{"id":1678,"date":"2026-05-10T15:28:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/?page_id=1678"},"modified":"2026-05-10T15:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:35:24","slug":"symposium-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/symposium-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Symposium 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"1678\" class=\"elementor elementor-1678\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b6793e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b6793e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4a81022 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"4a81022\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/cdn.tailwindcss.com\"><\/script>\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;500;600;700;800;900&display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n\n<style>\n    #crest-archive-body { \n        font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; \n        color: #1e293b; \n        line-height: 1.6;\n    }\n    #crest-archive-body .heading { font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.02em; }\n    \n    .speaker-card {\n        transition: all 0.3s ease;\n        border: 1px solid #e2e8f0;\n    }\n    .speaker-card:hover {\n        transform: translateY(-5px);\n        border-color: #3b82f6;\n        box-shadow: 0 10px 25px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);\n    }\n    .glimpse-overlay {\n        background: linear-gradient(to top, rgba(15, 23, 42, 0.9), transparent);\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div id=\"crest-archive-body\" class=\"bg-white antialiased pb-20\">\n\n    <section class=\"max-w-7xl mx-auto px-6 py-12\">\n        <div class=\"flex flex-col md:flex-row md:items-end justify-between gap-6 mb-12 border-b border-slate-100 pb-8\">\n            <div>\n                <span class=\"inline-block px-3 py-1 bg-blue-100 text-blue-700 text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.2em] rounded-full mb-4\">Event Report<\/span>\n                <h2 class=\"text-4xl font-black text-slate-900 heading\"> The Confluence Symposium <\/h2>\n                <p class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 font-medium italic text-lg\">Celebrating a decade of innovation @ TTJ Auditorium, IIT Madras<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"text-right\">\n                <p class=\"text-slate-400 font-bold text-xs uppercase tracking-widest\">Concluded On<\/p>\n                <p class=\"text-slate-900 font-black text-xl\">April 29, 2026<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n       \n\n        <div class=\"mb-12\">\n            <h3 class=\"text-2xl font-black text-slate-900 heading mb-8 flex items-center gap-3\">\n                <span class=\"w-8 h-1 bg-blue-600 rounded-full\"><\/span>\n                Distinguished Speakers & Participants\n            <\/h3>\n            \n            <div class=\"grid grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-4 lg:grid-cols-5 gap-6\">\n                \n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kamakoti.png\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Kamakoti V<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Director, IIT Madras<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/thillai.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Thillai Rajan A<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Symposium Chair, CREST<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/saji_mathew.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Saji Mathew<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">HoD, DoMS, IIT Madras<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/rini_raju.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Srini Raju<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">iLabs Group<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sidbiabout.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Sudatta Mandal<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Deputy Director, SIDBI<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sarabanan_bala.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm text-xs\">S. Balakrishnan<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Amura Health<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tamaswati_gosh.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Tamaswati Ghosh<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">CEO, IITM Incubation Cell<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/arjun_rao.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Arjun Rao<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Speciale Invest<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/moin_spm.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Moin SPM<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Agnikul Cosmos<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Ashwin.png\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">A. Mahalingam<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Dean, ACR, IITM<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/badri.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Badri Seshadri<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Co-Founder, Cricinfo<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ias_balamurugan.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">IAS Balamurugan<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Anicut Capital<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lsg.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">L.S. Ganesh<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Former Professor, IITM<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/radhika-ramesh-22123f36.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Radhika Ramesh<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">COO, Villgro<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/dr_richa.png\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Richa Agarwal<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Advisor, E-Cell<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sonali_g.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Sonali Gupta<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Science Startup<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                 <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Satyanarayanan_.png\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm text-xs\">S. Seshadri<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Head, SIE, IITM<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Suresh_Bhagavatula.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">S. Bhagavatula<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Professor, IIMB<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/praveen.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">Pravin Shekar<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">Outlier Marketer<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"speaker-card p-4 rounded-2xl text-center bg-slate-50\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kanna.jpg\" class=\"w-20 h-20 mx-auto rounded-full object-cover mb-3 border-2 border-white shadow-md grayscale hover:grayscale-0 transition-all\">\n                    <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-900 text-sm\">K. Vaidyanathan<\/h5>\n                    <p class=\"text-[10px] text-slate-500 uppercase font-bold tracking-tighter\">CTO, Tvasta<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"grid md:grid-cols-2 gap-12 pt-16 border-t border-slate-100\">\n            <div class=\"premium-card p-8 rounded-3xl\">\n                <h4 class=\"text-xl font-black heading text-blue-800 mb-6 uppercase tracking-tight\">Impact Highlights<\/h4>\n                <div class=\"space-y-6\">\n                    <p class=\"text-slate-600 text-justify leading-relaxed\">\n                        The symposium witnessed a rigorous debate on the primary drivers of start-up success, involving <strong>Founders, Funders, and Facilitators<\/strong>. The collective consensus highlighted the maturing ecosystem in India, moving beyond metros into Tier II and III cities.\n                    <\/p>\n                    <div class=\"grid grid-cols-2 gap-4\">\n                        <div class=\"p-4 bg-blue-50 rounded-2xl\">\n                            <span class=\"block text-2xl font-black text-blue-700\">120+<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"text-[10px] text-blue-500 font-bold uppercase tracking-wider\">Unicorns Represented<\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"p-4 bg-emerald-50 rounded-2xl\">\n                            <span class=\"block text-2xl font-black text-emerald-700\">2.1L<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"text-[10px] text-emerald-500 font-bold uppercase tracking-wider\">Recognized Ventures<\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"space-y-8\">\n                <h4 class=\"text-xl font-black heading text-slate-900 mb-2 uppercase tracking-tight\">Session Recap<\/h4>\n                <div class=\"flex gap-4\">\n                    <div class=\"w-1 h-full bg-slate-200 rounded-full\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"space-y-6\">\n                        <div>\n                            <span class=\"text-[10px] font-bold text-slate-400\">SESSION I<\/span>\n                            <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-800\">The Trillion Dollar Blueprint<\/h5>\n                            <p class=\"text-xs text-slate-500\">Saravanan Balakrishnan and Richa Agarwal on scaling healthcare ventures.<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div>\n                            <span class=\"text-[10px] font-bold text-slate-400\">SESSION II<\/span>\n                            <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-800\">Mentorship & Momentum<\/h5>\n                            <p class=\"text-xs text-slate-500\">Tamaswati Ghosh and Radhika Ramesh on the role of enablers.<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div>\n                            <span class=\"text-[10px] font-bold text-slate-400\">SESSION III<\/span>\n                            <h5 class=\"font-bold text-slate-800\">Deep-Tech Paradigms<\/h5>\n                            <p class=\"text-xs text-slate-500\">Arjun Rao and Moin SPM on capital-intensive innovation.<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    <\/section>\n\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Event Report The Confluence Symposium Celebrating a decade of innovation @ TTJ Auditorium, IIT Madras Concluded On April 29, 2026 Distinguished Speakers &#038; Participants Kamakoti [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1678","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1689,"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1678\/revisions\/1689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doms.iitm.ac.in\/crest\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}