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PuneConnect 2018: Pune’s Largest Tech/Leadership/Startup Event 20 Oct: Register Today

PuneConnect, SEAP‘s flagship event is back in a bigger format this year. We invite you to join us for the conversations on “Future of Everything”. 25 hand-picked speakers from across the country, special keynotes and four dedicated tracks for dialogues around: startups, technology, leadership, and academia/research/innovation.

As technology advances continue to permeate the business and social world and re-defines how we do business, we believe the future of work is also bound to change in a significant way and hence we have anchored the theme for Pune Connect 2018 around this.

The detailed schedule is here, and speaker profiles are here.

To attend as a delegate, register here.
If you’re a startup and would like to demo your product in the demo hall (free for selected startups), please apply here

This is an ideal event to connect with the who’s who of the Pune Startup ecosystem. You will find lots of the senior leadership from the technology industry, startup founders, successful senior entrepreneurs, potential recruits, angels and investors from all over, potential customers, mentors, business partners, affiliates, and investors from all parts of Pune’e startup and technology ecosystem – including SEAP, PuneTech, TiE Pune, PoCC, MCCIA, IPMA, HIA, IIMA’s CIIE, and SME Joinup.

Agenda

Time Session Topic Speaker Track
09:15AM-9:30AM Kick Off By SEAP President Main Track
9:30AM-10:30AM Keynote Address On Your Markets, Get Set, Go Pune….Define the Future By Pari Natarajan Main Track
10:40AM-11:40AM Keynote Address Changing nature of the consumer and its impact on the technology selection for sustaining business Vijayaraman Subramaniam Main Track
11:50AM-12:50PM Keynote Address Leadership lessons from Mt. Everest Team Giripremi Main Track
12:50PM-01:00PM Inauguration of the Startup Stalls
01:00PM-01:45PM Lunch Break

Track Wise Agenda

Time Technology Track Leadership Track Academics & Research Track Startup Track
1:45PM-02:20PM Keynote Address:

Unearthing possibilities with data

by Dr. Hanumantha Rao Susarla

Keynote Address:

How Companies Can Become Digital Leaders

By Mrutyunjay Singh

TBA TBA
2:30PM-03: 30 PM Panel Discussion:

What are the challenges with data?

Panelist: Rohit Shrivastawa, Milind Barve, Satish Patil, Moderator: Sandeep Suryavanshi

Keynote Address:

Lead The Change Through Social Entrepreneurship

By Ramesh Padmanabhan

Panel Discussion:

Laying the path for Research, Academia and Industry collaboration

Panelist: Dr. Bhalchandra Puranik, Dr. Neeraj Gupta

Workshop:

Samir Patil

03:30PM-04: 15 PM Fireside Discussion:

Blockchain and the Future of Enterprise

Pandurang Kamat, Bharani Subramanium, Moderator: Navin Kabra

Panel Discussion:

The Changing Face Of Leadership

Panelist: Seema Gopal, Mangesh Kirtane, Dr. Kiran Bala, Moderator: S. Ramprasad

Keynote Address:

The emerging relevance of Liberal arts to Indian Industry

by Anita Patankar

Panel Discussion:

PuneConnect Winner Alumni what happened afterward…

Panelist: Nitin Gupta, Akshay Mehrotra, Madhukar Bhatia : Moderator: Seema Joshi

Time Session Topic Speaker Track
04:45PM-05:15PM Startup Shootout Top 5 Startups will pitch their startup in front of Jury Jury: TBA Main Track
05:15PM-05:45PM Awards Winner of Pune Connect will be announced Guest Of Honour will present the awards Main Track

Background

PuneConnect started in 2011 as a purely startup focused event, and quickly became one of Pune’s top startup events. However, after a break in 2017, we decided to expand the scope so that different parts of the industry/ecosystem (the established companies, the startups, academia, and leaders and mentors from elsewhere) could really connect with each other.

See the PuneConnect website for more information about past PuneConnects.

Fees and Registration

This event costs Rs. 1200 (Rs. 1600 after 13th October) if you want to be part of the lunch, Rs. 500 if you want to just attend second half of the event (without lunch; Rs. 800 after 13th October), and Rs. 300 for students (full day) and is free for students (half-day).

The event is from 9:00am to 6pm at the Westin, Pune.

Register here.

