Celebrating Startup India Innovation Week: Piyush Goyal Leads Roundtable Discussion with 40 Unicorns
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th Jan. During the Startup India Innovation Week, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, Piyush Goyal, chaired a roundtable with 40 unicorns to celebrate their growth and discuss ways to support the growth of more unicorns in India.
The participating unicorns shared their experiences, identified factors that contributed to their growth, and highlighted areas that can boost the Indian startup ecosystem. Piyush Goyal encouraged the unicorns to establish a unicorn club or association to find solutions for startup capital access in the country.
The discussion focused on simplifying regulatory processes, increasing access in Tier-2/3 cities, and learning from successful practices in the private sector.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organized the Startup India Innovation Week from 10th to 18th January 2024, bringing together startups, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
The event featured the launch of ‘StartupShala’ – Startup India’s Accelerator Program, a three-month accelerator program for early-stage startups. Each cohort of the program will focus on a specific sector, with the first one being CleanTech.
The program will select 20 startups per cohort through an open call for applications. Interested startups can apply on the Startup India Hub website: https://www.startupindia.gov.
To inspire students and aspiring entrepreneurs, five webinars titled ‘MAARG Mentorship Series for Budding Entrepreneurs’ were organized, providing insights and lessons on starting a startup. These sessions were broadcasted live on Startup India’s social media platforms and the MYBharat portal for young entrepreneurs.
The Startup India Innovation Week featured over 75 physical events that served as a catalyst for entrepreneurship, showcasing India’s thriving ecosystem and inspiring aspiring founders. The events included workshops for women entrepreneurs, incubator training grounds, and thought-provoking roundtables in various cities to foster collaborations and shape the future startup ecosystem.
Earlier in the week, a one-to-one mentorship program between startups and corporates was launched. The program offers exclusive guidance and support to selected startups in areas such as financial lending, operations, sustainable innovations, and disruptive technology. HCL, HSBC India, Qualcomm India Private Limited, and TCS Foundation are among the corporate partners participating in the program.
To promote innovation and sustainability, a virtual panel discussion was held with global partners of Startup India, focusing on the five key pillars of innovation: incubation, funding and financial assistance, public-private partnership models, market access, and government infrastructure.
Additionally, a workshop was conducted in Mumbai to educate startups about the benefits available to them on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). A successful Workshop on Public Procurement was also held at the University of Hyderabad, Telangana, with the participation of over 70 entrepreneurs on January 9th, 2024.
