Day 1: Theme: Building Bharat’s Next Billion-Dollar Consumer Brands
Welcome Address
Opening remarks highlighting how India’s evolving consumer
economy is creating new opportunities across retail, food, services and franchising.
Key Discussion Areas
- Rise of the Bharat consumer
- Opportunities for new-age brands and startups
- Innovation shaping the next phase of growth
- Growing influence of digital platforms in consumer businesses
Opening Keynote
India’s Consumption Supercycle: Why the Next Decade Belongs
to
Bharat
India’s consumer economy is entering a strong growth phase driven by aspirational
consumers and expanding markets beyond metros.
Key Discussion Areas
- Growth of Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets
- Rise of branded consumption
- Opportunities for emerging consumer brands
- Digital infrastructure accelerating consumption patterns
Panel 1 — Retail Master Panel
Retail Reinvented: From Experience Stores to Quick Commerce
Retail is undergoing rapid transformation as experience-led stores, omnichannel
commerce
and instant delivery ecosystems reshape how consumers shop.
Key Discussion Areas
- Experience-driven retail formats and immersive store environments
- Omnichannel strategies blending online and offline shopping
- Rise of quick commerce and hyperlocal retail infrastructure
- Personalised customer journeys powered by technology
- Rise of value fashion and fast retail models
Panel 2 — Food Industry Master Panel
Food Nation: The Rise of Scalable F&B Brands in India
India’s F&B sector continues to grow rapidly with brands expanding across QSR chains,
cafés, delivery platforms and franchise networks.
Key Discussion Areas
- Why F&B remains the backbone of India’s consumer economy
- Multi-store expansion and scaling restaurant brands
- Food aesthetics and social media-driven discovery
- Technology and new trends shaping the industry
- Cloud kitchens and hybrid restaurant formats
- Regional cuisine brands going national
Keynote 2
Retail 5.0: How AI, Data and Experience Are Reinventing
Shopping
Technology is transforming how brands design stores, engage customers and optimise
operations.
Key Discussion Areas
- Smart stores powered by data and analytics
- Personalised shopping experiences
- Future of omnichannel retail
- AI-led merchandising and inventory optimisation
Panel 3
D2C 2.0: From Digital Disruption to Omnichannel Dominance
Digital-first brands are evolving into full-scale omnichannel businesses spanning
marketplaces, quick commerce and offline retail.
Key Discussion Areas
- Marketplace vs owned platforms and building brand identity
- Creator commerce and community-driven brand building
- Transition from online to offline retail formats
- Logistics, supply chains and emerging growth channels
- Quick commerce as a new growth channel for D2C brands
- Data-driven marketing and customer insights
Lunch & Networking Break
An opportunity for founders, investors and industry leaders to connect, exchange ideas
and
explore collaborations.
Keynote 3
The Great Indian Startup Opportunity
India is witnessing the rise of a new generation of founders building high-growth
consumer
brands and technology-led businesses across sectors such as retail, food, beauty,
wellness
and services.
Key Discussion Areas
- Rise of Bharat entrepreneurs emerging from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
- Scaling consumer brands across digital commerce, marketplaces and retail
- Creator and community-led brand discovery
- Growth of venture capital and startup ecosystems
- Building profitable and sustainable startups with strong unit economics
- Global ambitions of Indian consumer brands
Panel 4
Experience Economy: Malls, Entertainment and Lifestyle
Destinations
Retail destinations are evolving into lifestyle hubs combining shopping, dining and
entertainment.
Key Discussion Areas
- Malls as social and entertainment hubs
- Food and events driving footfall
- Creating engaging retail experiences
- Integration of entertainment, gaming and live events
- Partnerships between malls and emerging consumer brands
Panel 5
Franchising Reimagined: From Expansion Tool to Sustainable
Growth Model
Franchising has evolved into a scalable and sustainable business model enabling brands
to
expand rapidly while creating entrepreneurial opportunities across markets.
