India imported $19.5 billion worth of vegetable oils in 2025-26 -- a massive outflow of forex for something used daily in millions of kitchens. Read full report here

Aditya Kandoi, Founder & CEO, Redcliffe Labs

"Technology Day today is not just about celebrating innovation anymore. It's about recognizing how intelligently technology is helping healthcare move from delayed treatment to early prediction.

In diagnostics, AI and digital health systems are now enabling real-time monitoring that is reshaping how India manages health. At the same time, advanced digital systems are also bringing far greater transparency into how diagnostics operate behind the scenes.

Today, from sample collection to lab processing and final report generation, every stage can be digitally tracked and monitored in real time - both by labs and by patients themselves. This not only improves visibility and turnaround time, but also strengthens accuracy, accountability, and overall trust in the diagnostic experience.

One breakthrough we're strongly betting on this year is AI-powered preventive health intelligence - where tools like smartphone-based face scans and predictive health analyzers can help flag early health risks, guide people toward the right diagnostic direction, and enable timely action much before conditions become serious.

The next-decade of healthcare will belong to preventive-first ecosystems and not treatment-first approach" -

Dr Preet Sandhu, Founder, AVPL International & Promoter, iQuantara

"On National Technology Day, India's technology narrative is clearly shifting from software strength to deep tech leadership. The real opportunity lies in the convergence of AI, drones, and semiconductors - sectors that are not only driving innovation but also defining national capability. While rapid advancements in drones and AI signal strong momentum, their long-term scalability will depend on building a resilient, indigenous semiconductor ecosystem. For India, tech sovereignty is not just about innovation, but about owning the entire value chain. The focus now must be on enabling startups with patient capital, strengthening R&D, and ensuring consistent policy execution to turn this $100 billion opportunity into a sustainable global advantage."

Girish Hirde, Global Delivery Head at InfoVision

"Today, technology has reached a stage where its true test is not in what it can do, but in what it chooses to solve. At InfoVision, the belief is that intelligence without direction only amplifies noise, while intelligence guided by intent reshapes industries. Artificial intelligence, cloud, and data are no longer instruments of efficiency, they are instruments of judgment, influencing how enterprises perceive risk, opportunity, and growth. The difference now lies in the discipline to ask better questions before building faster answers. On this National Technology Day, our focus should be on building systems that make decisions traceable, outcomes predictable, and value impossible to ignore.", said Mr. Girish Hirde, Global Delivery Head at InfoVision

Kumarraju Rudraraju, Managing Director at Titan Intech Ltd 

"On National Technology Day, we believe the real value of technology is measured by how effectively it solves practical challenges and improves the way people connect, communicate, and make decisions. At UltraLED Displays, we have seen how visual Technology is becoming an essential part of modern businesses, public infrastructure, education, and collaborative environments. Expectations today go far beyond brightness or screen size. Organizations are looking for reliability, energy efficiency, seamless performance, and solutions that can operate consistently in real world conditions. This shift is also creating a strong opportunity for India to build advanced display technologies through local engineering and manufacturing capabilities. We are proud to contribute to that journey with solutions designed specifically for evolving industry needs in India and beyond. Technology should feel dependable, intuitive, and built with purpose, and that is the direction we remain committed to as the industry continues to evolve." said 

Saurabh Mangrulkar, Founder and CEO of EventBeep

"On National Technology Day, we see technology in education not just as an enabler but as a powerful equalizer that can redefine how young people discover and build their careers. Access to the right guidance, skills, and opportunities should not be limited by geography or background, and technology is now making that shift possible at scale. With the rise of artificial intelligence and data driven learning, education is becoming more personalized, outcome focused, and closely aligned with real world industry needs. Students today are no longer preparing for a single path but for a constantly evolving future that demands adaptability and continuous learning. We at Beep are leveraging technology to bridge the gap between learning and employability, ensuring that every student has the clarity, confidence, and capability to move forward faster and more meaningfully in their career journey." 