PuneConnect 2018: Call for Startups: Apply Now

PuneConnect, which earlier was a purely startup focused event is now returning this year in an even bigger, expanded format. The event is now a technology and startup event with 4 different tracks—startups, technology, leadership, and academia. So, startups showcasing their products at this PuneTech will have a much more diverse audience to pitch to, and the potential to find prospective customers, mentors, employees, co-founders, and investors.

The startup track of PuneConnect is now in its 7th edition, and is one of Pune’s most important events for startups. Early stage startups get a chance to showcase their products and services to larger companies in Pune, senior and juniors from the technology industry, VCs and angel investors from all over the country, and others from the ecosystem. PuneConnect 2018 is on 20th October 2018, at Westin, Pune. It is a full-day event where selected startups will be provided with a table in the demo hall.

This event is free for startups selected by PuneConnect. If you are unsure of whether this event is appropriate for you or not, please go ahead and apply, and our selection committee will figure out whether you’re a good fit or not. Please apply right away. The last date to apply is 1st October 2018.

Any startup company that has a product that they would like to demo, should submit a proposal at http://db.puneconnect.com/pc/combo-form/. (The product must be ready/working on the date of the event.) A panel of selectors drawn from experts in the industry will select the most promising startups who will be allowed to set up a demo at PuneConnect, in Westin, Pune, on 20th October 2018.

There will be a special quota for students – i.e. startups whose founders are still students will be given special consideration, so if you know someone in this category, please forward this info to them.

Benefits to selected startups include:

  • Exposure to Pune’s top companies (potential customers and potential mentors)
  • Exposure to Pune’s software developer community (potential employees and potential co-founders)
  • Exposure to Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors who are being invited to the event
  • Press and media coverage before and after the event

PuneConnect started in 2011 and is usually held in late October/early November every year (except for a gap in 2017). For the last few years, we’ve been selecting about 25-30 startups for demos out of 150+ registrations that we receive. Click here for more information about past PuneConnect events.

Media Coverage: In past PuneConnects, Economic Times, Indian Express, The Financial Express, the Financial Chronicle, Business Standard, and the top Marathi newspapers Sakal and Maharashtra Times all have carried detailed articles about PuneConnect and the companies.

PuneConnect is a joint initiative of Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP), TiE Pune, PuneStartups.org (POCC), PuneTech, and NASSCOM, SME Joinup, CIIE Ahmedabad, and MCCIA Pune – basically all the important players in Pune’s startup ecosystem. PuneConnect represents a one-of-its-kind activity that bridges the gap between the new companies and the established ones.

Apply now. It costs nothing. Please apply right away. The last date to apply is 1st October. (Note: this is just a call for applications for the demo hall. A separate announcement will be sent out for registrations for attending the event as a delegate.)

Event: 75-year celebration for Prof. Mathai Joseph, and talk by Pankaj Jalote on Research in Engineering

ACM-India (Association for Computing Machinery) And CSI-Pune (Computer Society of India Pune Chapter) invites you for an event to felicitate Prof. Mathai Joseph on his 75th birthday. 16th June, 4pm, at Persistent Systems, SB Road.

With a distinguished career that spans industry (TRDDC) and academia (TIFR, University of Warwick), Mathai is among the few who have witnessed the story of the Indian software industry unfold.

On this occasion, there is also a talk by Pankaj Jalote, director of IIIT Delhi (earlier HoD CS at IIT-Kanpur).

A Career in Research in Engineering

Talk by Prof. Pankaj Jalote

There is sometimes a lack of clarity about what research is, how is engineering research different from engineering, and what does it mean to be an effective researcher. In this talk we will first discuss what research is, relationship between science and engineering research, difference between academic and industrial research, between applied and basic research, etc. Then we will discuss how research is evaluated and some aspects of building an effective engineering research career.

About the Speaker

Pankaj Jalote is the Director of IIIT-Delhi (Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi). Earlier he has been an Assistant Professor at University of Maryland College Park, Chair Professor at IIT Delhi, and Head of Computer Science Department at IIT Kanpur. He has also been Vice President at Infosys for 2 years, Visiting Researcher at Microsoft in Redmond for 1 year, and Interim Vice Chancellor of Delhi Technological University (DTU) for six months.

He has a B.Tech. from IIT Kanpur, MS from Pennsylvania State University, and Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of five books, some of which have been translated in Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc, and the Indian edition of his text on Software Engineering was adjudged the bestselling book by the publisher. His main area of interest is Software Engineering. He has served on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Intl. Journal on Empirical Software Engineering, and IEEE Trans. on Services Computing. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and INAE.

followed by

Felicitation of Prof. Mathai Joseph

Prof. Mathai Joseph will be in conversation with Anand Deshpande, Persistent and Venkatesh R, TRDDC.

