GAIL (India) Limited, Petronet LNG Limited and MC² Foundation, in association with iTIC Incubator of IIT Hyderabad, organised ‘MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect’ at IIT Hyderabad to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in India’s energy sector.

The event was graced by Dr. Anil K Khandelwal, former CMD, Bank of Baroda and Keynote Speaker; Deepak Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited; Akshay Kumar Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG Limited; Prof. B S Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad; and Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL, along with industry leaders, academia, start-ups, entrepreneurs, students and other stakeholders.

Addressing the gathering, Deepak Gupta, CMD, GAIL, highlighted that India is at a “remarkable inflection point”, with rapidly growing energy requirements alongside its ambition to become a developed economy, ensure affordable and reliable energy, build globally competitive industries and meet its climate commitments.

Underscoring the significance of MC² IGNITE, he highlighted the need to bring together startups, academia, research institutions and the Oil & Gas industry on a common platform, enabling ideas to move from the laboratory to prototype, pilot, deployment and scale. He emphasised that innovation must ultimately be measured by successful implementation and real-world impact.

Focusing on Digital Asset Management, Deepak Gupta spoke about transforming conventional infrastructure into “intelligent assets” through artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, sensors, robotics, drones and digital twins.

The event also featured a keynote address by Dr. Anil K. Khandelwal, former CMD, Bank of Baroda and Keynote Speaker; a panel discussion on innovation and the startup ecosystem; an insightful session by IIT Hyderabad; and a presentation by Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) on Avinya’27, Energy Start-up challenge and India Energy Week 2027.