Rahul Jain, Managing Director at Matrix Geo Solutions

"On National Technology Day, we at Matrix Geo Solutions believe technology should do more than look advanced, it should solve real problems on the ground. In our world, that means helping people plan better, build smarter, and work with greater confidence across roads, railways, water projects, mining, and other critical infrastructure. Tools like drones, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and GIS are powerful because they turn complex terrain into clear, usable insight. That is what matters most to us, not just capturing data, but converting it into decisions that improve speed, accuracy, safety, and efficiency. As the pace of development grows, we see geospatial intelligence playing a bigger role in shaping resilient and future ready infrastructure. At Matrix Geo Solutions, we remain committed to creating technology led solutions that support progress, reduce risk, and deliver real value where it is needed most."

Aditya Kandoi, Founder & CEO, Redcliffe Labs

"Technology Day today is not just about celebrating innovation anymore. It's about recognizing how intelligently technology is helping healthcare move from delayed treatment to early prediction.

In diagnostics, AI and digital health systems are now enabling real-time monitoring that is reshaping how India manages health. At the same time, advanced digital systems are also bringing far greater transparency into how diagnostics operate behind the scenes.

Today, from sample collection to lab processing and final report generation, every stage can be digitally tracked and monitored in real time - both by labs and by patients themselves. This not only improves visibility and turnaround time, but also strengthens accuracy, accountability, and overall trust in the diagnostic experience.

One breakthrough we're strongly betting on this year is AI-powered preventive health intelligence - where tools like smartphone-based face scans and predictive health analyzers can help flag early health risks, guide people toward the right diagnostic direction, and enable timely action much before conditions become serious.

The next-decade of healthcare will belong to preventive-first ecosystems and not treatment-first approach" 

India has no plans to raise duties on gold and silver imports, a government source said on Monday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to avoid buying gold for a year due to the impact of the Iran war, according to a Reuters report. India is the world's second-largest consumer of gold and the largest consumer of silver.

Ankush Sabharwal, Founder CEO, CoRover.ai

"Responsible innovation is about scaling trust, access, and opportunity across all communities, not inequality. India's real strength lies in building AI and digital infrastructure that is ethical, inclusive, and purposefully designed for all of Bharat, not just urban markets. 

On National Technology Day, the priority is unambiguous: innovate with a clear purpose, democratize access, and ensure technology becomes a powerful force multiplier for truly inclusive growth, long-term economic resilience, and sustained national progress."

Dipesh Ranjan, Senior Vice President, Cyble

Achieving inclusive growth requires proactively designing technologies with innovation and inclusion at their core. Digital ecosystems are growing faster than ever, necessitating the use of technology to empower all segments of society while ensuring that the integrity and privacy of everyone involved remain protected. Responsible innovation is not simply about developing AI/ML and enhancing cybersecurity - it's about creating resilient digital environments that support collaboration among governments, businesses, and citizens to foster comprehensive growth. The future of our societies will rely upon solutions that are ethical, transparent, and strategically engineered to create material outcomes across massive populations.

Blue Machines AI, an enterprise-grade Voice AI platform, has deployed AI-powered voice agents across mutual funds, health insurance, and housing finance businesses of Aditya Birla Capital, one of India's leading diversified financial services companies.  The solution agents integrate conversational AI directly into the businesses' operational systems to automate customer outreach, investor engagement, advisor activation, and servicing workflows. The deployment was completed in six weeks, making it one of the fastest enterprise-wide Voice AI implementations in India's financial services sector.

Across its mutual fund business, Aditya Birla Capital is leveraging Voice AI agents to deepen investor engagement by qualifying prospects, improving retention, and supporting the rollout of offerings such as SIP-for-Life. The agents enable customers to discover relevant fund options, address queries on performance and investment horizons, and move seamlessly through SIP or lump-sum investment journeys.

Investors dumped jewellery stocks on fears that demand could slow, especially during weddings and festive purchases. Read the full report here

Sumit Kumar, Founder & Director, Headsup B2B

"India's infrastructure procurement ecosystem is undergoing a structural shift. For decades, sourcing across construction and industrial projects has operated through fragmented vendor networks, offline coordination, and relationship-led decision-making. That model helped build trust in a highly execution-driven industry, but as infrastructure projects become larger, faster, and more complex, the limitations of fragmented procurement systems are becoming increasingly visible.

