Hyderabad, Sept 26: More than 50 investors, women entrepreneurs, ecosystem leaders and industry representatives came together in Hyderabad on Friday for the Networking Gala Dinner of the TiE Women Asia Summit 2026, creating a platform for founders from across Asia to connect directly with potential investors, mentors and business partners.
The Networking Gala Dinner formed part of the TiE Women Asia Summit 2026, a platform focused on connecting women entrepreneurs with mentorship, investment opportunities, knowledge, networks and a wider entrepreneurial community.
Hosted by TiE Hyderabad in collaboration with the Hyderabad Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Collective (HEEC), the evening brought the summit’s focus on women-led entrepreneurship into a more intimate setting, with conversations centred on fundraising, business growth, partnerships, market expansion and leadership.
Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Vice Chairperson – CSR, Apollo Hospitals and Founder, URlife, who delivered Keynote address called on women founders to build with purpose
She spoke about women entrepreneurship and shared reflections from her own journey with the founders gathered at the summit.
Her address focused on the importance of building businesses with purpose and creating impact beyond scale.
“Every founder carries something forward — an idea, a family’s legacy, or simply a belief that things can be done better. What matters is what you choose to build with it. I’ve always believed that success isn’t just about scale, it’s about impact — building something that outlasts you and lifts others along the way. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Chief Guest said
Priyanka Chigurupati, Executive Director, Granules India Limited, in her fire side chat with shared lessons on scaling, leadership and taking the leap
She was in conversation with M V Reddy, Co-Convener – TiE Women Asia Summit. The conversation explored scaling and leadership through the lens of her own journey, including her experience across fashion and pharma, her perspective on women’s entrepreneurship and the road ahead for women building and leading large enterprises.
Reflecting on her journey, Priyanka spoke about how the industries may have been different, but the underlying motivation remained the same: the opportunity to build something meaningful and create an impact.
“Looking back at my journey, I realise that the common thread between my experience in fashion and my journey in pharma was never the industry itself, but the opportunity to build something and make a difference. Through the journey, I learned that leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about staying curious, understanding the market, building the right capabilities and having the patience to create value over the long term. It reinforced my belief that women entrepreneurs should give themselves the freedom to take on unfamiliar challenges and grow into leadership along the way. Nobody is perfectly ready and not everybody can have so much clarity of thought during the initial phases. Just take the leap!” Added Priyanka Chigurupati, Executive Director, Granules India Limited
Giving welcome address Rajesh Pagadala, Chair, HEEC Committee, highlighted the importance of connecting founders with the right people, capital and support within Hyderabad’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“A founder looking for help doesn’t always know which door to knock on and that’s the gap HEEC exists to close. We’re building deeper trust and understanding between Hyderabad’s entrepreneurial organisations, so founders can be pointed to the right support faster. If we want this ecosystem to grow, women founders must be able to reach the people, capital, markets and guidance they need — and tonight is exactly that kind of opportunity.” Said Rajesh Pagadala, Chair, HEEC Committee
Murali Kakarla, President, TiE Hyderabad, spoke about the significance of bringing the TiE Women Asia Summit to Hyderabad and the larger objective of creating greater opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
“When TiE Hyderabad got the opportunity to host the TiE Women Asia Summit, we saw it as more than an event — it’s a statement about where this ecosystem is headed. TiE Women exists to make sure the next generation of founders doesn’t have to fight as hard for a seat at the table as the generation before them”, said Murali Kakarla, President, TiE Hyderabad
Representing the TiE Global Board of Trustees, Kamal Agarwal underlined the role of the summit in providing women entrepreneurs with exposure, opportunities and support to scale. Nandini Aggarwal, Director, TiE Global, placed the initiative within TiE’s wider global network of chapters, mentorship and funding programmes.
Ravi Chennupati, Vice President, TiE Hyderabad thanked the ecosystem for coming together in large numbers.