Building breakthrough science is only half the journey. Discover how to take it successfully to market.
Venture Center is thrilled to announce a Workshop on
Devising GTM & Building Sales Systems for Science-based Startups
Organized By :
- Leap Global Accelerator @ Venture Center (under DST-NIDHI Accelerator, supported by BFI)
- COE for Clean Energy & Green Hydrogen Innovations, Venture Center
In Partnership With :
- TIE Pune
Supported By :
- Venture Center, Pune
- Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India
- Blockchain for Impact (BFI)
- Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS), Government of Maharashtra
About the Workshop :
Many science-based and deep-tech startups build strong technologies but often struggle with translating innovation into scalable revenue. Founders frequently face challenges such as long sales cycles, concept selling, customer qualification, pricing strategy, market positioning, and building repeatable sales systems.
This workshop is designed to help startup founders and leadership teams move beyond ad-hoc founder-led selling and develop structured approaches towards customer acquisition, go-to-market (GTM) planning, and scalable sales execution. The sessions will combine practical frameworks, founder experiences, GTM case studies, and interactive discussions.
Key Themes :
- Defining the right market, customer segments, and positioning strategy
- Understanding GTM evolution and market expansion approaches
- Building structured and measurable sales systems
- Using data and metrics to improve sales effectiveness
- Pricing strategies and revenue models for deep-tech ventures
- Partnerships, channels, and customer expansion strategies
- Transitioning from founder-led sales to scalable growth systems
- Real-life startup examples, practical exercises, and peer learning opportunities
Workshop Details :
Date : 18 June, 2026
Time : 9.00 AM - 2.00 PM
Venue : Lecture Theatre @ Venture Center
About the Speakers :
Kiran Deshpande - Co-founder, Mojo Networks | Former President, TiE Pune | Angel Investor & Startup Mentor
Kiran Deshpande brings over 40 years of leadership and entrepreneurial experience in the technology sector and has mentored numerous startups across domains. He is the co-founder of Mojo Networks (now part of Arista Networks) and former President of TiE Pune.
Samir Palnitkar - Founder, Growth Oxygen Inc. | Serial Entrepreneur | Startup Growth Advisor
Samir Palnitkar is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in technology, SaaS, sales, marketing, and operations. He has founded multiple successful startups and currently advises founders and CEOs on growth, GTM strategy, and sales scaling.
Other Speakers :
Dr Premnath Venugopalan - Founder Director, Venture Center & Head, NCL Innovations, CSIR-NCL
Dr Premnath is Head, NCL Innovations/ Chief Scientist at CSIR-NCL and Founder Director, Venture Center. He is a technology developer, innovation and incubation manager, startup mentor and a co-founder of 2 medtech startups. For the last 17+ years at Venture Center he has provided leadership for teams that have won National awards for technology development, intellectual property management and business incubation. He is chemical engineer and an alumnus of MIT in the US, IIT-Bombay (Distinguished Alumnus, 2022) and has been a Chevening Technology Enterprise Scholar in Cambridge, UK.
Who Should Attend :
- Science-based and deep-tech startups
- Founders and leadership teams involved in sales, business development, customer acquisition, GTM, partnerships, or growth
- Startups preparing for commercialization, early revenue generation, market expansion, or scale-up
Registration Process :
Registration Fee : ₹500 per participant
- Interested participants need to fill in the registration form at the registration link given below.
- Email invite with payment details will be sent to participants post screening of registration details.
- Registration process is complete once registration fees are paid. Attendance for the event will be permitted only upon confirmation of payment of registration fees.
Workshop Includes :
- Lunch
- Tea & Snacks
- Access to presentation material
- Networking opportunities with mentors and fellow founders
Please Note :
- This is an in-person workshop.
- We strongly encourage participation from the startup's founding team. Wherever feasible, at least two founders should attend the workshop. Alternatively, a founder may participate along with a senior team member responsible for sales, business development, GTM, partnerships, or growth.
- Limited seats available (20 startups; maximum 40 participants).
- Organizers reserve the right to accept, refuse, or delay registrations in order to optimize group composition and maximize learning outcomes.
- Only confirmed participants who have completed registration and payment will be allowed to participate in the workshop.
The detailed workshop outline is attached below for your reference.
For Workshop Related Queries Contact :
Soma Chattopadhyay | +91-79172232211 | managerincubator@venturecenter.co.in
Shuchi Maitraya | +91-8956226081 | shuchi.maitraya@venturecenter.co.in
We look forward to your enthusiastic participation !