Infrastructure execution today depends not just on access to materials, but on visibility, predictability, and supply-chain responsiveness. Delays in sourcing, inconsistent supplier discovery, lack of real-time inventory visibility, and financing bottlenecks continue to impact project timelines and working capital cycles across the sector. Technology is now helping address these operational gaps by bringing greater transparency, data visibility, and efficiency into procurement workflows.

At Headsup B2B, we see this transition firsthand through the growing demand for integrated procurement ecosystems that can connect sourcing, logistics, financing, and supplier verification into a more seamless infrastructure supply chain. The role of technology is not to replace trust in procurement, it is to strengthen it through better visibility, faster decision-making, and more reliable execution.

The real impact of technology in infrastructure procurement will not be measured by how digital the platform looks, but by whether businesses can source critical materials faster, reduce execution uncertainty, and build more resilient supply chains at scale. That is where the next phase of infrastructure growth in India will be shaped."

Rohit Mahajan, Founder & CEO of plutos ONE, believes India's next big opportunity lies in building globally scalable payment infrastructure. "India has already established itself as a global leader in Digital Payments. The next decade will belong to Payment Infrastructure, where banks and fintech ecosystems will scale digital access to 100 million+ customers. India is not just building for Bharat - it is building the future of global digital payments." Responsible innovation is about scaling trust, access, and opportunity across all communities, not inequality. India's real strength lies in building AI and digital infrastructure that is ethical, inclusive, and purposefully designed for all of Bharat, not just urban markets. On National Technology Day, the priority is unambiguous: innovate with a clear purpose, democratize access, and ensure technology becomes a powerful force multiplier for truly inclusive growth, long-term economic resilience, and sustained national progress. As organizations accelerate digital transformation, experts also stress the importance of accessibility and affordability in technological development.

Satish Mishra, CTO, Pi42 

"Over the last few years, blockchain has gradually shifted from being viewed as a crypto-native technology to becoming a serious enterprise infrastructure layer. According to IDC estimates, enterprise blockchain spending is projected to approach nearly $20 billion globally in 2026, with industries such as financial services, supply chain, healthcare, and digital identity driving adoption. What is interesting is that the conversation today is no longer around whether blockchain works, but around where trust gaps in digital systems are becoming too expensive to ignore.

The next wave of blockchain adoption will likely be driven by verification rather than speculation. As AI-generated content, synthetic identities, and automated workflows become mainstream, businesses will increasingly require systems that can prove authenticity, ownership, and data integrity in real time. In that environment, blockchain becomes less of a financial technology layer and more of a trust infrastructure layer for the internet.

The real breakthrough will happen when blockchain becomes invisible to the user but foundational to the system, similar to how cloud infrastructure operates today. The companies that succeed will not be the ones simply adding blockchain to products, but the ones using it to solve deeper challenges around auditability, interoperability, and digital trust at scale."

Anurag Jain, Founder & CEO, ORISERVE

Responsible innovation is not just about building advanced AI systems, but ensuring they create meaningful impact for every section of society. Inclusive growth can only happen when technology is accessible, multilingual, secure, and designed to solve real-world challenges at scale. The future of innovation lies in creating AI that empowers businesses, governments, and citizens alike, while bridging digital and socio-economic divides responsibly.

Naveen Gupta, Founder & CEO, Trev Mobility

Technology today is no longer limited to software or automation alone; it is reshaping how mobility is experienced and managed in real time. From AI-led fleet intelligence to video telematics and predictive monitoring, technology is helping make transportation safer, smarter, and more efficient. In the EV mobility ecosystem, these innovations are becoming critical for improving operational efficiency, driver behaviour, route planning, safety standards, and overall customer experience.

I believe the future of mobility will be driven by the intelligent integration of AI, connected systems, and clean transportation to build more reliable and sustainable urban travel."

Sameer Merchant, CEO & MD, Laxmi Dental Limited

India's healthcare and dental ecosystem is rapidly evolving with the adoption of AI, automation, CAD/CAM, and 3D printing. Digital workflows are replacing manual processes, enabling greater precision, faster turnaround, scalability, and more consistent clinical outcomes. The global digital dentistry market is also poised for strong growth, driven by demand for advanced imaging, digital prosthetics, and AI-led diagnostics.

