Sridhar Babu at Hyderabad Economic Forum

Hyderabad: Telangana IT and Industry Minister Sridhar Babu, in his speech at the inauguration of Hyderabad Economic Forum (HEF) 2026, on Monday invited innovators, entrepreneurs and creators to present their ideas to the state and provided full support to turn them into reality.

Delivering the keynote speech titled “Hyderabad: Becoming the Innovation Capital of India”, the minister emphasized that the 21st century belongs to nations that attract ideas, talent and innovation. He noted India’s rise in the Global Innovation Index and said Telangana is determined to lead this transformation.

Positioning Hyderabad as one of India’s fastest growing economic and innovation hubs, AIKAM outlined key initiatives including Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX), 1,000 crore Fund of Funds for startups and plans for an Artificial Intelligence University, Skills University and 100 advanced ITIs.

“Come to Telangana with an idea. We may not be able to guarantee success for every idea, but we provide support, opportunity and trust for every sincere effort,” he said.

Hosted by SAS Infra in association with Bower School of Entrepreneurship at SAS iTower, Khajaguda, the forum brought together over 500 business leaders, policy makers, investors and industry experts to discuss Hyderabad’s future growth.

The day-long event included sessions on many sectors such as economic outlook, infrastructure, artificial intelligence transformation, startups, investment and life sciences, real estate, education and sports.

Industry leaders and experts highlighted Hyderabad’s unique position to emerge as a global economic and innovation hub and the forum marked the beginning of a long-term platform that will shape the growth and competitiveness of the city.