69 Startups Registered in J&K under Startup India scheme

Sixty-nine startups have been registered in Jammu and Kashmir under the Startup India scheme, officials said. According to data from the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), 69 startups have been registered in the Union Territory, officials said here.

As of now, the J&K government is focussing on sectors such as food processing, agriculture, renewable energy, handicrafts and handloom for promoting startups, they said.

To enable the startup ecosystem and create awareness, outreach and scouting of startups,Startupjk.com has also been made live, they added.

The Government of India has announced a Rs 945-crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), which will be operational from April 1, 2021, to 2025 to promote and boost startup ecosystem across the country.

In the same light, the Jammu & Kashmir administration is working to encourage startups and foster innovation, thereby creating jobs and boost economy, they said.

SOURCE - Economic Times

Gurgaon-based MoooFarm Wins Start-up India's Animal Husbandry Grand Challenge

Start-up India along with the Department of Animal Husbandry announced the Animal Husbandry Start-up Grand challenge on Sep 2019. The challenge, launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Mathura on 11th Sep last year, saw India's most promising dairy start-ups participating in the challenge.

A total of 157 entries were received and were scrutinized by Start-up India experts, AH Department experts and shortlisted finalists then presented to a jury of Senior Officials.

The winners were congratulated by the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy, Shri Giriraj Singh through a Video Conferencing Ceremony on Friday, May 8th 2020 evening.

MoS (Fisheries & AHD) Shri Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Secretary (AHD) Shri Atul Chaturvedi were also present on the occasion.

The Challenge categorized the animal husbandry ecosystem issues into 6 categories. MoooFarm, an innovative agri-tech start-up bagged 1st prize for solving the Problem Statement-Ecommerce Solutions and won a cash prize of Rs. 10 Lacs for building innovative solutions to provide advisory services to the dairy farmers across the country. There were total 44 finalists in this category fighting for the position. Apart from the prize money; mentorship support, master classes and Incubation support will also be provided to the winners as told by Joint Secretary Shri Mihir Singh Jee.

MoooFarm is an agri-tech company that combines extension and technology to provide last-mile advisory support to the farmers at the right time, hence saving the farmers and their cattle from issues arising out of delay in addressing them timely. Farmers can connect via voice/video call with a network of qualified and experienced veterinarians using MoooFarm's mobile application, which is available on Play Store.

This has been exceptionally beneficial during these times of COVID-19 Lockdown as farmers are enquiring on cattle-health related problems and getting immediate advisory/solutions. To further support the farmers, MoooFarm also launched a toll-free number 18001237978 and has already provided more than 15000 minutes of free on-call advisory to farmers.

"About 70% of calls are related to cattle health, disease and treatment which clearly tells that E-Vet is the need of the hour," says Param Singh Founder MoooFarm.

"MoooFarm plans to use this money to further build its emerging technologies in order to disrupt the dairy industry and bring in White Tech revolution in India," adds Param Singh.

MoooFarm is also creating a machine learning engine which would be able to give varied solution recommendations to farmers based on inputs pertaining to their cattle and dairy farm.

MoooFarm also won an award from World Bank group in 2019 for their unique solution of 'Facial Recognition of cattle' and is extensively working on this breakthrough technology.

All these technologies will reach each and every small-holder farmer via MoooFarm's mobile based application and its network of Village level Entrepreneurs in a phased-out manner.

~ Newsvoir

DPIIT, Startup India seek Innovative Solutions from Startups to Fight COVID-19 Crisis

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade and Startup India have launched a competition for budding entrepreneurs and companies to come out with innovative solutions to fight against Covid 19 crisis.

"Help us fight the Covid 19 hurdle together by participating in the United Against COVID-19-Innovation Challenge," Startup India has said in a tweet.

Startup India is an initiative of the DPIIT to promote innovation in the country.

It said that the challenge is open to all startups, companies, and innovators - whose innovation can plug the gap between the demand and supply of essential medical items to fight the Covid-19 outbreak. The competition can also innovate technology for applications such as motion tracking, geo-fencing and fake news detection.

"As the world is currently looking at a serious healthcare challenge caused by the pandemic Covid-19, DPIIT with Startup India is scouting for innovative technologies and solutions for precautionary as well as treatment-related interventions.

"We are building a one-stop repository of innovative solutions for ready access by the government and the private sector for further development and deployment," Startup India said.

It also said the top solutions will be referred to the government and private stakeholders for further funding and deployment.

The solutions will also be published on the Invest India Business Immunity Platform, which is an interactive resource for investors, the business community, and other stakeholders to access all relevant information about India's fight against COVID-19.

Citing examples, it said solutions can be in the areas of low-cost masks which can capture virus from the air and absorb respiratory droplets;
cost-effective thermal scanning devices and rapid diagnostic kits, critical-care equipment -- including portable oxygenators and home-based ventilators to monitor and control the spread of the new coronavirus, among others. PTI RR

DPIIT Proposes to Appoint Consulting Agency for Startup India Initiatives

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will rope in a consulting agency to support it in effective and on ground implementation of initiatives for startups.