In India, this shift is accelerating as clinics and labs invest in intraoral scanners, digital imaging, and additive manufacturing to enhance efficiency and patient care. Beyond operational gains, this transformation is driving a move from reactive to more predictive, technology-enabled care. The next phase of growth will be driven by AI-assisted treatment planning, chairside digital workflows, and scalable manufacturing capabilities that can deliver faster, more adaptive, and highly personalised dental solutions. The real opportunity lies in how effectively organisations integrate these technologies to build resilient, future-ready systems that can consistently deliver quality at scale.

Deepak Kushwaha, Principal Partner, Square Yards 

"Technology in financial services today is no longer just about digitising transactions faster, it is about making financial decisions simpler, more transparent, and easier for consumers to navigate. As the ecosystem becomes more digital-first, people are looking for clarity and confidence while choosing financial products, especially in areas like home loans where the process has traditionally been complex and fragmented.

At Urban Money, we see a growing need for platforms that can help users compare options better, understand the real impact of their borrowing decisions, and make informed choices rather than just chasing the lowest rate or fastest approval. The next phase of growth in financial services will be driven by how effectively platforms combine technology with transparency, guidance, and convenience to improve the overall borrowing experience."

With GIFT Nifty signalling a soft open, Brent stuck near $101 on a still-constrained Strait of Hormuz, and BankNifty visibly weaker than the broader market, InvestorAi is leaning into defensive dollar earners and selective commodity exposure. The book reads as a hedge against a rupee under crude-driven pressure - pharma and IT for export-led shelter, metals to ride the commodity cycle, with one contrarian private-bank conviction call against a softening financials tape.

Where We're Concentrated

Two themes dominate: pharma defensives (export-skewed, rupee-positive) and metals leverage to elevated commodity prices. IT sits alongside as a second-order dollar-earner play. The thesis breaks if crude unwinds sharply on a US-Iran de-escalation - that would pull rupee strength, compress pharma/IT margins, and de-rate VEDL's commodity case in a single session.

Conviction Picks

HIGHEST CONVICTION

Laurus Labs

Export-led API franchise - rupee weakness from elevated crude flows directly into operating leverage.

HIGHEST CONVICTION

Vedanta

Diversified metals exposure with dividend optionality - a clean expression of the elevated-commodity, weak-rupee regime.

CONTRARIAN CALL

Yes Bank

A targeted private-bank position against a tape where PSU banks are dragging BankNifty - idiosyncratic conviction, not sector beta.

Tech Mahindra

Second-line IT dollar-earner - defensive ballast if VIX continues to firm into the week.

Voltas

Seasonal cooling demand into peak summer - the single cyclical-consumer name in an otherwise defensive book.

ONE THING TO WATCH

India VIX through 18. A close above validates the defensive tilt and keeps pharma/IT bid. A drop back under 16 - likely driven by crude easing under $95 - unwinds the entire book at once.

Kumar Rajagopalan, Vice President - Strategic Initiatives and Country Head, India Dexian 

Inclusive growth can only be achieved when innovation is guided by responsibility, ethics, and human-centric thinking. Technology today has the power to transform industries, improve livelihoods, and create new opportunities at scale, but its success depends on how equitably it is implemented. Organizations must prioritize collaboration, digital inclusion, and skill development to ensure innovation benefits not just businesses, but communities and future generations as well.

Venkat Ramana, CEO, NthEye and Value Pitch

"In critical sectors like healthcare, even a few seconds can make a significant difference, which is why technology must increasingly focus on prevention rather than post-incident response. At NthEye, we see AI-led intelligence playing a much larger role in helping hospitals identify risks, infrastructure blind spots, and anomalies in real time. The next phase of India's technology growth will not just be about building smarter systems, but building systems that are more aware, responsive, and safe. National Technology Day is a timely reminder that innovation has to move beyond convenience and start addressing the real operational challenges institutions face every day."

Kanishk Agrawal, Chief Technology Officer Judge Group, India

Innovation that is responsible doesn't only focus on creating new, innovative technologies but also equally spreading the progress throughout all sectors of society. The only time we know we are achieving real growth is when there is a conscious effort to develop products and services with three things kept in mind: accessibility, affordability; and long-term positive impact. As industries move to adopt AI (Artificial Intelligence), Digital Transformation and Automation, organisations need to focus on developing solutions that empower individuals; close the gap between opportunity and employment; and contribute toward a sustainable/inclusive economy.

