Thank You, Partners, For Powering Griffin Retreat 2026
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From the outside, it could easily be reduced to scale. 100 founders. Nearly $200 Bn in combined valuation. Over $20 Bn in revenue.
But what unfolded over those days in Udaipur was not about scale. It was about something far less visible, and far more real.
The founder journey, especially at scale, can be deeply isolating. The decisions get heavier. The stakes get higher. And the number of people who truly understand what you’re navigating becomes smaller.
Griffin Retreat was built around that reality.
Set against the backdrop of Lake Pichola at The Oberoi Udaivilas, the retreat was built over months with a clear focus on continuity, creating spaces where conversations didn’t stop when a session ended.
From wellness-led zones designed for pause, to informal formats that created ease, to quieter concepts that allowed for release, every layer was built to influence how people showed up, all under Chatham House Rule.
Held from April 3-5. The Giffin Retreat room together leaders across institutions, policy, capital, and company-building. Voices such as T. V. Mohandas Pai, V. Vaidyanathan, Amitabh Kant, R. Srinivasan, Dr. S. Somanath, and Pawan Kumar Chandana brought perspectives shaped by capital, policy, and frontier innovation.
The room also included Abhinav Bindra and Kapil Dev, who brought perspectives from entirely different arenas of performance, discipline, and resilience.
They were joined by founders and operators, including boAt’s Aman Gupta, OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, Ghazal Alagh of Honasa, Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Nazara’s Nitish Mittersain, Rishikesh SR of Rapido, and more, builders navigating scale, complexity, and constant decision-making.
What this created was not just diversity in presence, but depth in perspective, different journeys, but a shared understanding of what it takes to operate at this level.
Looking back, what stands out is not just what was discussed, but how the room engaged. The speed at which people opened up. The absence of filters. And the fact that these conversations continued well beyond the sessions themselves.
All of this comes at a time when India is moving towards a $1 trillion digital economy, where the nature of company-building is shifting from scale to building enduring institutions.
In that context, the need for spaces that enable honest, high-context exchange becomes increasingly important — where conversations match the scale of what is being built.
None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our partners. Inc42’s Griffin Retreat 2026 was co-presented by IDFC FIRST Bank and powered by Smartworks, IndigoEdge, Rukam Capital, Avalara, Nitro and Playbook Partners, whose contributions helped bring this one-of-a-kind experience to life.
Presenting Partner
IDFC First Bank
The private sector bank, formed from the merger of IDFC Bank and Capital First in 2018 under the leadership of V Vaidyanathan, offers a suite of financial products and services across retail, MSME and corporate segments.
With a strong focus on technology-driven banking, customer-first products and ethical practices, IDFC First Bank has built a differentiated franchise centered around transparency and accessibility. The bank continues to support India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by enabling businesses with tailored financial solutions and long-term partnerships.
Powered by
Rukam Capital
The venture capital firm invests in consumer products and services companies at an early stage based on strong growth potential they hold. The Delhi-based VC firm targets businesses focussed on innovation and transformation. It counts startups like GO DESi, Sleepy Owl, Burger Singh, Curefoods, Beco, and Yoho in its portfolio.
Avalara
Avalara is a global leader in tax and compliance automation, helping businesses navigate complex indirect tax and compliance requirements. Its cloud-based solutions simplify GST, invoicing and cross-border tax compliance, enabling ecommerce and D2C brands to scale across markets while staying compliant.
Smartworks
Smartworks is India’s leading managed workspace platform, offering fully serviced, tech-enabled office solutions to enterprises. Headquartered in Gurugram, the company operates large-format campuses across major cities, catering primarily to mid-to-large enterprises and global capability centres (GCCs). It enables businesses to scale seamlessly while optimising costs and employee experience.
IndigoEdge
IndigoEdge is a venture capital firm that focuses on supporting technology companies and consumer brands. IndigoEdge invests primarily in early and growth-stage startups in sectors such as media and entertainment, ecommerce, consumer services, enterprise tech and travel tech. Its portfolio companies include WinZO, SatSure and Revv.
Playbook Partners
The Mumbai-based venture capital firm invests in early stage tech-enabled businesses, targeting large market opportunities that offer positive unit economics, digital scalability, and sustainable growth.
Nitro
Nitro is a revenue-as-a-service full-stack for ecommerce, D2C and retail brands, solving acquisition and retention bottlenecks with technology. The ecosystem addresses challenges such as anonymous visitors and conversion obstacles while simplifying complex marketing tasks for D2C businesses.
Gifting Partners
upliance
Engineering the effortless kitchen, upliance bridges the gap between culinary fantasies and a modern-day busy schedules. By marrying precision automation with intuitive tech, the brand transforms complex recipes into one-touch realities. It’s not just a smart appliance; it’s reimagining the domestic hearth in the digital age.
Three Sixty
Breathing life into premium leather through artisanal expertise, Three Sixty creates heirlooms that tell stories. Known for its focus on quality craftsmanship and timeless design, the brand offers a range of lifestyle accessories that blend functionality with understated luxury for the modern consumer.
Xscace
Xscace specialises in architecturally integrated audio, crafting ultra-slim speakers that vanish into the modern silhouette of a room. Designed for the aesthetic purist, it delivers an immersive soundstage without a single wire or cabinet in sight, claims the company.
NOTHING
NOTHING challenges the cluttered landscape of modern gadgets with its signature transparent aesthetic and design-first philosophy. By removing the barriers between the user and the machine, it creates smartphones and audio devices that feel like a seamless extension of the self—functional, raw, and undeniably distinct.
Da Milano
Da Milano bridges old-world leather craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. From structured handbags to sleek travel essentials, each piece offers the modern connoisseur a refined lifestyle statement that ages as beautifully as the stories it carries.
Cosmos Diamonds
Cosmos Diamonds is a lab-grown diamond jewellery brand focussed on making luxury accessible, transparent and sustainable. The brand offers certified, ethically sourced diamonds set in hallmarked gold, combining contemporary design with affordability.
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