The INTA (International Trademark Association) Pre-Annual Meeting Reception and 4th edition of the iTNT KRIA’tive Innovation Awards, hosted by KRIA Law, were held at the Victoria Public Hall in Chennai on Saturday.
The event revolved around the intersection between Intellectual Property and Sports, this year’s theme set by the World Intellectual Property Organisation to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day (April 26).
The evening began with M. S. Bharat, Founder and Managing Partner, KRIA Law, addressing the gathering, revealing how this year’s awards received 460 applications, a four-fold increase from last edition.
Other dignitaries who delivered speeches on topics like startups and the importance of innovation included Gauri Kumar, Consultant, India & South Asia, INTA, Vanitha Venugopal, CEO, iTNT Hub, and Dr. Amulya Rao, FICCI FLO Chairperson before chief guest Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy set the context for the rest of the programme.
The almost five-hour-long event included panel discussions, the first of which grouped former India cricketer Sudha Shah, former tennis player Somdev Devvarman, sports lawyer Dr. Subhrajit Chanda, and veteran journalist G. Rajaraman. But before the panel delved into the evolution of sports equipment and technology and how it impacted athletic performance, the winners of the KRIA’tive Innovation Awards were felicitated.
The awards were divided into two categories: Technological Innovation and Social Innovation. The winners received cash prizes of Rs. 1,00,000 and the runners-up Rs. 75,000. Three Jury awards were also conferred, with the recipients getting Rs. 25,000 each.
(Sportstar was the Media Partner for the INTA Pre-Annual Meeting Reception and 4th edition of the iTNT KRIA’tive Innovation Awards)
Jury members
Shankar Venugopal (Senior Vice-President, Innovation, Mahindra and Mahindra), Lakshminarayanan Ramachandran (Senior Director and Head of IP & Innovation, Samsung Electronics), Kumar Vembu (Co-Founder, Zoho), Dr. Dara Ajay (Head of Technology Transfer, IIT Madras), Kanakasabapathi Subramanian (Senior Vice President at Ashok Leyland), T. A. Munawardeen (Head, Admin and Finance, ExNora), S. Thangapandian (Joint Controller of Patents and Designs, IP Office Chennai), Kayalvizhi Selvarajan (Director – Operational Excellence, AstraZeneca India), Sathish Ganesan (Founder, Partner, IN44 Capital), Sridhar Parthasarathy (Co-Founder, General Partner, Bluehill VC)
Published on Apr 18, 2026
Jury members
Shankar Venugopal (Senior Vice-President, Innovation, Mahindra and Mahindra), Lakshminarayanan Ramachandran (Senior Director and Head of IP & Innovation, Samsung Electronics), Kumar Vembu (Co-Founder, Zoho), Dr. Dara Ajay (Head of Technology Transfer, IIT Madras), Kanakasabapathi Subramanian (Senior Vice President at Ashok Leyland), T. A. Munawardeen (Head, Admin and Finance, ExNora), S. Thangapandian (Joint Controller of Patents and Designs, IP Office Chennai), Kayalvizhi Selvarajan (Director – Operational Excellence, AstraZeneca India), Sathish Ganesan (Founder, Partner, IN44 Capital), Sridhar Parthasarathy (Co-Founder, General Partner, Bluehill VC)