Kochi, Dec 18 (Reporter) Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal will address the two-day ‘Money Conclave-2024 Summit’ at Nedumbassery here on Wednesday, heralding a pioneering convergence of experts from across the country and abroad to discuss effective utilisation of India’s rapid growth rate amid fast-changing global economic policies. The event, with economic growth through knowledge as the focal theme, will feature more than 50 brands. The proceedings will see the participation of more than 15,000 delegates, 40 speakers, and 100-plus investors, venture capital firms, start-ups, and stock traders. In all, the sessions total 14, besides a pitchathon and ideathon in the evenings. The ‘Pitchathon’ will provide seed funding of 10,000 dollars to the benefit of both first-time founders and seasoned entrepreneurs (with 10 finalists out of 500-plus applicants). ‘Ideathon’ will facilitate students to qualify for a prize pool of Rs 1.25 lakh for innovative solutions. The day-1 of the conclave will host six sessions between the inaugural ceremony and Pitchathon. FIRE, the acronym for ‘Financial Independence: Retire Early?’, is the title for the debut session after the opening function. Pentad Securities CEO Nikhil Gopalakrishnan, Fingrowth Founder CA Kanan Bahl, Finny Co-Founder Rohit Tuteja, and startup consultant C.A. Abhijith Preman will be the speakers at the hour-long FIRE ending at 12.30 p.m. This will be followed by five experts talking on ‘Empowering Through Education: Impact of Edtech on Financial Literacy. The speakers are Jain University Director (New Initiatives) Tom M. Joseph, IIC Lakshya MD Orwell Lionel, Sharekhan Independent and Director Arjun Mohan, besides Ibnujala and Profile Business Solutions Co-Founder Nezrin Midhlaj. ‘The Role of Sustainable Wealth & Impact Investing in India's Financial Markets’ is the theme of the following session, which will be addressed by Villgro Chief of Programs and Strategy Ananth Aravamudan, Caspian Impact Investment Director Emmanuel Murray, Bharat Innovation Fund Venture Partner and ThinkAg Co-founder Hemendra Mathur, National Institute of Securities Markets Assistant Professor Mohd Meraj Inamdar, and The StepUp Ventures CEO Raja Singh Bhurji. Next, ZestMoney ex-CEO Lizzie Chapman, NPCI Chief Business Officer Rahul Handa, Techfriar Y Combinator (W19) Founder Madhavan Ramakrishnan, and Co-founder, Konglo Ventures Co-founder Vineet Mohan will lead a session on ‘Indian Fintech: Evolution and Future Outlook for Founders, Operators & Investors.’ Coming up next will be a roundtable on ‘Stocks and International Markets’ by NXG Markets CEO Sara Ahmadi, John Joy Panackal (Delta Trading Academy) and Abdul Latheef Sheikh (JNU, Delhi). The day’s last session, on ‘Wealth with Purpose: How to Align Your Finances with Your Values and Lifestyle Goals, will be addressed by Bridgeway Group CEO Jaber Abdul Wahab, Bramma Learning Solutions CEO AR Ranjith, motivational speaker Abhishad Guruvayoor and Afthab Shoukath, who is Founder-CEO of Xpresso Global. The day will conclude with the Pitchathon, with six judges. Day-2 will begin with an 11 am session on ‘Real Estate as an Asset Class: Current Challenges & Emerging Avenues’ led by four experts. At noon will be a session on ‘Global Investment: Building Wealth Across Sectors & Borders’ by three speakers. At 1 pm, four experts will speak on ‘Wealth Creation in the Age of Startups 2.0: Meeting Investor Expectations & Reality’. The following sessions are on ‘Building a Resilient Portfolio: Maximising Returns through Strategic Diversification’, ‘Crypto Currency & Blockchain: The Future of Decentralised Finance’, besides a fireside chat on ‘Building a Global Brand from Kerala’. The last such session will be on ‘Empowering Oneself to Build a Self Driven Brand’. Overall, the conclave offers a platform to learn from industry leaders, experts, and innovators, as they will share their knowledge and insights on the latest financial trends and strategies. A curtain-raiser of the event was held last week (December 12) in the presence of Ernakulam District Collector N.S.K. Umesh. Hibi Eden, MP, and P.K. Kunhalikutty, who is Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, will be among the other key speakers at the opening ceremony of the December 18-19 conclave at CIAL Convention Centre, which will serve as a platform also for learning and connections so as to fuel the future of wealth and investment. While Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika will be the special guest, the session will also be addressed by Money Conclave Co-founders Ibnujala M, Afthab Shoukath, C.A. Abhijith Preman, Fariq Naushad, Nezrin Midhlaj, Nadeem Ahmed, and Jaseel Mohammed...////...