IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP), in association with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India has announced the North East Accelerator Program on Friday.
The programme is aimed at recognizing early-stage entrepreneurs from Northeast India and creating a supportive ecosystem to help them scale up their businesses. “The initiative, probably the first of this kind in the region, is a unique initiative which would bring together the key stakeholders in the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem including start-ups, investors, mentors and subject matter experts,” a statement said.
The selected entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to participate in boot camp and mentored by the experts from IIMCIP on various aspects of business, and will be connected to potential customers and investors.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch programme at a Guwahati hotel, IIMCIP CEO Subhrangshu Sanyal told The News Mill that the initiative, meant exclusively for the start-ups operating in the Northeast India region, will help them to get expert guidance and nurture them to become success stories. “For a start-up, funding should not be the ultimate goal. Funding should not be a hurdle either. This programme will discover, mentor, nurture and support innovative start-ups from the region,” he said.
A panel discussion on the occasion was attended by Ennovent country director Vipul Kumar, Startup India’s Akanksha Kapoor, NEDFI investment manager Ribhu Baruah, IIMCIP CEO Subhrangshu Sanyal, Dr. Laldinliana from Mizoram University and Sriparna B Baruah from Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati. The session saw participation from various start-ups and entrepreneurs from the region.
Speaking about the entrepreneurship opportunities in the region, IIMCIP CEO Subhrangshu Sanyal added, “Though the Northeast states have huge potential – human, natural and economic – it is also true that this large bank of opportunities remains largely unexplored. One way to unlock this potential would be to unleash the creative energy of current and emerging entrepreneurs from the region.”
“This in turn will have multiple benefits like creating many more employment opportunities, reducing or reversing migration of local youth, energizing the local business ecosystem, helping facilitate the socio-economic development of the region, etc,” he added.
Ennovent, a global innovation company focused on sustainability, and STPI, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India has partnered with IIMCIP to execute the program.