Anil Sinha, CTO, Fibe

"India's fintech ecosystem is clearly moving beyond scale as the primary benchmark of success. The shift today is towards intelligence, adaptability, and inclusivity, reflected in how the industry is beginning to experiment with AI-led versions of leadership to replicate decision-making frameworks, alongside AI-driven systems that enable more contextual operations and seamless, real-time customer experiences. At the same time, advancements in how data is processed are transforming core functions like underwriting and verification. The ability to interpret complex, unstructured information with high accuracy, along with the use of alternate data to build dynamic customer profiles, is expanding access to credit. This is especially relevant as need-based financing gains momentum, with consumers seeking timely, purpose-driven credit, enabled by faster, more personalised, and responsive technology.

As these capabilities scale, the focus on responsible and inclusive growth becomes critical. Strong data privacy, transparency, and regulatory alignment will define long-term trust. The next phase of innovation will be shaped by how seamlessly these technologies integrate into everyday financial lives, making solutions not just advanced, but intuitive, reliable, and truly relevant to India's diverse and evolving user base."

Sameer Kanodia, Managing Director and CEO, Lumina Datamatics & Vice Chairman and CEO, TNQTech

"India's rapid adoption of AI and automation is reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace, with enterprises increasingly moving from experimentation to real-world implementation. According to several reports, more than 40% of Indian enterprises already have multiple AI use cases live in production, highlighting how technology is now becoming central to operational efficiency and business transformation. 

For the publishing and content industry, this shift is significant. AI-led workflows, automation, and data intelligence are helping organisations reduce manual intervention across content creation, formatting, metadata management, and multi-platform publishing workflows, enabling faster turnaround times, improved accuracy, greater scalability, and more personalised content experiences.

As digital consumption continues to accelerate globally, the next phase of growth will be driven by intelligent content ecosystems powered by AI-enabled personalisation, multilingual publishing, immersive learning experiences, and smarter workflow orchestration. The real opportunity lies in how effectively organisations combine technology with deep domain expertise to build agile, future-ready systems that can continuously adapt to evolving user and business needs."

Sajeev Viswanathan - Founder & CEO, MiFix.ai

"AI is no longer a technology upgrade - it is the operating system of the next economy. Over the next few quarters, the gap between AI-native enterprises and 'the others' will become impossible to bridge. Companies that embed AI into their core workflows today will redefine customer experience, productivity, profitability, innovation and market leadership. Those that delay will  risk becoming invisible in an AI-first world.

On this National Technology Day what one should really be asking is - How can we leverage AI to transform our business before the market transforms without us?"

Rajesh Shirole, Co-Founder & COO at MapMyCrop

Farming in India is already seeing a big shift with technology quietly becoming part of everyday decisions. From weather patterns to crop health, a lot of information is now available in real time, and it's helping farmers plan a bit better and avoid surprises in the field. Today, tools like AI, satellite images, and advisory systems are already reaching over 3.8 crore farmers, helping with basic things like when to act, what to watch out for, and how to manage crops more efficiently.

What matters most is ensuring these capabilities translate into meaningful outcomes at the grassroots, where decisions are made every day in the fields. At MapMyCrop, we are focused on building intelligent digital infrastructure that simplifies complexity into real-time, actionable insights, empowering every farmer to make confident, informed, and sustainable decisions.

Pankaj Goenka, Chief Business Officer, InsuranceDekho

"Rising healthcare costs continue to put financial pressure on millions of Indian households, especially those without structured medical coverage. In that context, initiatives like NPS Swasthya can play an important role in expanding access to health-related financial protection and encouraging long-term healthcare planning. However, consumers should understand that such products are not a substitute for comprehensive health insurance. Traditional health insurance remains essential for managing large hospitalisation expenses, accessing broader cashless hospital networks, and ensuring adequate medical coverage during emergencies. Going forward, the focus should be on building layered financial protection, where savings-linked solutions and health insurance work together to provide stronger security for individuals and families across different income groups."

