In a celebration of eight years of the Startup India initiative, the ‘Startup India Innovation Week 2024’ commenced on January 10, 2024, unveiling a week-long events aimed at fostering entrepreneurship across the nation.
The inaugural day featured an insightful Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with ecosystem enablers, marking the beginning of eight virtual live sessions scheduled until January 17, 2024, engaging with key stakeholders and celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit in India.
The first AMA session, held on January 10, focused on ‘Opportunities for Budding Startups through Incubators,’ providing invaluable insights into seed funding sources and guiding startups through various stages of their journey. Livestreamed on Startup India’s social media channels, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, the session aimed to empower entrepreneurs with knowledge accessible here: Watch AMA Session.
Simultaneously, the inaugural mentorship session under the MAARG Mentorship Series delved into ‘From Idea to Execution – Building a Solid Business Plan,’ offering transformative insights into structuring entrepreneurial ideas into robust business plans. Hosted on the MY Bharat portal, the session engaged participants using case studies to illustrate fundamental concepts.
Adding to the momentum, the flagship accelerator program ‘Startup Shala‘ was launched, promising extensive support for startups in their scaleup stage. A 3-month accelerator program, it will provide early-stage startups in the clean-tech sector with access to knowledge, network, funds, and guidance needed to scale up. Applications opened on the Startup India portal from January 10, 2024.
Startup India Innovation Week from 10th-18th January 2024
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, highlighted India’s thriving startup landscape during the India-UAE Business Summit, emphasizing the path forward for the growth of the startup ecosystem. Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Sanjiv, stressed the importance of international exposure for Indian startups and the role of a startup bridge in easing international market access.
Incubators nationwide joined the celebration, organizing startup-related events physically in seven different states across nine cities on January 10, 2024. These events witnessed the active participation of over 845 entrepreneurs and student entrepreneurs, offering opportunities for startup showcases, mentorship sessions, and engaging panel discussions.
On January 11, 2024, Secretary DPIIT, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, inaugurated the startup seminar, ‘Startups Unlocking Infinite Potential,’ at the Tenth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He highlighted the surge in e-commerce and fintech startups due to increased internet penetration and digital payments popularity.
The second AMA session centered on ‘Innovation at the Intersection,’ featuring leading corporates engaging with startups, discussing current trends, and providing insights on tapping new market opportunities. Subsequent one-on-one mentorship sessions with shortlisted startups and corporates will focus on financial lending and support, operations, sustainable innovations, and disruptive technology.
The second mentorship session under the MAARG Mentorship Series explored ‘Understanding Business Structures and Processes to Incorporate an Entity.’ It actively engaged aspiring entrepreneurs, providing valuable insights on starting their entrepreneurial journey.
Showcasing innovations across the country, 14 events took place physically in nine states across 12 cities, featuring ideathons for student entrepreneurs, showcases of women-led startups, and a panel on exploring deeptech frontiers and IPR strategies.
As the week unfolds, more insightful AMA sessions with ecosystem enablers and mentorship series sessions are in the pipeline. The complete schedule of events can be accessed at Startup India Innovation Week Schedule.
