital payment solutions, Dhaval Patel, Founder of SD Pay, was celebrated for revolutionising digital transactions. The award for excellence in technology marketing services went to Vinod Singh, Managing Director of StrategINK, while Harsh Kedia, Founder at Eye Care Equality, was honoured for his commitment to improving vision health for marginalised communities.“The field of drone technology was represented by Dr. Kartik Narayanan, Founder of Lit’s Skills, while authorship was celebrated through Dr. Josan Ranjith and Samir Sathe, Founder of Sam'space.”
In healthcare, Mrs. Ramya Ramachandren, Vice Chairperson of Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, was recognised for her leadership, while the award for CX Excellence (Healthcare) went to Healthians. In the field of education and skilling, Adda Education was felicitated with the CX Excellence Award for its outstanding achievement. Engineering & infrastructure innovation was spotlighted with honours to Pioneer Fabricators Limited, while the AI category featured winners such as Vignesh Iyer and Chandni Niranjan, Founders of Pitchmyventure, for building the best AI investor pitching simulation platform. Gautam Koli, Founder and Director of Better Insights, was celebrated as the AI & Automation Enabler of the Year, while Venkata Sai Vamsi P., Founder of Runno AI, was honoured for SaaS – Sales Tech, and Rohit Sanam Venkata, Founder & CEO of DatavisionAI, for his strides in artificial intelligence.
In the digital marketing segment, especially in performance marketing and SEO, DigiXpressions Media Pvt. Ltd., led by its Co-Founders Mohd Saqib Khan and Vinay Singh, won accolades, while Sahil Luthra, Founder of Vijayan Trishul Defence Solutions, was recognised as the Entrepreneur of the Year - Atmanirbhar Bharat - Defence Visionary Award. The Atmanirbhar Bharat – Defence Visionary Award went to Amit Agarwal, Founder & CEO, and Srujan Yeleti, Founder & COO of ZetSim, for their innovative contributions to India’s defence ecosystem.
The real estate category celebrated Rabinarayan Nayak, Managing Director of Monument Construction & Developer Pvt. Ltd., while Nitin Jain, MD of BNA Enterprise Pvt. Ltd., was recognised for excellence in gems and jewellery export. In CSR, Amit Budania, Director & CEO of Budania IAS, received honours, while Bharat Chajjed, Founder of BK Stars, was recognised in mobile accessories. The finance sector highlighted Deepak Goswami, while in hospitality, travel, and event management, Devang Shah, Director of Xpertz Holidays Pvt. Ltd., earned the spotlight. Chandra Bhan Yadav, Director of Zero Bills Energy Pvt. Ltd., was awarded in renewable and green tech energy storage solutions.
Branding and marketing excellence were celebrated with Rohit Kumar Singh, Founder & CEO, Media Trendz, while Syed Sadaat, CEO of RebootXP Techpro Pvt. Ltd., received recognition in contact centre solutions. In the Technology, IT & ITES sector, Samrat Tiwari, Founder & Director of Webzaa, was spotlighted, with the Best MSME in Innovation, R&D & Digital Transformation was also recognised for its exceptional contributions to advancing technology and driving digital growth, while Ritu Insan, Managing Director of Talented Ritu Insan, earned recognition in her namesake category. In mental health and well-being, Dr. Shradha Malik, Founder & CEO of Athena Behavioral Health, was celebrated.
Recognising Women-led Enterprises
The conclave also highlighted the growing role of women-led enterprises. Purvi Trivedi, Founder of Koshish, was named Woman-led MSME of the Year – Social Service, while Leena Jain, Founder of Fraganta, was recognised for luxury fragrances, and Anubhuti Gupta, MD of Rosenia Ayurveda, was honoured in Ayurveda and natural beauty. Akshatha Mahesh, Founder & CEO of Kiyas, was celebrated for innovation, R&D, and digital transformation, alongside Vivekananda Reddy Chintakuntla, COO of Space Inventive. Durga Das, Founder & CEO of AeroNero, received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award, while Aarati Neelam, Founder and Principal Designer of Neeleraa, was recognised as Woman-led MSME of the Year in Design.
Corporate and Sectoral Excellence
Corporate innovation also took centre stage. Ozonetel was recognised for AI innovation in customer experience, while Country Delight received honours for best MSME in agri and food processing. Falak Kabrawala, Founder & CEO of Fortune Analytica, was celebrated as the best performance marketing agency of the year, while Mr. Gunjan Vijay & Ms. Vishakha Jain of VKC Nuts Pvt. Ltd. (Nutraj) was honoured for excellence in food processing.
In FMCG, Navansh Mittal, Executive Director of SSG Pharma Pvt. Ltd., was celebrated for leadership excellence, while Rashi Chheda Shah, Director of Just In Time - House of International Watch Brands, was named a pillar of Viksit Bharat in retail and consumer brands. The IPO PR space honoured Rupesh Mishra, Founder & CEO of SoLoMo Media Pvt. Ltd., while Manish Jaisansaria, Director of Neelkanth Polymers (K.C. India Ltd.), was awarded India’s Top Exporter of the Year.
Marketing and technology innovation was celebrated with Vishal Keshav Kamble, Founder & CEO of Anic Digital, while the mining and natural resources category honoured Viju B Jain, Managing Director of Vrudhijain Group. Real estate excellence was represented by Dr. Deepak Gupta, Founder of Delhi Land And Constructions LLP (DLC Group), while the Makoons Group of Schools earned recognition as Global Indian MSME of the Year in Education. Harry Bajaj, CEO of Mobec Innovation Pvt. Ltd., was felicitated for Best MSME in Innovation and R&D in Critical Mineral Recycling, while Sudhir Jindal, Director of Bindal Powertech Pvt. Ltd., was named Best Emerging MSME of the Year in battery energy storage. Pratik Kakadia received honours as Entrepreneur of the Year for innovation and inclusive growth, while fashion leadership was celebrated with Akhilesh Pahwa, Fashion Designer, recognised as Global Emerging Fashion Leader – Modern Heritage Aesthetics.
The evening further honoured Prashant Jain, MD of Indica Publishers & Distributors Pvt. Ltd. & Kitabwale, as Entrepreneur of the Year, while Ayush Kumar, CEO of Tanaashi Technologies Pvt. Ltd., was named MSME Enabler of the Year. Hiren Shah, Co-Founder & MD of Vertoz, was celebrated as Entrepreneur of the Year in ad-tech and digital marketing. Other special recognitions included Komal Gupta (Passionworks), Digitek, Delberto, Abhishek Mall & Aman Raj (Karo Startup), and Dr. Arun Kumar Tiwari (H2O Dynamics India Limited).
A Testament to India’s Backbone
The HT Media Bharat Nirmaan Conclave & Awards 2025 stood as a testament to the resilience, creativity, and contributions of India’s MSMEs, honouring them as the true backbone of Bharat’s growth. By fostering dialogue, celebrating achievements, and recognising excellence, the event reaffirmed its commitment to building a stronger, inclusive, and prosperous India.
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