Registration and fees

The event is on Saturday, 16th June, at 4pm. At Dewang Mehta auditorium, Bhageerath, Persistent Systems, SB Road.

This event is free and open for everyone to attend. Please register using this link: https://goo.gl/forms/hUjFPA3nuWVDFQyb2

Event: TiECON Pune – Indian Startup Ecosystem Conference – 20/21 April

TiECON Pune is one of the top startup conferences in the country, in its 6th year, will be held on 20/21st April, 2018. The venue is The Westin Pune. The early
bird registrations are now open. Click here to register. You can use the special code ‘TiE-PuneTech’ to get a discount.

The speakers for this year have not yet been finalized, but TiECON always does a good job of putting together a great line-up. Earlier TiECons have seen iconic speakers like N.R. Narayana Murthy, Rajiv
Bajaj, Ronnie Screwvala; this is in addition to lots of sessions on starting up, funding and growing your ventures, excellent networking opportunities. Also, you can periodically check this website to see updates on the speakers and sessions as and when they get confirmed.

As a part of TiECon Pune, this year there is a dedicated track for women entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs. This is an opportunity to network with inspiring women entrepreneurs driving home businesses as well companies across diverse industries such as education, technology, media, and entertainment. There will also be awards for women entrepreneurs.

Check the TiECON 2018 website will have updates and details. Click here to buy tickets (discount code: ‘TiE-PuneTech’)—registrations for past participants have started, and early bird registrations for first-time attendees will open soon.

 

Event: “The cryoEM revolution in structural biology” by Richard Henderson (2017 Nobel, Chemistry)

IISER Pune is pleased to announce a public lecture by the 2017 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Richard Henderson (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK), on:

The cryoEM revolution in structural biology

Abstract: In the last few years, single particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) has experienced a quantum leap in its capability, due to improved electron microscopes, better detectors and better software, and this is revolutionising structural biology. Using the technique invented by Jacques Dubochet and his colleagues, a thin film containing a suspension of the macromolecules of interest is plunge-frozen into liquid ethane at liquid nitrogen temperature, creating a frozen sample in which individual images of the structures can be seen in many different orientations. Subsequent computer-based image analysis is then used to determine the three-dimensional structure, frequently at near-atomic resolution. Prof. Henderson will show examples of some recent structures, and discuss remaining barriers to progress. CryoEM is already a very powerful method, but there are still many improvements that can be made before the approach reaches its theoretical limits. Prof. Henderson will also include some historical perspective on how he became an electron cryomicroscopist.

Fees, Registration, and Logistics

This event is open to all. No registration required.

The event is on Sunday, January 21, 5pm, at Sir. C. V. Raman Auditorium, Lecture Hall Complex, IISER Pune

Venture Center Pune invites startup applications for seed funding from Department of Science and Technology

Pune-based Government-funded Startup Incubator, Venture Center, (winner of a national award for best technology incubator in 2015) is hosting a seed fund with a corpus of Rs 10 crore under the scheme “National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations – Seed Support System (NIDHI-SSS)” of the Department of Science and Technology.

The basic idea of NIDHI seed support is providing financial assistance to potential startups with promising ideas, innovations and technologies. This would enable some of these incubatee startups with innovative ideas/technologies to graduate to a level where they will be able to raise investments from angel/Venture capitalist or they will reach a position to seek loans from commercial banks /financial institutions. Thus the proposed seed support disbursed by an incubator to an incubatee is positioned to act as a bridge between development and commercialization of innovative technologies/products/services in a relatively hassle free manner.

Broad Areas to be covered under the financial assistance include:

  • Product development
  • Testing and trials
  • Test Marketing
  • Mentoring
  • Professional Consultancy ( To attract Professors of institutions to work with small firms)
  • IPR issues
  • Man power for day to day operations
  • Any other area as deemed necessary and recommended by the Management Committee.

The Seed fund emphasizes:

  • Alignment with Venture Center’s Focus areas
  • Product offerings (vs service offerings)
  • IP-rich enterprises
  • Strong knowledge components in enterprises

Eligibility Conditions for start-ups to apply for seed support

  • Incubatee should be a registered company in India
  • Incubatee has to be an Indian start-up. This support is not meant for Indian Subsidiaries of MNCs/foreign companies. Persons holding Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) would be considered as Indian citizens for the purpose of this scheme.
  • The share holding by Indian promoters in the incubate start up should be at least 51%.

