Rajasthan DigiFest x TiE Global Summit 2026 Opens In Jaipur With Investment, AI On Agenda

Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, minister in the Rajasthan government, inaugurated the Rajasthan DigiFest X TiE Global Summit 2026 in Jaipur

The three-day summit will bring together policymakers, investors and global tech leaders to discuss AI, startups and policy-led innovation

During the inauguration ceremony, organisers and speakers focused on expanding entrepreneurship beyond metros and building India-led technology infrastructure

Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Rajasthan government’s minister for IT and communications, inaugurated the Rajasthan DigiFest X TiE Global Summit 2026 in Jaipur on Sunday (January 4), formally opening the three-day platform bringing together policymakers, global technology leaders, investors and startup founders from across the state.

Addressing the audience at the inaugural ceremony, Rathore pitched Rajasthan as an open destination for businesses, startups and investors, urging them to view the state as a long-term partner in growth.

“I welcome all of you… investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, students and media. The Rajasthan government is ready to work with you. Whether it is industry, IT or government, we will work together as a whole of government,” Rathore said.

The minister said Jaipur’s selection as the host city for the TiE Global Summit underscored how technology-led conversations are moving beyond India’s metros. Adding that the government’s responsibility did not end with hosting the event, he said the Summit marked the beginning of deeper engagement between the state and the global innovation ecosystem.

The Rajasthan DigiFest X TiE Global Summit 2026 is being hosted with a key focus on policy dialogue, technology discussions, and startup-investor engagement.

The Summit, scheduled from January 4-6, 2026, is expected to host 10K+ participants, 100+ speakers, 500+ investors, and 300+ exhibitors, along with corporates, students and government officials.

Sessions at the summit are centred on AI, deeptech, climate and sustainability, digital public infrastructure, and the role of tier II & III cities in India’s next phase of startup growth.

Speaking at the inauguration, TiE Global chair Murali Bukkapatnam underlined the organisation’s long-standing focus on building entrepreneurship from the ground up. He said TiE’s work spans from introducing entrepreneurship at the school level to mentoring and funding startups globally.

“Our mission has always been to work at the bottom of the pyramid. Entrepreneurship has to move beyond metros, into tier II, tier III cities and rural India,” he added. He noted that the alignment between policymakers and ecosystem builders is critical to creating jobs and scalable businesses.

Bukkapatnam also outlined plans to deepen engagement in Rajasthan over the coming years, including mentorship programmes, women-focused initiatives and global collaboration frameworks aimed at expanding access to capital and networks for early-stage founders.

In another key address at the inauguration, Shanker Trivedi, senior vice president of NVIDIA, highlighted the scale of opportunity AI presents for India. He pointed to AI-led innovation across sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture and manufacturing, while urging policymakers and investors to focus on building sovereign AI infrastructure.

“Just like India created a strong digital public stack, there is now an opportunity to create sovereign AI and data infrastructure that allows startups and enterprises to innovate using local data, language and context,” Trivedi said.

The Nvidia VP added that India’s role in the global technology value chain positions local startups to build for both domestic and international markets, especially as global companies increasingly anchor their capabilities in the country.

Talking about choosing Jaipur to host the Summit, convener Mahavir Pratap Sharma said, “For decades, large ecosystem events have been concentrated in metros. The time has come for cities like Jaipur to take centre stage and showcase that tier II cities are ready to lead the next phase of entrepreneurship.”

Sharma added that the vision for the Summit extends beyond three days, with a focus on sustained engagement, job creation and policy collaboration in Rajasthan.

Overall, the inaugural day of the Rajasthan DigiFest X TiE Global Summit 2026 positioned Jaipur as a hub for global capital, technology and policy discussions, while signalling Rajasthan’s intent to play a more active role in India’s evolving innovation story.