Key Discussion Areas
- Asset-light expansion: Why brands prefer franchising over company-owned growth
- Rise of professional franchise partners and multi-unit operators
- Technology-led franchise ecosystems for operations and training
- Master franchising and entry of global brands into India
- Expansion across Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets
- Maintaining brand consistency and customer experience at scale
Day 2: Theme: Emerging Industries Powering Bharat’s Next Growth Wave
Panel 1 — The New Wellness Economy: From Aesthetic Clinics to
Fitness & Lifestyle Brands
The Wellness Boom: New Formats, New Consumers, New
Opportunities
The wellness economy is emerging as one of the fastest-growing sectors as consumers
increasingly prioritise health, grooming and self-care.
Key Discussion Areas
- Growth of premium beauty, grooming and personal care brands across urban and emerging
markets
- Rise of specialised formats such as aesthetic clinics, skin and laser centres, diet
and nutrition clinics, nail and brow bars
- Expansion of fitness studios, yoga centres, spa and wellness retreats and preventive
health businesses
- Franchising and multi-unit expansion driving scale across wellness brands
- Digital discovery, influencers and social media shaping consumer preferences in beauty
and wellness
Services Economy Panel
The New Services Economy: Logistics, Healthcare, Education &
Tech-Enabled Services at Scale
India’s services sector is rapidly transforming with the rise of logistics, delivery
platforms, healthcare networks and organised education businesses, driven by technology,
demand from emerging cities and scalable business models.
Key Discussion Areas
- Rapid growth of logistics, last-mile delivery and supply chain businesses driven by
e-commerce and quick commerce
- Expansion of healthcare, diagnostics and clinic chains through organised and scalable
models
- Evolution of education and skill-development centres into branded, multi-location
businesses
- Rise of tech-enabled services including home services, B2B platforms and managed
service models
- Franchising and partnerships enabling scalable service networks across Tier 2 and Tier
3 markets
- Importance of standardisation, trust and operational efficiency in building large
service brands
Panel 3 — Hospitality Industry Panel
From Rooms to Revenue: Winning in India’s Hospitality Boom
India’s hospitality sector is undergoing a transformation as consumers shift from
traditional stays to experience-led travel, lifestyle hotels and branded hospitality
formats, driven by rising disposable incomes and domestic tourism.
Key Discussion Areas
- Rise of experiential hospitality — boutique stays, themed resorts, wellness retreats
and destination-led travel
- Expansion of branded hotel chains and budget hospitality formats across Tier 2 and
Tier 3 markets
- Growth of managed hospitality, franchising and asset-light hotel models
- Impact of digital platforms and aggregators on bookings, pricing and customer
acquisition
- Emergence of short-stay, co-living and alternative accommodation models
- Role of design, storytelling and local experiences in attracting modern travellers
- Leveraging technology for guest experience, personalisation and operational efficiency
Panel 4 — Investment & Funding Panel
Funding the Future: Where Investors Are Betting Next
Investors and founders discuss where the next wave of high-growth startups and scalable
consumer brands will emerge, and how funding strategies are evolving in today’s market.
Key Discussion Areas
- Shift from growth to profitability: Why investors are prioritising strong unit
economics and sustainable business models
- High-growth sectors attracting capital: Consumer brands, quick commerce, logistics,
wellness, hospitality and tech-enabled services
- Early-stage vs growth-stage funding trends: Changing cheque sizes, valuations and
investor expectations
- Rise of strategic investors and private equity in scaling consumer and service
businesses
- What investors look for today: Founder capability, scalability, brand differentiation
and operational strength
- Alternative funding routes: Debt, revenue-based financing and strategic partnerships
- Scaling for exits: IPO readiness, consolidation and acquisition opportunities in
consumer sectors
Panel 5 — Scaling Brands Across Bharat
The Next 100 Cities: Unlocking India’s Untapped Consumer
Markets
As consumption expands beyond metros, India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are emerging as the
next big growth frontier for brands, driven by rising incomes, digital adoption and
aspirational consumers.
Key Discussion Areas
- Rise of consumption in emerging cities driven by increasing disposable income and
aspirational lifestyles
- Local entrepreneurs building regional and culturally relevant brands
- Digital adoption and UPI-led growth enabling e-commerce and online consumption
- Expansion of organised retail, QSR and service brands into smaller cities
- Distribution, logistics and last-mile delivery challenges in non-metro markets
- Role of quick commerce and hyperlocal supply chains in enabling faster reach
- Franchising and local partnerships as key expansion models
- Need for localisation in pricing, product mix and marketing strategies
- Growth of mall culture and organised retail infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