CoinSwitch Markets Desk

Bitcoin traded above the $82K level over the weekend as investors prepared for a key week of U.S. economic data. Markets are closely watching upcoming inflation readings, including CPI and PPI, along with OPEC's oil outlook, as these releases could influence expectations around future Federal Reserve rate cuts. On the positioning side, derivatives data continues to reflect optimistic sentiment, with traders maintaining stronger upside positioning . BTC is currently stabilizing above the $81K zone, though resistance remains near recent highs. If buyers manage to push price decisively above $82.5K, the next upside area could extend toward $85K.

Nikhil Aggarwal, Founder & Group CEO, Grip Invest

"The Indian market has been in a phase of consolidation, and that's making investors naturally look beyond domestic borders. When Nifty stays range-bound and mid-cap valuations remain stretched, it's only rational for investors to diversify globally. We're seeing genuine curiosity around US equities, international ETFs, and even emerging market plays. But I'd urge investors not to chase momentum blindly - global diversification should be a strategy, not a reaction. India's fundamentals remain strong over the long term. The smart money is finding ways to stay invested across geographies while keeping a watchful eye on how domestic earnings and policy signals play out over the next two quarters."

Anuj Gaur, Director at IBBM 

Indians market are witnessing a consolidation phase since last 2 years, many investors are getting impatient and looking for other investment opportunities in global markets, though it can be a good approach but still India is one of the fastest growing economies and short term consolidation period should not be considered as bad phase for the market. India offers strong opportunities in multiple sectors especially Banking, Infrastructure, Power & Energy sectors. Investors should not shift completely from Indian markets though they can diversify some of their funds to international equities especially in AI & Technology driven companies.

Investment is always related to emotional decisions driven by Fear or Greed, wealth is always created through systematic & disciplined investing for a longer period of time.

Ashish Nasa, Managing Director & CEO, Universal Trustees

With Indian markets witnessing phases of volatility, many investors are increasingly evaluating offshore investment opportunities as part of a broader diversification strategy. Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) routes have also made global investing significantly more accessible to Indian residents over the years.

However, cross-border investing is no longer only a question of chasing global returns diversified across currencies - it also changes the long-term governance landscape around family wealth.

Indian families today are far more globally connected than before. Children are studying or settling abroad, businesses are expanding internationally, and investment portfolios increasingly include foreign equities, overseas funds, and international assets. As wealth becomes global, ownership and succession also become multi-jurisdictional.

This introduces considerations that many investors may not immediately recognise at the time of investment. Different jurisdictions may have varying inheritance laws, estate tax frameworks, reporting obligations, and ownership transmission rules. In certain jurisdictions, assets may also become exposed to inheritance or estate taxes if an unfortunate event were to occur. Therefore, while evaluating international investments, families may also need to carefully consider the jurisdictions in which assets are ultimately accumulated and held.

For this reason, global diversification should ideally be accompanied by appropriate structuring and documentation. The focus cannot remain limited to returns alone. As Indian wealth globalises, the framework governing that wealth must evolve alongside it.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.001 in early Asia. 

US and Iran failed to reach an agreement on a peace proposal. Brent crude jumped 3.5 per cent to about $105 a barrel after US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the Iranian response to Washington's proposal for peace talks as "unacceptable".

Rajesh Palviya, Head of Research, Axis Direct

The Nifty shed 150 points on Friday to finish at 24,176, its second consecutive daily loss, dragged by a 7% slide in SBI after weak NIMs and renewed US-Iran flare-ups. Wall Street, in contrast, closed at fresh records - the S&P 500 added 0.8% and the Nasdaq surged 1.7% - propelled by an upbeat April jobs print and a chip-led rally. Cues from Asia are mixed: Kospi has opened 3.7% higher on SK Hynix, the Nikkei is firmer, while Hang Seng futures and US index futures are softer. Brent is sticky near $101, gold trades at $4,730, silver at $80, and copper at $6.23. GIFT Nifty (-117 points) suggests a negative start. Technically speaking, 24,000 is the zone bulls must defend; unless and until a daily close above 24,340 is recorded, the prevailing bias stays cautious, with 23,800 the next pocket of support should that floor crack. One needs to adopt a stock-specific selective approach to play at this moment as earning season is going on

At the close on May 8 (Friday), the total market capitalisation of all BSE Sensex companies stands at Rs 4,73,81,175.