Organized by: Venture Center | Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) | CSIR-NCL
The event is free and open to all; however, prior registration is mandatory.
The event is open to startup founders, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, faculty, and innovators exploring opportunities in the energy transition space — and anyone who shares our excitement for the future of energy, hydrogen, and mobility.
Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, FRS (Padma Vibhushan) is one of India’s most celebrated scientists and a former Director General of CSIR. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the General Body of MSInS and Chairman of the Reliance Innovation Council and the New Energy Council of Reliance. He is among the very few Indian scientists to have been honoured with all three civilian awards — Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan — and is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
Shri A. S. Sahney — Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Limited — is a Chemical Engineer from HBTI, Kanpur, who began his career with IndianOil in 1993 and brings over three decades of expertise in the refinery and petrochemical sector, having worked at five of IndianOil’s nine refineries. He played a pivotal role in commissioning and optimising key units, including the landmark 15 MMTPA Paradip Refinery. Before his appointment as Chairman, he headed IndianOil’s Petrochemical vertical, steering the conceptualisation of major projects including the upcoming mega Petrochemical Complex at Paradip. He also chairs Terra Clean Limited and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, and serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Petronet LNG Ltd.
Dr. Ashish Lele — Director, CSIR-NCL — is a chemical engineer and rheologist by training (PhD, University of Delaware) who has led pioneering work on PEM fuel cell technology. He is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award and the Infosys Prize, and prior to leading CSIR-NCL, served as Senior Vice President & Head of Advanced Materials and Alternative Energy at Reliance Industries.
EKA (Mobility) | h2e Power (Hydrogen) | NobleExchange (Energy) | Pune Hydrogen Valley (Hydrogen) | KPIT (Hydrogen) | Rechargion (Mobility)
mc²+ IGNITE offers up to Rs. 50 Lakh in convertible funding and up to Rs. 1.5 Crore in milestone-based funding, supporting up to 30 high-potential early-stage startups across seven themes — with mentorship, infrastructure access, and a unique pilot-to-procurement pathway with India’s energy majors. Applications for mc²+ IGNITE are open until 15th September 2026.
mc²+ is India’s flagship energy innovation platform of MC² Foundation — a Section 8 not-for-profit, led by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, uniting seven of India’s largest energy majors with leading research institutions to carry energy ventures from the lab bench to industrial scale. mc²+ IGNITE is its energy innovation accelerator programme, offering funding, mentorship, and a pathway from pilot to procurement with India’s energy majors. More about mc²+ IGNITE
For queries please reach out to: Soma Chattopadhyay | +91 91722 32211 | managerincubator@venturecenter.co.in