Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Corporate Startup Stars (CSS) 2025 by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Mind the Bridge. In a list dominated by the world’s largest corporations from the Forbes Global 2000 and Fortune Global 500, BPCL stands out—not only for its innovation-forward mindset but also as the sole Indian organisation to earn a spot this year.
For the startup community, this recognition signals something powerful: India’s corporate sector is no longer just supporting innovation—it is actively building it.
India’s Growing Innovation Muscle
The award ceremony, held at the ICC headquarters in Paris, celebrated organisations that are successfully forging deep, meaningful partnerships with startups. These companies are not simply running CSR-led entrepreneurship programs—they are creating pipelines for real technological absorption, scaling, and global impact.
BPCL’s Chairman and Managing Director, Sanjay Khanna, described the honour as a milestone aligned with the company’s broader innovation journey:
“This accolade reflects BPCL’s commitment to building an open innovation ecosystem. Through our startup initiative ‘Ankur’, we are catalysing breakthrough solutions that will make energy cleaner, smarter and more sustainable.”
What is Project Ankur?
Launched in 2016, Ankur has nurtured 30+ early-stage startups across Robotics, AI, Machine Learning, Industrial IoT, Predictive Maintenance, Safety Tech and more. It is not just a grant program—it is a strategic innovation engine designed to fast-track new technologies into one of India’s largest energy ecosystems.
The newly-established BPCL Ankur Fund strengthens this effort, enabling equity investments in promising young ventures. This shift—from grants to strategic investments—signals BPCL’s determination to build long-term value for both the corporation and India’s energy-tech entrepreneurs.
Mind the Bridge Chairman Alberto Onetti described BPCL as “a strong case of how a large corporation can strategically drive innovation by partnering with startups and investing in them.” His statement underscores a larger trend: global corporates are looking to India for startup-led solutions in energy, deep tech and industrial transformation.
Why This Recognition Matters for Startups
Being recognised by ICC and Mind the Bridge is more than a trophy—it places BPCL among the world’s most startup-friendly corporations. For Indian founders, this means:
- More opportunities for corporate pilots and proofs of concept
- Greater access to funding and infrastructure support
- Stronger validation for deep-tech ideas that need industrial partners
- A path to scale solutions across BPCL’s massive national footprint
At a time when deep-tech and climate-tech startups struggle with long gestation cycles, corporate partners like BPCL become essential catalysts.
- PCL is a Fortune Global 500 Maharatna PSU and India’s second-largest oil marketing company. With a refining capacity of 35.3 MMTPA and a network of 23,500+ fuel stations, BPCL is steering a strategic transition toward sustainable, tech-led energy solutions.
- ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) represents over 45 million companies across 170 countries. Its mission is to promote global trade, responsible business practices and innovation-led growth.
- Mind the Bridge, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is one of the world’s most respected innovation advisory firms. It scouts 10,000+ startups annually and leads global open innovation programs for corporations.
A Defining Moment for India’s Startup Future
As India positions itself as a global innovation powerhouse, BPCL’s recognition sends a strong message: Indian corporates are ready to lead the next era of startup collaboration. With Project Ankur and the Ankur Fund, BPCL is not merely supporting entrepreneurship—it is shaping the future of energy and deep-tech innovation.
