India Slovenia Technology Hyper-acceleration workshop

Ms. Tea Pirih, Economic Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, speaking at the Slovenia Global Forum

Maribor, Slovenia | June 2025

As part of the Slovenia Global Forum 2025, Bharatia—in partnership with the Embassy of India, Ljubljana, and the Embassy of Slovenia, New Delhi—organised a high-impact workshop under the India–Slovenia SITE (Science, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship) Network. Held in the vibrant city of Maribor, the workshop brought together government representatives, technology innovators, investors, and accelerators to explore the immense opportunity of bringing Slovenian technologies to the Indian market.

India Slovenia Cooperation

The event was opened by Ms. Tea Pirih (top), Economic Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in New Delhi, who welcomed the participants and emphasised the deepening India–Slovenia corridor across economic, scientific, and commercial domains.

In his keynote address, H.E. Mr. Amit Narang (left), Ambassador of India to Slovenia, spotlighted the rapid rise of the Indian economy and outlined pathways through which Indian and Slovenian stakeholders can become partners in mutual advancement, especially through technology collaboration and market integration.

Hyper-Acceleration Masterclass

The centrepiece of the event was a masterclass delivered by Mr. Sanmit Ahuja, CEO of Bharatia, titled “Hyper-Accelerating Slovenian Technologies in India”. The session focused on demystifying market entry and scale-up for European deep-tech and clean-tech companies.

Mr. Ahuja (left) outlined three core challenges faced by international tech providers:

1. Proven technologies in developed markets not being Emerging Market Ready

2. Absence of a Reference Site in-country

3. Inability to demonstrate scalability

He then introduced Bharatia’s proven VIPERS methodology—a unique process under the Environment & Technology Verification (ETV) Programme—which creates an accelerated, de-risked pathway for technologies entering the Indian market.

He also presented real-world case studies, including the successful onboarding of Space.SI, a Slovenian solution currently being commercialised in India through Bharatia’s ETV platform.

Beyond validation, the programme supports scale-up financing, regulatory readiness, and cross-border market access, ensuring a smooth FOAK (First-of-a-Kind) to NOAK (Nth-of-a-Kind) transition.

Science + Finance = Acceleration

The event also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Bharatia and the Slovenian Science Foundation, represented by Dr. Edvard Kobal, President of the Foundation.

The MoU cements long-term cooperation in scientific research, technology commercialisation, and bilateral innovation networks.

Ms. Nina Dremelj, Managing Partner at Vesna Venture Capital, closed the session with a compelling call to action for Slovenian companies to view India as a strategic growth destination, noting the scale and momentum of India’s innovation-driven economy.

A Launchpad for Impact

This workshop marks a key milestone in the India–Slovenia SITE Network, designed to build corridors of trust, validation, and capital for high-impact technologies across sectors including renewable energy, water, waste, digital systems, mobility, and more.

With Bharatia as the implementation anchor and strong diplomatic backing, Slovenian innovators now have a clear and supported pathway into the Indian innovation economy.