Selection Criteria:

Here is a list of make/break criteria for applicants:

  • There must be at-least one dedicated entrepreneur involved in the venture
  • There must be a formal business plan
  • The idea and team should be technically sound
  • The venture and the team must have high ethical & professional standards
  • The venture must have a strong technology/knowledge component
  • EHS requirements must be met
  • The team should show potential and credibility for raising money in future
  • The venture must be registered as a private limited company, or must be in the process of registration
  • The amount of funding requested must be less than Rs 100 lakh
  • The entrepreneur(s) must be willing to share equity in the venture
  • The applicant must be or willing to be resident incubatee of Venture Center before investment

Applications for the seed fund will be reviewed based on criteria such as (but not limited to):

  • Is amount of funding requested enough to reach critical milestone?
  • Does the venture have a clear, potentially significant/singular value proposition
  • How big/fast growing is the potential market?
  • Are target customers clearly identified?
  • How credible is the technology? (Is PoC credible in the opinion of subject-matter experts?)
  • Are there regulatory/certification/policy risks?
  • What are the sources of sustainable competitive advantage (eg. novelty, patentability, etc.)?
  • What is the quality of the business plan (revenue model, product roadmap, market segments, etc.)?

Typical terms for seed funding:

  • Selected start-up should be/become a resident incubatee of Venture Center and should have completed three months of residency at Venture Center at the time of seed fund investment.
  • Investment mode: Equity ownership in a private limited company
  • Investment amount: Up to 100 lakh
  • BoD representation: 1 Board Nominee Director and/or observer of Venture Center
  • Reporting: Bi-annual presentation to SEED Fund committee + Annual financials/MIS

Application form can be downloaded here.

Interested start-ups are encouraged to contact Venture Center for further information @ shruti@venturecenter.co.in / 020 25865877/78/76

Hands on overview of the Kotlin programming language

Presenting Hands on overview of Kotlin programming language by Dhananjay Nene. Brought to you by PuneTech, TechJam Pune, and SICSR. The event is free for anybody to attend, but registration is required

Agenda

  • 4:30 – 5:00 pm Networking
  • 5:00 – 7:00 pm Introduction to Kotlin
  • 7:00 – 7:15 pm Q&A and Closure

We will start exactly on time, so please plan to reach a bit early.

Abstract of the Talk – Hands on overview of Kotlin programming language

This session will cover an introduction to the Kotlin programming language and lots of hands on examples of how Kotlin helps write concise, safe and expressive code. It will also refer to how naturally Kotlin interoperates with existing Java libraries and frameworks and how Java and Kotlin frameworks and libraries can work smoothly with each other. The session will focus on core programming rather than any specific areas such as Android or Web or other specialised types of programming.

The audience is presumed to be reasonably aware of Java programming.

About Kotlin

Kotlin is one of the hottest new programming languages in recent times. One of the fast growing languages of 2017, it has the potential to become the preferred language for Android app development, for backend development on the JVM, and even has to potential for use in the frontend (browser). It is a concise and modern language with many advanced features like null safety, extension functions, infix notation. It has full Java compatibility (so you can use all Java libraries without any significant impedence mismatch), good IDE support (Android Studio, and IntelliJ), improves code readability, reusability, and development speed.

Kotlin has been announced as an official Android Development language by Google, and it has been adopted by a number of high-profile companies like Amazon Web Services, Pinterest, Coursera, Netflix, Uber, Square, Trello, Basecamp, and others.

About the Speaker – Dhananjay Nene

Dhananjay is a Software Engineer with over 26 years of experience in programming. He has worked with Citicorp  and AT&T in the pre millennial times. After that as a consultant he has worked on providing solutions to a number of diverse problems including building interactive educational software for pre teen children, building administration suites for workflow authoring applications, creating applications that compute electromagnetic wave signal strengths, financial supply chain services and building frameworks and applications which process in excess of a million financial transactions per hour.

For the last year he has spent most of his time on GST and he wrote, and helps manage, Vayana GSP—one of India’s leading GSPs. GSPs are the licensed systems that allow ERPs and accounting softwares to interface with the GST Network. The Vayana GSP is written in Kotlin.

