Launchpad @ ICH 2025: Fostering Innovation, Creativity, and Impact at the Indian Conference at Harvard

As the Indian Conference at Harvard (ICH) enters its 22nd edition in February 2025, it continues to serve as a premier platform for dialogue, innovation, and cultural exchange. This year, ICH is proud to introduce Launchpad@ICH, an initiative designed to celebrate and support entrepreneurial visionaries, tech-driven problem solvers, and groundbreaking artists. Through a startup pitch competition, a policy hackathon, and an immersive arts showcase, Launchpad is set to highlight the ingenuity and creativity that India has to offer.

Art@ICH

For the first time in Conference history, Art@ICH presents a unique exhibition featuring Indian art, textiles, photography, and print. This thoughtfully curated showcase brings together emerging artists and established voices who are actively reshaping contemporary Indian art through innovation and global sensibilities.

Artists participating in Art@ICH employ diverse mediums, from traditional paintings and textiles to digital art and mixed media installations. Their works reflect India's evolving artistic identity, exploring themes of culture, technology, cosmology, texture, and tone. This initiative highlights India’s multifaceted identity—not just as a hub for innovation and economic growth but as a cultural powerhouse nurturing extraordinary artistic talent.

A special highlight of the showcase is the presence of renowned Gond artist, Smt. Saroj Venkat Shyam, who will conduct an interactive workshop, offering attendees an opportunity to immerse themselves in this traditional folk art form from Madhya Pradesh.

Bhavya, one of the directors for design and the art showcase at ICH shares, “The assembly of artwork is diverse in its essence, ranging from art for art’s sake to narrative storytelling and community-driven initiatives. While this showcase is but a drop in the ocean of Indian art, we hope it fosters contemporary conversations around what it means to be an Indian artist in a globalized world.”

Pitch Competition

The Pitch Competition @ ICH has garnered overwhelming interest, receiving over 160 applications from Indian founders spanning the globe—from North America, UK to India. These applications represent a vast array of cutting-edge innovations, from AI breakthroughs to female health solutions, climate tech, and agri-tech. The competition is a testament to the boldness and ambition of Indian entrepreneurs, showcasing world-class ideas with high-impact potential.

Sanchit, co-director of the competition says, “The quality of entrepreneurial talent at the first ever Startup Pitch Competition at ICH is a testament to the bold ambition of new India’s young entrepreneurs. Always extremely excited to support the country’s startup ecosystem.”

Following an intense selection process, seven finalists have emerged, each presenting a visionary approach to tackling critical global and local challenges. The competition consists of two rigorous rounds:

Round 1: Founders must effectively articulate the problem they are addressing, their solution, traction, and team strength.

Round 2: The top four teams advance to present their business model, go-to-market strategy, and long-term vision in front of a distinguished panel of investors and industry leaders.

Pitch competitions co-director Manan shares, “The response has been nothing short of outstanding. The level of competition is fierce, and the judges have their work cut out for them. The caliber of innovation coming out of India is truly world-class.”

Policy Hackathon

In a bid to create a lasting impact, the ICH Hackathon invites the global community to tackle one of India’s most pressing challenges—climate vulnerability and adaptation. Hosted in collaboration with ISB Bharti Institute of Public Policy and GDi Partners, this initiative aims to generate data-driven and policy-oriented solutions for climate resilience.

The response has been overwhelming. The organizing team initially aimed for 100 registrations but received over 400 sign-ups from participants across India, the US, UK, China, and beyond. With no age restrictions, the competition has drawn diverse talent from students, policy organizations, startups, consulting firms, multilaterals, and government representatives.

The hackathon is structured into two distinct tracks; Analytics Track - focused on leveraging data to drive solutions and Policy Track - designed for crafting actionable policy frameworks.

Finalists will present their solutions to a jury panel comprising distinguished academicians and practitioners from Harvard, ISB, GDi Partners, and the Indian Government. A total prize pool of $10,000 awaits the winners, alongside opportunities to co-publish research with partner organizations and engage with Indian government officials, offering a potential pathway for their ideas to influence real-world policy decisions.

“I have been blessed with such a stellar team—Ritul, Narayani, Sanno, Niharika, Dr. Aarushi, and Sunny—who have gone above and beyond to make this hackathon an enriching experience for participants. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work with! We are all excited to see our collective efforts come to life at the conference.” says Mehr, policy hackathon’s director. 

Launchpad@ICH is where creativity meets impact—whether through entrepreneurial ventures, policy-driven innovation, or transformative art. Attendees will witness some of the most cutting-edge ideas shaping India’s future.

As one of the organizers aptly puts it: “I’m quite convinced that this platform may feature some of the most cutting-edge ideas for climate resilience in India—don’t think you’d want to miss it!”

Explore more about Launchpad@ICH at https://www.indiaconferenceharvard.com/