Llama Battleground 2026
The ultimate launchpad for early-stage AI
startups to pitch, shine, and scale globally.
Llama Battleground 2026 is the global stage for early-stage AI startups to pitch, showcase, and gain visibility.
Finalists present to top VCs and industry leaders, unlocking funding, feedback, and growth opportunities.
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Meet the Jury
at Llama Battleground 2026.
Prashant Rao
Director - Application Engineering,
Mathworks
Mathworks
Deepika Sandeep
Head - AI/ML CoE, HSBC
Indrajit Kar
Head of Advanced AI and Strategic Innovation, Wipro
Padmakumar (PK) Nambiar
Director Of Product Development (GenAI, Data Science & Machine Learning), Oracle
Bibhash Chakrabarty
Senior Director, AI and Decisioning, Paypal
Srivatsa Subbanna
Senior Vice President and Head - Intelligent Automation & AI, Financial Services
Pankaj Rai
Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Aditya Birla Group
Amit Kapur
Vice President - Data Analytics and AI, Lowe's India
Vishal Nagpal
Director of Data and AI, Best Buy
Dr. Shivani Rai Gupta
Chief Data Scientist, Jio
Ravi Balasubramanian
Vice President, Data Science & Analytics, Victoria’s Secret & Co
Jyotishko Biswas
AI Leader - HP Finance, HP
Suresh Shanmugam
AI Engineering Director Nextiva
Anirban Nandi
Vice President AI and Data, Albertson Companies India
Manish Kumar Purwar
Global IT Head - Sales & Service Technologies, GE Healthcare
Sridevi Vadapalli
Chief Data Scientist,Daimler Truck Innovation Center India (DTICI)
Shirsha Ray Chaudhuri
Director of Engineering, Thomson Reuters
Chiranjiv Roy
Distinguished AI Fellow & Transformation Leader, Course5i
Dhruv Rastogi
SVP & Head of Data Science, MediAssist
Anand Mahalingam
Vice President - Data Science, Digit Insurance
Kamal Kumar Bhambani
Senior Director - Analytics - Head of category and marketplace analytics,Flipkart
Prasana Kumar Parthasarathy
India Capability Leader - Data & AI, Capco
Varun Saxena
Director - AI & Analytics, ANAROCK
Ashwin Gopinath
Segment Head - Business Intelligence & Artificial Intelligence, Nippon India Mutual Fund
Dr.Durga Prakash Devarakonda (DP)
Head of Technology - Global OfficesMcDonald’s
Vibhuti Agrawal
Vice President of Product Management - Data & Analytics, NextGen Healthcare
Sivakumar Selva Ganapathy
VP - Software Engineering | Head - Open Blue India & APAC Solutions, Johnson Controls
Gopinath Chidambaram
General Manager, Ford Motor Company
Pankaj Vyas
CEO & MD, Siemens Technology & Services Pvt. Ltd. (India)
Mohammed Anzy S
Managing Director, India Guidewire Software
Rahul Bharde
SVP, Head of Analytics & Insights, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd
Sai Krishnan Mohan
Vice President (Data & Analytics), Bajaj Auto Ltd
Dr. Prashant Ramappa
Chief (Principal )Data Science - AI, Generative AI(GenAI) & ML Leadership- @Chief Data officer, AT & T
Mr. Rajan Sethuraman
Chief Executive Officer, LatentView Analytics
Dr. Ankur Narang
Cofounder, Advisory Board Member, ByteLearn
Shireen Ali
Data and Analytics leader
Nilesh Iyer
Managing Director, CEO, Natixis Services in India
Dr. Saurabh Pramanick
Data Governance Officer (DGO) - Data Governance Council, (DGC) Bank Muscat
Bhargab Dutta
Chief Digital Officer, Century Plyboards (I) Limited
Itti Singh
Head of Analytics Advisory, DLL
Manu Dhir
General Manager - India, StoneX Group Inc
Hari Prasad Reddy
Senior Director - Head of Practice, Akkodis
Vishal Srirama
BSH GDS India Head, BSH Home Appliances Group
Ranjith Jayapal (RJ)
Director Digital Analytics, Victoria’s Secret
Nisseem Nabar
Associate Principal, Mathco
Amit Gandhi
Co-Founder & CTO, Parkar Digital
Dr. Hari Saravanabhavan
Vice President (Managing Director) - Global Data & AnalyticsConcentrix
Divesh Singla
SVP, Global Operations and Managing Director, India & Philippines, Signant Health
Kedar Thakar
Head of Managed Services Automation Nokia
Ajit Narayanan
Chief Product & Technology Officer, Licious
Gaurav Duggal
Senior Vice President, Jio
Ajay Panicker
Engineering Head - Data and AI - Building XSiemens
Geetha Ramadevi
Senior Director of Software EngineeringElsevier
Bhaskar Roy
Head of AI (Customer Experience), Group Digital and Innovation, TATA Sons Limited
Dr Renu Rajani, Ph.D
Director, BFSI (Global banking)
Rai Rajani Vinodkumar
VP Head Data Science, Chubb
Guru Ananthanarayanan
Managing Director | India, Cognite
Shivam Rajvanshi
PrincipalTogether Fund
Llama Battleground Benefits
Compete on a global stage designed to accelerate early-stage AI startups. From
exposure to funding opportunities, the Battleground gives founders the edge to grow faster and smarter.
Investor Access
Pitch directly to top venture capitalists and industry leaders.
Global Visibility
Showcase your innovation to a curated audience of startups, enterprises, and media.
Strategic Growth
Gain expert feedback, connections, and opportunities to scale your startup.
The Llama AI Innovation Awards honor the standout pitches from Llama Battleground.
They spotlight the most promising AI startups driving innovation and real-world impact.
Llama Battleground is open to early-stage, pre-Series A AI startups building breakthrough products and solutions.
Founders get the chance to pitch, gain visibility, and connect with top investors and industry leaders.
Book your passes for Happy Llama 2026 and
be part of the global AI startup movement.
Secure your seat to connect with founders,
investors, and innovators shaping the
future of AI.
Llama GrowthHub gives Series A–B AI startups a premium pod booth to showcase, connect, and scale.
Exhibitors gain direct access to top investors, industry leaders, and exclusive networking opportunities in a focused startup zone.
Sponsor Happy Llama 2026 to put your brand
at the center of the global AI startup
ecosystem.
Engage directly with founders, investors, and
decision-makers driving the next wave of
innovation.
