SRM University-AP Hosts Global Social Entrepreneurship & CSR Summit 2025

SRM University-AP, through its Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, successfully hosted the Global Social Entrepreneurship & CSR Summit 2025 on August 30, 2025. The day-long summit brought together eminent leaders, innovators, and change-makers to deliberate on the transformative role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship in building sustainable communities.

The context to the grand summit was set by Prof. Sidharth Tripathy, Director-Entrepreneurship & Innovation of SRM-AP as he highlighted that this summit is going to redefine the language of social impact from ‘beneficiaries’ to ‘venture builders’, from ‘compliance’ to ‘conscience’ led CSR’ and from ‘nice-to-do social projects’ to ‘need-to-do systemic movements.
The summit featured four high-impact panel discussions addressing key themes in the field of social innovation and inclusive development.

Panel Discussion 1: Beyond Giving- CSR as a Lever for Systemic Change
Industry leaders such as Ayush Bagga (Founder & CEO, IAMpact), Devina Kamal (Associate Director CSR, Jubilant Ingrevia ), Prof. Avijit Chakravarthi (Professor at BML Munjal University), and Akshansh Akshat (Lead CSR, Bata India) explored how CSR can move beyond traditional philanthropy to become a powerful tool for entrepreneurial transformation and long-term societal impact.

Panel Discussion 2: HEI as Impact Launchpads-Focusing on the role of Higher Education Institutions in nurturing entrepreneurship and social ventures, this panel saw thought-provoking insights from, Ilyas Shah Khan (Head of Incubation, Ed-Venture Park), Abdul Mujeeb Shaik (Community Manager, AIC-IIIT Hyderabad), and was moderated by Prof. Sidharth Tripathy (Director Entrepreneurship and Innovation, SRM University-AP).

Panel Discussion 3: Building Impact Ecosystems- Partnerships that Power Change Highlighting the importance of collaborations, Pranay Kumar Nalla (Head- Govt Innovation & Partnerships, TGIC), Sahithi Divi (Sr. Consultant, ST & RD, Govt. of AP), and Dileep Podili (Director- Innovation & Strategy- Impact Hub) shared how multi-stakeholder partnerships can accelerate systemic change and foster scalable solutions.

Panel Discussion 4: Agents of Change- Empowering Youth for Inclusive Entrepreneurship Youth-driven innovation and inclusivity were central to this session. Karthik Nagapuri (Founder, Evolvex), and Kilaru Naga Sravan (Founder, Politics for Impact) inspired participants with their journeys of driving change through entrepreneurial ventures and advocacy.

Adding to the spirit of the summit, Mr Sidhartha Tripathi narrated the story of SRM University-AP’s flagship CSR initiative- Aditri, which focuses on empowering rural women to become micro-entrepreneurs. Sharing the impact of the initiative, he said:

“Through Aditri, we have been able to reach over 2,500 women through field visits, engage more than 1,400 women via baseline surveys, train 570 participants in intensive entrepreneurial bootcamps, and support the shaping of over 100 venture ideas into sustainable enterprises. This journey is a testament to the transformative power of social innovation and the resilience of rural women.”

In line with this impact, the summit also witnessed the launch of ‘The Red Book of Inspiration’ about Aditri- Transforming Rural Women to Micro Entrepreneurs by Vice Chancellor of SRM University-AP Prof. Manoj K Arora. He said, “The book consists of the story of the metamorphosis of rural women into microentrepreneurs in just 10 months time. It brings 100 inspiring stories of 100 women with 100 dreams, reflecting resilience and courage in building sustainable livelihoods.” As described during the launch, the book is “a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of women.”

Towards the conclusion of the event, the Paper Presentation track of the Global Social Entrepreneurship & CSR Summit 2025 recognised outstanding contributions. Mr. Vaibhav from VIT-AP secured the first position and was awarded a cash prize of ₹20,000. Mr. Sundhar Singh from SRM University-AP received the second prize of ₹15,000, while Mr. Mahendra Kumar from Half-Brain Technologies bagged the third position with a prize of ₹7,500.

The event provided a vibrant platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration between academia, industry, and social innovators.

The Global Social Entrepreneurship & CSR Summit 2025 not only showcased the power of partnerships and innovation but also underscored the urgent need for collective action towards sustainable development.