Rajeev Khandelwal Named Host of Vande Bharatam in India
Rajeev Khandelwal to Host Vande Bharatam as Adani Group Searches for India’s Next Entrepreneurs
Actor and television host Rajeev Khandelwal has been named the Ambassador and Host of Vande Bharatam, a nationwide entrepreneurship initiative launched by Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani to find innovators, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers from across India.
Khandelwal’s appointment adds a familiar television face to a programme that is built around business ideas rather than entertainment. He is expected to anchor key stages of the initiative, meet finalists, mentors and industry leaders, and host the national Grand Finale in Ahmedabad around Independence Day.
The programme was launched by Gautam Adani on June 25, 2026, in Ahmedabad, marking his 64th birthday. Applications had opened a day earlier, on June 24. The organisers say Vande Bharatam is aimed at people whose ideas may not have reached India’s established start-up centres.
The search covers all 36 States and Union Territories and more than 800 districts. It is open to people of different ages, educational backgrounds and professional experience. Applicants can enter with an idea, prototype, early-stage venture or an established business. A registered start-up is not required.
That point could matter in smaller towns and rural areas, where a person may have a workable business idea but may not have access to the networks that are common in large start-up centres.
According to Adani Group, more than 80 per cent of India’s start-up founders continue to come from only five cities. Vande Bharatam has been designed in response to that concentration, with entries invited from technology, manufacturing, agriculture, sustainability, traditional crafts and community-led solutions.
The programme also has specific categories for women entrepreneurs, tribal innovators, rural changemakers and Divyang entrepreneurs. Community-based innovators working on local problems are also eligible.
For Khandelwal, the role brings his television experience into a format with a business and social focus. He has worked as an actor and television host for many years and has also been associated with digital entertainment. His role in Vande Bharatam will place him in conversations with people developing products, businesses and solutions rather than actors or television contestants.
The format is planned around a multi-stage selection process. Entries are to be assessed on factors such as innovation, entrepreneurial potential, impact and scalability. The organisers have said that 75 national finalists will eventually be selected.
Those finalists are being brought to Ahmedabad for a programme involving mentorship, industry interactions and meetings with investors and business leaders. The official Vande Bharat schedule lists August 8 to 14 for the finalist week, with the Grand Finale set for August 14 in Ahmedabad.
The final stage gives the programme a strong local connection to Gujarat, where the Adani Group is headquartered. Ahmedabad is also the city where the selected finalists are expected to meet business leaders and present their ideas.
The support offered to finalists is expected to go beyond the final event. The organisers have listed access to mentors, investors and industry representatives, along with incubation support and possible strategic partnerships. Prize money and category-based awards are also part of the programme, although the organisers have said details would be announced separately.
The larger question is whether programmes of this type can help ideas from outside India’s main start-up centres find investors, customers and experienced business support. India has developed one of the world’s largest start-up markets, but access to capital and professional networks remains uneven across regions.
Vande Bharatam is therefore trying to widen the search for business talent. Its eligibility rules also make the entry point broader than a conventional start-up competition. Someone can apply before registering a company, while an existing entrepreneur can also put forward an established business.
At the launch, Gautam Adani spoke about his own early years and the importance of opportunity. He said: “When I began my journey, I had nothing. Everything I am and everything I have achieved was given to me by the soil of Bharat. There is no shortage of talent in our nation, but opportunity has not always reached every corner of the country.
“India has built one of the world’s largest start-up ecosystems, yet most founders still emerge from a handful of cities. Vande Bharatam is our effort to discover the innovators, problem-solvers and entrepreneurs whose ideas deserve recognition, support and a larger platform. We invite every Indian with the courage to build and the determination to create to come forward and participate.”
He later added: “If I can do it, any Indian can do it. All they need is an opportunity and a stage.”
Khandelwal’s role will bring these stories to a wider audience as the programme moves towards its final stage. His work as host will include interactions with the people selected through the nationwide search, as well as with the mentors, investors and business leaders involved in the programme.
The initiative is also intended to continue beyond the Grand Finale. The organisers say the event will lead into an ongoing platform connecting participants with mentors, investors, industry leaders and other innovators.
For viewers, the format could offer a look at business ideas that may otherwise receive little public attention. For participants, the more important test will come after the cameras and final presentations are over: whether the connections made through Vande Bharatam lead to investment, mentoring, partnerships or a viable path to building their businesses.
With the Grand Finale scheduled for August 14 in Ahmedabad, Vande Bharatam is now moving from its nationwide search to the stage where the selected entrepreneurs will present their ideas before Gautam Adani and the programme’s wider network of business leaders.
