New Delhi [India], October 1 : India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 is set to put DeepTech and frontier innovation at the foundation of its startup agenda for its 10th edition. The event will be held from 7–10 October at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi. 
According to IMC, the event will center on assisting emerging firms in transitioning from prototypes to commercial scale, investment, and market access through its flagship platform, ASPIRE.
Organised jointly by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the forum is expected to convene more than 500 startups and MSMEs alongside over 300 venture capital firms, angel networks, incubators, and corporate innovation entities. 
Supported by Telecom Centres of Excellence India (TCoE India) and TiE Delhi-NCR, the initiative will also coordinate over 700 curated one-on-one meetings between founders and investors.
Ashok Kumar, Deputy Director General at the Department of Telecommunications, said, "India’s next phase of technology growth will depend not only on the strength of our digital infrastructure, but also on our ability to nurture companies that can build globally relevant technologies from India. The Government is committed to creating an enabling environment where innovation, entrepreneurship and investment can reinforce each other."
Kumar mentioned that stronger industry–government collaboration will be particularly important in strategic technology areas, where sustained investment, talent and long-term market opportunities are critical to building enduring capabilities. 
“IMC is helping translate this vision into action by creating a platform where India’s technology ecosystem can connect, collaborate and build the partnerships needed to take innovation to the next stage," he added.
The ASPIRE agenda will cover sectors including artificial intelligence, intelligent hardware, connectivity, semiconductors, and SpaceTech. Sessions will feature masterclasses on intellectual property and legal frameworks led by experts from DPIIT and C-DOT, alongside discussions on transitioning AI-first products from prototype to production. The event will also feature the ASPIRE Live Pitch-15, where 15 shortlisted startups will present to an investor panel, leading to the ASPIRE NextGen Startup Awards.
Ramakrishna P., Chief Executive Officer of India Mobile Congress, said, "Over the years, ASPIRE has grown into an important platform for bringing promising startups, young innovators and the wider technology ecosystem together. What began as a platform to showcase emerging ideas has evolved into a more structured ecosystem connecting founders with investors, industry leaders and policymakers."
He added that with ASPIRE, IMC wants to put the sharpest ideas in front of the people who can help take them to market, whether that’s an investor, an enterprise buyer or a policymaker. “For our 10th edition, the goal is simple: create more pathways for promising ideas to move from the drawing board to the real world."
Upasana Sharma, Executive Director of TiE Delhi-NCR, said, "India’s next wave of founders is emerging from campuses and smaller cities, bringing with them ideas that have the potential to shape the businesses of tomorrow. What they need at this stage is not just capital, but early access to the right mentors, customers, networks and market opportunities."
"At TiE Delhi-NCR, we are proud to partner with IMC to bring these critical elements of the startup ecosystem together on one platform, connecting emerging founders directly with investors and industry leaders," Sharma noted.
On 9 October, IMC 2026 will host the second edition of the Startup World Cup India, where the selected national winner will advance to the Grand Finale in San Francisco to compete for a USD 1 million investment prize. The wider forum is projected to draw over 1.5 lakh attendees from more than 100 countries, 300 exhibitors and partners, and 1,500 technology use cases.