Agenda · SIC 2026

Two days of dialogue.

From geopolitics and AI to sustainability and venture capital — a packed day of keynotes, panels, and conversations shaping the India–US corridor.

Main ConferenceMay 10, 2026 · David and Joan Traitel Building of Hoover Institution · Stanford University
I4UI IdeathonMay 9, 2026 · Mackenzie Room, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center, 475 Via Ortega, 3rd Floor, Stanford
May 10 · Main Conference · David and Joan Traitel Building of Hoover Institution · Stanford University

Session One — Morning.

The opening keynote and three panels set the tone: democracy in a changing geopolitical order, scaling AI, and strategic convergence in a fragmenting world.

Session 1 · 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Check-in

Opening Breakfast & Mixer

8:30 – 9:00 AM
Opening

Opening Ceremony

Opening remarks — SIPEC Team Address — Dr. Srikar Reddy, Consulate General of India in San Francisco Welcome — Dr. Dinsha Mistree & Prof. Anurag Mairal
9:00 – 9:20 AM
Keynote

Opening Keynote: The Quest for a Developed India

Dr. Arvind Panagariya — Chairman, 16th Finance Commission of India
9:25 – 9:45 AM
Keynote

From Chips to Bits: Forging the US-India Deep Tech Alliance

Vinod Dham — Father of the Pentium Chip, Former VP, Intel
9:50 – 10:30 AM
Panel 1

Scaling AI Across the US–India Corridor

Anand Chandrashekharan — Managing Partner, Celesta Capital Jyoti Bansal - Co-Founder, Harness.io & AppDynamics
10:30 – 10:40 AM
Break

Open interaction with speakers

10:40 – 11:40 AM
Panel 2

India, That Is Bharat: Growth, Governance, and Identity

Dr. Shashi Tharoor — MP, Lok Sabha Tejasvi Surya — MP, Lok Sabha K Annamalai — Former Tamil Nadu BJP President
11:40 – 11:50 AM
Break

Open interaction with speakers

11:50 – 12:25 AM
Panel 3

Voices of Growth Economies: Transforming Sustainability Pathways

Parameswaran Iyer — Executive Director, Word bank and Former CEO of NITI Aayog Amoghavarsha JS — Wildlife photographer and conservationist, two-time Grammy Award winner Radhika Shah — Founding Co-Chair, SDG Digital Transformation & Sustainability Solutions Lab
12:25 – 12:45 PM
Lunch
12:45 – 1:15 PM
I4UI Pitches

Innovate For US–India Ideathon Pitches

Finalist teams present their proposals to the jury and audience.

May 10 · Main Conference · David and Joan Traitel Building of Hoover Institution · Stanford University

Session Two — Afternoon.

The afternoon widens the lens — from sustainability and narratives to cross-border venture capital and healthcare innovation — before closing with SIPEC reflections.

Session 2 · 1:20 PM – 5:30 PM
1:20 PM – 2:00 PM
Panel 4

Strategic Convergence in a Fragmenting World: India–U.S. Geopolitics in the 21st Century

Dr. Shashi Tharoor — MP, Lok Sabha Dr. Sumit Ganguly — Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution Asha Jadeja — Founder, Motwani Jadeja Foundation
2:05 – 2:30 PM
Fireside Chat

Narratives, Nations & the Future of India–U.S. Public Discourse

Smita Prakash — Editor, Asian News International
2:30 – 2:40 PM
Break

Open interaction with speakers

2:40 – 2:55 PM
Keynote

Reimagining Education and Schooling: Future-Readiness in an AI-Native World

SD Shibulal — Co-founder & former CEO, Infosys
3:00 – 3:45 PM
Panel 5

Bridging Silicon Valley and India: The Future of Cross-Border Venture Capital

Jishnu Bhattacharjee — Nexus Venture Partners Pawan Deshpande — Founder & CEO, Curata Ventures Nandini Tandon — Founding Managing Partner, Aarna Venture Partners
3:45 – 3:50 PM
Break

Open interaction with speakers

3:50 – 4:20 PM
Panel 6

From Innovation to Access: Reimagining Health Systems for the Next Billion

Dr. Anurag Mairal — Director, Global Translation and Outreach Programs, Stanford Mussallem Center Dr. Manu Prakash — Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford University Milli Seth — Founder, Saloni Heart Foundation
4:20 – 4:30 PM
Plenary Keynote

Diaspora Remarks

MR Rangaswami — Founder, Sandhill Ventures & Indiaspora
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Panel 7

Beyond Borders: Scaling Social Impact Across the US–India Corridor

MR Rangaswami — Founder, Sandhill Ventures & Indiaspora Manushi Yadav — Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Pratham Mamta Bhandari — Founding Supporter, The/Nudge Institute
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Closing

Closing Remarks by SIPEC

May 9 — I4UI Ideathon.

Mackenzie Room, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center, 475 Via Ortega, 3rd Floor, Stanford

Ahead of the main conference, the Innovate For US–India Ideathon convenes selected teams for a closed-door mentored working session at Stanford.

Explore I4UI →