India should become the world’s top AI player after the summit
Anna Roy, Mission Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and Program Director at NITI Aayog, stated the “AI Impact Summit 2026” should serve as a platform for securing India’s place as a major player in the AI space on a worldwide scale.
She emphasized that comprehensive support across all pillars is necessary for entrepreneurial success by announcing at the event a specific capacity-building program for 150 shortlisted women-led AI startups. This program will include structured mentorship and networking support in partnership with ecosystem partners.
According to her, “we received over 800 applications for this challenge.”
We conducted an internal review first. We then completed 63 virtual panels. “We employed a very transparent approach, and EY handled the entire evaluation process from start to finish.” Online marking was all over the place. She said, “They were totally anonymous.”
Roy described WEP’s function in creating a comprehensive ecosystem that supports women entrepreneurs from aspiration to scale in a presentation titled “Access to Acceleration: How WEP Supports Women Founders.”
“Our vision at WEP is empowerment — Shakti — where we facilitate behavior change, give access to pertinent information at the appropriate moment, and assist female entrepreneurs from the point of aspiration to the expansion of their businesses,” Roy stated.
She commended them on their outstanding performance throughout the evaluation phases and named the top ten winners: Able Credit, Aso AI, Power Lifeline, Veryfi Technologies, Project Drives, Prosigo Language, Videos HR, That Creating, Water Ultra AR, and Zico AR.
NITI Aayog Distinguished Fellow Debjani Ghosh expressed her enthusiasm for the “India AI Impact Summit 2026,” which aims to realize AI’s full potential for global influence. She emphasizes why this is India’s time to contribute to the development of AI in her remarks on the fringes of the “India AI Impact Expo 2026.”
An entire day of talks and startup displays centered on creating impact-first, inclusive, and responsible AI brought together women innovators, founders, researchers, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders for the India AI Impact Summit 2026’s flagship program, the “AI By HER Global Impact Challenge.”