Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 14 June pitched India as a premier global destination for investment and innovation, addressing venture capital leaders and investors at Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France. He underscored that India's growth trajectory is anchored in talent, scale, stability, and sustained policy reforms — and extended a direct invitation to the world to co-build the next chapter of global innovation alongside India.

What Modi Said at the Summit

Speaking at the gathering, Modi described the current decade as one defined by both disruption and development. He pointed to global conflicts and the accelerating impact of climate change as forces simultaneously creating significant openings for innovation and progress.

'The world is witnessing unprecedented challenges due to conflicts and the growing impact of climate change, but these challenges are also creating significant opportunities for innovation and progress,' the Prime Minister said.

He identified artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, space technologies, and advanced materials as the five key technology pillars that will define humanity's future, describing them as the next chapter of human civilisation.

India's 'Technology for Humanity' Pitch

Modi framed India's overarching technology philosophy as 'technology for humanity' — a human-centric approach that he said has been the foundation of the country's digital revolution and digital public infrastructure. He argued that the world is actively seeking technologies that are trusted, inclusive, and focused on global good, positioning India as a natural partner in that endeavour.

'India's growth is powered by talent, scale, stability and reform, making it an attractive destination for investment and innovation,' he said.

Why This Pitch Matters

The Bharat Innovates 2026 summit in Nice represents one of India's most high-profile outreach efforts to European and global venture capital in recent years. Coming at a time when multinational firms are actively diversifying supply chains away from single-country dependencies, India's combination of a large skilled workforce, a maturing startup ecosystem, and a stable policy environment gives the pitch credible commercial weight.

Notably, India already ranks among the world's top three startup ecosystems by volume, and sectors such as fintech, deep tech, and space have seen sustained foreign institutional interest. Modi's explicit mention of emerging sectors signals that the government is looking beyond traditional manufacturing to position India in frontier technology value chains.

Post-Summit Remarks

Following the event, Modi shared his impressions on social media platform X, describing the conversations as 'enriching and insightful.' He wrote: 'Engaged with investors and venture capital leaders on the immense opportunities India offers across innovation, technology, manufacturing and emerging sectors.'

The outreach at Nice is expected to feed into broader diplomatic and trade discussions as India continues to strengthen economic ties with European partners. Concrete investment commitments, if any, are likely to be detailed in follow-up announcements from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.