Apart from programming, he has been involved with the cloud for more than a decade including all aspects of operations management and operation automation. He has switched across a number of roles including those of a developer, chief architect, chief technology officer and head of product development. He continues to be passionate about programming and design and all that comes under the umbrella of software engineering.
Dhananjay has done his post graduation from IIM-Ahmedabad, and has been involved in Senior Management positions, and has managed team sizes in excess of 120 persons.

Specialties: Software Architecture, Technology Research, OO Modeling and Design, Programming

Fees, Registration, Logistics

This event is free and open for anybody to attend. Please register here.

The event is in Room 707, on the 7th floor, from 4:30pm to 7:00pm, on Saturday, 6 January, at SICSR, Model Colony. Note: This is Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, near Om Supermarket Circle. There are 2 or 3 different Symbiosis institutes on the same road, so read the signs carefully to ensure that you’re entering the correct one.

Event: TiECON Pune – Indian Startup Ecosystem Conference – 14/15 April

TiECON, one of the top startup conferences in the country, will be held in Pune again this year for the 5th time, on 14/15th April, 2017.

This edition of TiECON will feature such speakers as Dr. Velumania, CEO of Thyrocare, Nana Patekar, actor and philanthropist, LC Singh, founder of Nihilent Technologies, and many others. In addition, since TiECON is one of the most important startup events in India, it always has a number of high profile startup founders, venture capitalists, and other people from the startup ecosystem.

This time, in addition to the regular keynote speeches, panel discussions, and in-depth workshops, TiECON 2017 also features dedicated tracks for Women Entrepreneurs, and Tech in Manufacturing.

The event costs Rs. 2899 for TiE Pune members (early bird registration, on or before 15 March), and 4199 for non-members, and 3299 for “members of supporting organizations” (including PuneTech readers). Thus, if you’re not a member, you can use the “Members of Supporting Organizations” ticket, with the code “TiE-PuneTech”. See the registration page for more details about the various ticket options available.

See the event website for more details about the event itself.

Event: NASSCOM Product Conclave Pune, 18th March

The NASSCOM Product Conclave at Pune is a platform to bring together product companies, startups, angels, VCs and enterprise leaders under one roof. The key focus this time is emerging technologies, industry connect and investor meets.

NASSCOM invites companies developing trending products, enterprises seeking collaborative opportunities, investors looking for key segments to capitalize on new technologies developed in India for a day full of engaging sessions, workshops and knowledge sharing among peers.

Key Themes Planned:

  • Deep Learning: Build your product
  • Hum Bhi Kabhi Start-up the: No Exit Please
  • Reality of Virtual Reality
  • Industry connect: Retail , FinTech, EduTech, HealthCare
  • B2G: Business To Government
  • IoT: Smart Manufacturing and Automotive
  • Investor Connect: Raising funding in the winter chill
  • Global Marketing
  • Design Thinking
  • Cyber Security

Sponsorship Opportunities

Those interested in Sponsorship / Exhibition at the Conference, please fill in this request form or write to Sneha Sahasrabudhe at sneha@nasscom.in

Product Showcase

If you want to be under the spotlight, showcase & pitch your innovative products @NPCPune17. Please fill in this request form.

Registration and Details

The conference is on 18 March, at Westin Pune. Register here. You can get early bird registration prices until 31st January.

For more details, see the conference website.

Interview with Rekha Ranganathan – Philips Healthcare Innovation Center Pune

We visited the Philips Healthcare Innovation Center in Pune last month, and spoke with Rekha Ranganathan, VP & Global General Manager, Mobile Surgery & Value Cardiology and Head of Healthcare Innovation Center at Philips.

Philips is doing interesting R&D and Manufacturing work in the healthcare space in Pune, and it was good to learn about the details from her and the Philips team.

Centers like the Philips HIC are good representatives of Pune’s strength in R&D and Manufacturing in core engineering. We hope that in the near future, Philips gets more actively connected with the tech and startup ecosystem in Pune.

Here are excerpts from our interview …

Can you give us an overview of Philips Pune?

BV Vectra Image
BV Vectra mobile fluoroscopic system aka C-Arm X-ray image intensifier that is used in orthopedic
surgical procedures, including trauma, spine, and pain management. Developed at Philips HIC Pune.

