Jaishankar meets Indian tech founders at Raisina Middle East
Synopsis
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met young Indian tech entrepreneurs at Raisina Middle East on October 15, 2026, calling the generation one that 'thinks big and thinks boldly' — a signal of India's growing use of startup energy as a foreign policy tool.
Key Takeaways
External Affairs Minister Dr.
Jaishankar met young Indian tech entrepreneurs and founders on the sidelines of Raisina Middle East on October 15, 2026 .
Jaishankar described the generation as one that 'thinks big and thinks boldly.' The Raisina Dialogue was launched in 2016 by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs to position India as a convenor of global strategic discussions.
India's external affairs outreach has increasingly incorporated engagement with its technology community at international forums to support economic diplomacy.
The Middle East is a focal region for India's push on investment, technology transfer, and strategic partnerships.
On the sidelines of Raisina Middle East, Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar sat down with a cohort of young Indian tech entrepreneurs and founders on Thursday, October 15, 2026 — a meeting he called 'interesting' and a generation he described as one that 'thinks big and thinks boldly.'
Where diplomacy meets startup energy
The encounter underscores a deliberate shift in how India's top diplomat works the margins of international forums. Sideline meetings with tech founders are no longer incidental — they are part of a calculated effort to weave India's innovation story into its foreign policy narrative, particularly in a region where investment appetite and technology hunger run high.
The Raisina Dialogue, India's flagship multilateral conference on geopolitics and foreign policy, was first convened in 2016 by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. Its Middle East edition signals an intent to export that convening power beyond New Delhi and into a region that has become central to India's economic diplomacy playbook.
Tech founders as instruments of economic diplomacy
India's external affairs outreach has increasingly folded in its technology community — at home and across the diaspora — as a soft-power asset at global forums. The Middle East, flush with sovereign wealth and hungry for technology partnerships, is a natural theatre for that convergence. Investment flows, technology transfer agreements, and startup collaborations between Indian founders and Gulf-based funds have all been areas of growing strategic focus.
Jaishankar's note of admiration — that this generation 'thinks big and thinks boldly' — is not merely a compliment. It is a signal that New Delhi sees young Indian entrepreneurs as credible economic ambassadors, capable of carrying India's global ambitions into boardrooms and pitch meetings that traditional diplomacy cannot easily reach.
Whether these conversations translate into announced partnerships or follow-up engagements between Indian startups and regional players is the real test — and the one worth watching next.
Point of View
The Ministry of External Affairs signals to Gulf capitals that India's value proposition includes not just labour and energy trade, but a bold, young innovation economy ready to partner. The real indicator of impact will be whether structured collaboration mechanisms follow these conversations.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Raisina Middle East?
Raisina Middle East is a regional edition of India's flagship Raisina Dialogue conference, which was launched in 2016 by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs to position India as a convenor of global geopolitical and foreign policy discussions.
Why did Jaishankar meet tech entrepreneurs at a foreign policy forum?
India's external affairs outreach has increasingly incorporated its technology community at international forums as part of economic diplomacy, using young founders to project India's innovation credentials to regions like the Middle East that are hungry for technology partnerships and investment opportunities.
What did Jaishankar say about the young Indian tech entrepreneurs?
He described them as a generation that 'thinks big and thinks boldly,' calling the meeting 'interesting.'
Why is the Middle East important for India's tech diplomacy?
The Middle East holds significant sovereign wealth and appetite for technology partnerships. India's growing strategic focus on the region covers investment flows, technology transfer, and startup collaborations between Indian founders and Gulf-based funds.
When was the Raisina Dialogue first held?
The Raisina Dialogue was first convened in 2016 by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs.
