New Delhi , Feb 12: In a significant boost to India’s growing startup ecosystem, Former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will grace JITO’s national startup initiative ‘ILLUMIN8’ as the Chief Guest at its grand showcase in New Delhi on February 15 at Ashoka, Hotel New Delhi.

The event will also feature Ashneer Grover in a power-packed conversation and a fireside chat with Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder of ShopClues and Droom, alongside participation from leading investors and industry stalwarts.

Launched by the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), ILLUMIN8 is a national platform aimed at discovering, mentoring and funding early-stage startups across India. The initiative has received over 500 applications nationwide, out of which 30 startups were shortlisted for a structured mentorship programme. Following intensive online and residential mentoring in collaboration with Physics Wallah – School of Startups, the top 8 startups will pitch live for funding before an eminent panel of investors.

Speaking about the event Jeenendra Bhandari, Chairman, JIIF, said “India’s startup momentum is entering a more disciplined and value-driven phase. Platforms like ILLUMIN8 are important because they combine mentorship, investor access and structured evaluation before capital deployment. At JIIF, we believe responsible early-stage investing is about backing founders who are prepared for scale, governance and long-term value creation”

The distinguished panel of Sharks features an eminent group of industry leaders and investors, including Hemant Jain, Managing Director of KLJ Group; Vinay Jain, Chairman of MLM India Ltd; Anupam Bansal, Executive Director at Liberty Shoes and Investor at Ideabaaz (ZEE5); Rajesh Chandan, Co-Founder of Veeraa Ventures and Chairman of the Latin American Caribbean Trade Council; and Sandeep Bardia of the Bardia Family Office. Joining them as panelists are prominent names from the investment and startup ecosystem such as Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner of Rukam Capital; Murali Krishnan, Co-founder and CMO of WOW! Momo Foods; Anirudh Garg, Partner at BEENEXT; and Nitin Jain, Co-Founder of 1BUY.AI and former Co-founder of OFBusiness.

The showcase will also feature a special performance by Appurv Gupta, adding a cultural dimension to the high-impact business gathering.

In a strategic industry collaboration, the Top 2 startups from ILLUMIN8 will qualify directly for the final curation round of Ideabaaz Season 2, a ZEE TV reality show focused on entrepreneurship, offering national exposure alongside funding opportunities.

The initiative is led by the Youth Wing of JITO East Delhi Chapter under the leadership of Chairman Ankur Jain and Chief Secretary Swati Jain, with the support of Chapter Chairman Tarun Jain, Chief Secretary Mukesh Jain, North Zone Convener Raman Jain and Chief Secretary Vikash Jain. Conveners for ILLUMIN8 are Abhishek Jain and Nancy Choraria.

With ILLUMIN8, JITO aims to create a structured bridge between emerging founders, seasoned investors, and mainstream capital, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening India’s entrepreneurial landscape.