Dehradun: Collaborations & partnerships between established industry & Start-ups will play a crucial role in developing of Start-up ecosystem in Uttarakhand said, Mr Sudhir Chandra Nautiyal, Director Industries, Uttarakhand while addressing the gathering as a Chief Guest at the Inaugural Session of the CII ICONN 2021 Uttarakhand Start Up Conclave organised in partnership with Startup Uttarakhand, Department of Industries, Government of Uttarakhand. Mr Nautiyal complimented CII for enhancing industry start up connect by creating this ICONN platform.
Mr Nalin Kohli, Chairman, CII Start-up Council and Chairman & CEO, Ariana Enterprises Pvt Ltd shared that for Startups to flourish in the State, government with support of developmental institutions should provide linkages with bigger corporates based in Uttarakhand. He added Startup Uttarakhand should introspect their strengths in startup domain and focus on developing a world class incubation centre on the lines of T-Hub.
Mr Vipul Dawar, Chairman, CII Uttarakhand in his opening remarks shared that to further facilitate the Corporate – Startup cooperation, this special initiative titled ICONN, the Industry Startup Connect Programme has been conceptualized & undertaken nationwide. He mentioned that ICONN is a first of its kind, Industry-led 360-degree initiative, will catalyse strategic interactions between the Corporate sector and start-ups as well as other key stakeholders to create an integrated, inclusive, and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. He informed that ICONN is providing a platform to start-ups to exhibit and connect with industry over virtual platform along with learning sessions every day. He further informed that 22 Startup from Uttarakhand are participating at ICONN Innodrome virtual exhibition.
The theme of the conclave was “Corporate – Start up Connect & New Age Financing”. The Conclave had a focussed session on Building Partnerships with Large Companies for Growth. Mr Harshit Gupta, Co – Chair YI Dehradun Chapter & Partner, N Kumar Gupta & Associates moderated the session. Speakers at the session included Mr Binil Mathew, Representative Start- Up India, Mr R K Sharma, Head INDEG, ONGC, Mr Rahul Nainwal, Director, UPES Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (UCIE), Mr Rajat Jain, Founder & MD, Sunfox Technologies & Mr Soumen Karmakar, Founder Director, Villotale Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
The second session the conclave, “New Venture Financing: Funding for Start – Up Entrepreneurs”, aimedat deliberating upon various funding options available from government & non-government institutions, corporates, banks, venture capitalists, angel investors and their suitability at different stages. The session was moderated by Mr Vandeep Ratra, CFO and Head of Strategy & Business Excellence, GBKC Global Pvt Ltd. Speakers at the session included Mr Kunal Nandwani, Co-Founder & CEO, UTrade & Co- Founder, Chandigarh Angel Investors, Mr Yogendra Singh, Chief Manager, SME Branch, State Bank of India, Mr Prakash Dangwal, Manager -BD, NSIC & Mr Siddhartha Shukla, Senior Consultant, PWC & Startup Uttarakhand.
Later, Mrs Sonia Garg, Vice Chairperson, CII Uttarakhand while proposing vote of thanks shared that Start-ups are specifically important to any country’s ecosystem since they address gaps, generate employment, bring gen-next solutions to the table, and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
The conclave was well attended by over 150 participants from within and outside the State.
