New Delhi, Aug 18: Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth edition of R.I.D.E. 2026 at MIT World Peace University, Pune, Dr. Shrikant Patil, CEO, Maharashtra State Innovation Society, highlighted the growing opportunities in Maharashtra’s startup and innovation ecosystem. He urged young innovators to focus on addressing real-world challenges and spoke about the state’s initiatives to strengthen incubation and support students and entrepreneurs across different regions.
“There are millions of Chaturs in the world but we are looking for Ranchos,” said Dr. Shrikant Patil, calling upon students to become problem-solvers and innovators.
“Maharashtra is actually a startup capital of India. Maharashtra has 38,000 registered startups and we have 30 incubators in place,” said Dr. Patil. He further urged students to look beyond conventional approaches, saying, “There are ample opportunities in the world. We just need to address the right problem statements and find out the Ranchos amongst us who can innovate through creative solutions.”
Conceptualised in 2022, R.I.D.E. has evolved into a flagship intra-university initiative that encourages students to move beyond conventional academic boundaries and explore the possibilities of research, innovation, design, and entrepreneurship. The fifth edition of R.I.D.E., themed “Insight to Impact (I2I)”, brought together students, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industry leaders and mentors to explore research, innovation, design and entrepreneurship. The programme featured expert sessions, panel discussions, bootcamps, Startup Expo and Investment Sessions, providing students with opportunities to learn from practitioners, showcase ideas and engage with the startup ecosystem.
Speaking about the evolution of the initiative, Dr. Prasad D. Khandekar, Chief Academic Officer (CAO) said,
“This year also marks an important milestone in the evolution of RIDE. We are moving from an event to a movement with pre and post event engagement.” Vinod Shastri, Convenor, R.I.D.E., highlighted the initiative’s focus on experimentation and lasting impact, along with its long-term vision of nurturing new ventures from the MIT-WPU ecosystem.
Datta Dange, Vice Chancellor, MIT-WPU, encouraged students to use the platform as an opportunity to learn through action and reflect on their own potential as researchers, innovators, designers and entrepreneurs. Hitesh Porwal also engaged students through an entrepreneurial perspective, emphasising the importance of recognising problems as opportunities and developing structured pathways before entering the startup ecosystem.
The event builds on the achievement of R.I.D.E. 2025, when MIT-WPU facilitated the creation of 2,000 student-led ventures and earned a World Record for the highest number of ventures created through a university innovation initiative.
The valedictory ceremony featured Dilip Chenoy, Chairman, Bharat Web3 Association and Former Secretary General, FICCI; Dr. Deeksha Malik, VP & Head, AI Centre of Excellence, Jio-bp; and Poonam Kochhar, Chairperson, FICCI FLO Pune, who shared perspectives on the future of work, AI-led innovation and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
Through R.I.D.E. 2026, MIT-WPU reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing an innovation ecosystem that enables students to transform insights into action and develop solutions with meaningful societal impact.