Philips has a long history in Pune, going back to the Philips Consumer Electronics Factory (established in 1971). The Philips Healthcare Innovation Centre (HIC) in Pune marks another milestone for Philips in India. It was set up in 2012. Philips Healthcare Innovation Center plays an essential role in Philips’ commitment to develop and produce meaningful products and solutions that help improve healthcare for people all over the world. In line with its strategy to expand the company’s global footprint, Philips commenced operations at its first green-field manufacturing facility for imaging systems in India, at Chakan Pune.

HIC Pune is one of the six global Philips’ facilities devoted to manufacturing healthcare technology. It is specifically designed with manufacturing flexibility in mind so that it can quickly adapt to the ever-changing market needs and deliver quality healthcare products that meet international standards, across the globe.

What types of healthcare technologies are being developed here at Philips Pune?

Intuis is an advanced, entry level catheterization lab (cath lab), and is part of Philips’ strategy for extending access to affordable cardiac care in tier-II and tier-III cities in India. It is designed, developed and manufactured at the Philips Healthcare Innovation Center (HIC) in Pune, India.

Since its inception, HIC Pune has launched six global products in the mobile surgery imaging & diagnostic space: Allura FC, Allura Centron, BV Vectra, Primary Diagnost, Mobile DiagnostOpta and Intuis. The last two being the latest releases from the unit. HIC Pune has successfully installed 1000 systems in more than 80 different countries, including countries from western European regions such as France, Italy, Austria, etc.

The state-of-the-art facility integrates research & development, sourcing, testing, assembly and manufacturing under one roof. The team of experts and best-in-class talent from top educational institutes work closely together to bridge the gap between better technology and actual clinical needs. The team’s rich experience in medical product development ensures that the products are designed for quality and reliability. The centre manufactures both interventional and diagnostic X-Ray systems.

How does Pune fit into Philips Healthcare’s global value chain (R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing)?

We are global management hub for Mobile Surgery which is part of the image guided therapy group. We are also one of the few centers globally that caters to emerging and developed markets end-to-end. We are the headquarters for few of the product segments globally in DXR. This means we are responsible for the product strategy, technology roadmap, product program, new product development and life cycle maintenance. Our products are shipped to 80 countries around the world – more products shipped globally. We will also be transferring the manufacturing of our premium mobile ‘C-Arm’ products from our factory in Best, Netherlands to Pune and evolving our current supply base here to meet the challenges of global quality, demand.

What are you future plans for expanding the role, scope of Philips Pune?

In the coming years, Philips HIC plans to expand its production capacity to get maximum efficiency from its factory in Chakan and will also look to widen its R&D portfolio, to bring in smart healthcare solutions for India and for the world , from its manufacturing base and the R&D centre in Pune.

What kind of R&D, Tech, Manufacturing capabilities exist at Philips Pune? Can talk a bit more about specific tech capabilities, skill sets, labs, manufacturing set up?

MobileDiagnost Opta is powerful compact mobile digital X-ray system is designed for all-around performance and fast return on investment. It moves through crowded spaces in the OR, ER, ICU, and general wards with freedom and ease, bringing digital imaging right to the bedside. Speed, power, performance, and affordability make MobileDiagnost Opta a good option for smaller clinics, hospital that require multiple mobile DR systems, or facilities looking for a single system to cover most application needs.

Philips Pune has an ‘end-to-end’ System Development Capability with strong competence on System Architecture, Imaging Chain, Mechatronics, System Software and System Engineering. We have created 6 New Products and released to Global Markets within a span of 4-5 years. In the 5 years since inception, we have been granted 5 patents. We create a strong culture of innovation – we have an internal “Innovation Day” to encourage idea sharing; some of which also have potential for patents. We also work closely with our global organizations to participate in competitions globally and develop the innovation ecosystem.

What challenges did you face in setting up this center?

Availability of technical talents who had experience in ‘End-to-End’ Product development was a problem early on. Also, the creation of full eco system with Supply base, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Innovation along with understanding of global customer requirements was a key challenge.

What advantages do you see in the Pune tech and manufacturing ecosystem?

Pune has a good core engineering and manufacturing ecosystem. According to latest Zinnov research Pune has the highest number of Core engineering R&D centers and there is a good eco system of suppliers located around Pune. Also the availability of good technology and engineering talent here.

What challenges do you run into at Pune? (Hiring, Quality Talent,  Infrastructure, etc.)

Hiring good system architects is a challenge. We are looking for systems architect with high-level thinking, who can have a global approach to product development.

Is Philips India/Pune plugged into the startup ecosystem?

Not yet. But we hope to explore the possible synergies.