Welcome to Hyderabad
Inauguration and Welcome
Benedict Paramanand, Festival Curator
The Making of Hyderabad as the Global Innovation Hub
Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group
BVR Mohan Reddy, Author of Engineered in India: From Dreams to Billion-Dollar Cyient and Founder, Cyient
Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary, Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Special Projects (SPEED), Investment & Industry (I&I) Cell | Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Youth Advancement & Sports Department
Dinesh C Sharma, Author of Beyond Biryani: The Making of a Globalised Hyderabad
Host - Sudhakar Rao, Festival Advisor, Director of Branding, ICFAI Group, Prolific Author
The Shark Tank Success Stories
Kausthub Kaundinya, CEO, Jarsh Safety
Trivikram Kumar, Founder & CEO, XMachines
Host - Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Partner, Kalaari Capital
Understanding New-Age Business Models
K Ganesh, Serial Entrepreneur, Author of Mastering Disruption: A Practical Guide to Understanding New-Age Business Models, with
Kavikrut, CEO, T-Hub
Learn From History to Avoid Making Mistakes in the Future
Gurcharan Das, Author of Bestseller India Unbound and many more, with
Benedict Paramanand, Author of CK Prahalad: Mind of The Futurist, Smash: The Rise of Indian Badminton, Stories of Grit & Triumph
Quiz
Shayak Ray, Member of K-Circle, Hyderabad’s Oldest and Most Iconic Quiz Club
Beyond the Prompt: Writing the Future with AI
Vivek Anchalia, Founder, Amazing Indian Stories, Director & Co-writer - Tikdam (Jiohotstar), Screenwriter - Rajma Chawal (Netflix), Director - Naisha (India's 1st AI film)
Kashyap Kompella, Author of A Short & Happy Guide to Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers, Columnist and Educator
Host - Madanmohan Rao, Research Director, YourStory. Co-founder, MXR.world
The Social Entrepreneur Success Secret
Nagaraja Prakasam, Angel Investor, Mentor - NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore and Author of Back to Bharat: In Search of a Sustainable Future, with
Sreedevi Devireddy, GTM Strategist, Vice-Chairman, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (AP & TS), Start-up Ecosystem Enabler
Is India's Fintech Revolution Real?
Prof. Bhagwan Chowdhry, Author of Fintech for Billions, Faculty Director, ISB, with
Praveena Rai, MD & CEO, Multi Commodity Exchange of India, Former COO, NPCI
Book Launch
Book Launch Host - J Shiruti, Festival Co-ordinator
First. Forever. NJ Yasaswy: They Don’t Make Them Like Him Anymore
Biography of the ICFAI Founder
Co-Authors V Pattabhi Ram and Sudhakar Rao, Festival Advisor, Director of Branding, ICFAI Group
Diviseema Business Fables
Co-Authors Sudhakar Rao and Hari Paruchuri
Host - M. Somasekhar, Independent Journalist, Former Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line
Book Cover Reveal
Book Launch Host - J Shiruti, Festival Co-ordinator
The Enlightened Manager: A Transformative Approach to Work and Life
by Vishwanath Alluri, Secretary, Krishnamurti Foundation, Founder & CEO, IMImobile
Host - Ashvitha Ramachandran, Chartered Account, Warner Bros
2025 Bizlitfest Best Entrepreneurship Book Award
Guest of Honour - Gurcharan Das, Author of Another Sort of Freedom
Jury Chairman's Reflections - Murali Bukkapatnam, Chairman, TiE Global
Jury's Reflection - Chaya D, Founder, The Talent Bridge
Host - Reena Pereira, Team Bizlitfest, HR and Communications Professional
Reel to Real: The Making of the Hyderabad Film Industry
D Suresh Babu, Film Producer, Nagireddy–Chakrapani National Award Winner
