The Nagaland Startup Workshop, the state’s edition of the Accelerating Startup Calibre and Entrepreneurial Drive (ASCEND) series, took place on 23 November at the De Oriental Grand in Kohima.
The one-day workshop was organised by the Department of Industries & Commerce, Nagaland in collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
“Nagaland is a state with immense opportunity. It currently has around 27 DPIIT registered start-ups across all districts,” said the Startup India official, Shambhavi Sharma, who presented an overview of Start-up India, it’s benefits and incentives.
She pointed out that the state has the potential to be a major start-up ecosystem with its diversity, geography and active participation of the entrepreneurs.
She added that the Startup India team has worked across 650 districts and created about 7.67 lakh jobs. The registered number of DPIIT start-ups in 2015 was 4,200 while today the number stands at 81,000. The team provides financial support, income tax support, registration support, tender support and networking support.
V Kezo, Commissioner & Secretary, Finance Department, gave a special address on the general overview of the aim of the Workshop, the importance of entrepreneurship and the North-East ecosystem.
He said the corpus fund of Rs 60 crore by the state government, to be carried through by the respective deputy commissioners as subsidy and with low interest, would help to create an affordable flow of institutional credit to entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, to improve their business, Kezo encouraged the entrepreneurs to conduct surveys and get feedback from potential customers. Moreover, in order to access credit, he encouraged the entrepreneurs to make regular transactions and build credibility with the banks.
“We are not lacking in terms of talents but dedication,” he remarked during his speech.
During the morning programme, Vitsutho Nyuthe, the director of Industries & Commerce, launched the Updated Start-Up Nagaland Portal.
Startup Nagaland portal was relaunched with more added features. Apart from being a one stop destination for all start-up related information and service, the new portal has been designed to be more interactive. Grievances redressal will be time bound as Nagaland Startup team members and incubators will directly get connected through chats and phone apps.
The details of mentors of each incubation centre will also be made available, for easy accessibility for start-ups, aspiring start-ups or entrepreneurs and to connect them for mentoring/mentorship program.
In addition, educational videos regarding various business know-hows, taxation and laws among others will be made available on the portal. QR codes will also be made available for easy accessibility of the start-up portal.
Following the launch of the updated portal, Commissioner and Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Kekhrievor Kevichusa and Director of Industries Commerce, Vitsutho Nyuthe felicitated the winners of Start-up Innovation Challenge 2022.
The innovation challenge has been initiated by YouthNet Incubation Centre and supported by Startup Nagaland, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Nagaland.
The winners were:
Peihauding – first prize for ‘Ngourie: Bio-enhancer; 100% organic fertiliser’
Vaihav Jain – second prize for ‘AHIBO LLP: Last Mile Zero emission delivery service’
Regina Chakruno – third prize for ‘REGINA: Sustainable Fashion; Pineapple fibers for textile’
In the student category, the winners were:
Kekhrieneilie Kire, Kohima Science College – first prize for ‘Leech repellent leg wear’ (accessory)
Ahyule Keppen, Tetso College Dimapur – second prize for ‘Ornaments with information on origin’
Tasazhu Stem Club, GHS Tasazhu Jotsoma – third prize for ‘Portable and chargeable lamp (electricity, solar, manual)’
In the afternoon, the first training session was on ‘Importance and process of incorporation of an entity’ led by Tanya Grover, Legal & Compliance Officer, Agility Venture. This was followed by a second training session on ‘Basics of Intellectual Property Rights (IPT)’ led by NASTEC.
Rahul Narvekar, Founder CEO of the Indian Network, also led a session on ‘Translating business idea into a sustainable business model’.
Speaking to Nagaland Tribune, officials of Start-up India said with start-ups, dreams and hobbies can actually be translated into business opportunities. They added that agriculture seems to be quite big in Nagaland and the local spices is a very big factor. They also highlighted potential in the logistic sector given that people now wanted to get quick and efficient delivery of goods.
Lezo Putsure, CEO of Educentre School of Business, also commented that about 35% of the start-ups in Nagaland are in the agriculture sector.
Participants from Nagaland Tool Room Training Centre, Dimapur expressed their excitement in the workshop and the potentials provided by start-ups.
Expressing that they were delighted and passionate to participate in the workshop, they said they were entrepreneur enthusiasts and looking forward to make use of the benefits of the workshop.