The department has floated a notice inviting request for proposal (RFP) from interested agencies.

The department "proposes to engage a consultancy organisation to provide support...for a period of three years, extendable one year at a time for a total duration of five years, to assist and support the department in effective and on ground implementation of Startup India Action Plan".

The agency, it said, will also support the department in scaling up the Startup India initiative through manifold interventions considered important for building a strong ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs.

The main objectives include handholding, supervising and monitoring implementation of recommendations for next three years; examining the need of current ecosystem; and provide short, medium and long-term suggestions for implementation by various agencies in consultation with various stake holders to scale up the initiative; and undertake the state startup ranking exercise every year by coordinating with states and other stake holders.

Startup India is the flagship initiative of the government, launched in January 2016, that intends to build a strong ecosystem for the growth of startup businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate employment opportunities. The Startup India action plan provides tax and other incentives.

Since the launch of the initiative in 2016, a total of 28,979 startups have been recognized by DPIIT as on March 1. PTI RR

Comm Ministry to Showcase Startup India Tableau at Republic Day Parade

The commerce and industry ministry on Tuesday said it will showcase a tableau on Startup India, which aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, at the Republic Day Parade.

With the theme 'Startups: Reach for the Sky', the tableau will showcase stages of the lifecycle of a startup and the all-round support provided by the government, the ministry said in a statement.

"The front of the tableau depicts a creative mind, full of ideas to solve real world problems. The Startup India Tree, in the middle will represents different kinds of support given," it said. The staircase will denote stages of growth – proving a concept, creating a prototype, preparing a business plan, building a team, launching into markets and eventually scaling up.

The wheel will depict sectors of economy where Indian entities have driven economic growth and created employment opportunities on a large scale, it added.

Startup India is a flagship initiative of the government, intended to build a strong ecosystem to nurture innovation, drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

The objective is to inspire and motivate youth to follow their dreams to generate wealth and become job creators and not just job seekers.

Under the Startup India Scheme, eligible companies can get recognised as startups by the ministry in order to access a host of tax benefits, easier compliance, IPR fast tracking and other incentives.

More than 26,000 startups from 551 districts of 28 States and 7 Union Territories have been recognized so far.

"Working across IT, Industry 4.0, education, healthcare, agriculture, energy, finance, space, defence and all other sectors of economy, Indian startups have attracted substantial global investments and created more than 2,91,000 jobs," it added. PTI

For the 1st Time, Startup India Tableau in Republic Day Parade

The government's flagship programme Startup India, which aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, will see its tableau rolling down the Rajpath for the first time in this Republic Day Parade, an official said.

The government launched Startup India in January 2016. Under this, a slew of incentives were announced such as tax holidays, inspector raj-free regime and capital gains tax exemption.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which deals with the subject, will depict about growing startup culture in the country in its tableau, the official said.

Startup India aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive to growth of budding entrepreneurs.

There are 19 components under the Startup India action plan spanning across areas such as simplification and hand holding, funding support and incentives, and industry-academia partnership and incubation.

So far, the department has recognised 27,057 startups. Of these, maximum were in the IT services space followed by healthcare and lifesciences, and education.

The recognised units are eligible to enjoy incentives and benefits of Startup India. PTI RR

Start-Up India partners Social Media Loyalty Platform Brandie to Support Nation’s Entrepreneurs

​Start-Up India, Government of India’s flagship innovation programme today announced its association with Brandie, the world’s first crowd marketing tech platform based out of Sweden. This partnership will grant ten of Startup India’s most promising businesses a free trial period on Brandie’s exclusive platform, allowing them to be the first startups in India to build social media communities of vocal ambassadors and experience the power of crowd marketing.

Brandie is built on the principle that the greatest influences on a consumer’s purchasing decisions are their friends and family. By treating every social media follower as a micro-influencer in their own right, Brandie enables companies to build a strong customer advocacy program and create a dedicated network of brand loyalists in the process.

Launched in 2016, Startup India intends to build a strong ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. By nurturing a generation of homegrown startups, the government aims to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large-scale employment opportunities. These goals led to Startup India approaching the Sweden-based Brandie for an association, in order to democratise marketing for the nation’s fledgling businesses and allow them to directly contend with large, established companies.

The startups in this pilot programme were selected following a contest organised by StartUp India. In order to be eligible, the startup had to meet a limited set of criteria - be consumer-facing and have an active social media community. Contestants were required to be associated with Startup India, in addition to presenting case studies on the benefits of crowd marketing and the ways in which they would use Brandie’s platform to build a community of brand loyalists.

A final cohort of ten winners was chosen from amongst Startup India’s 15,000 members. The brands selected were Anywhera, Door2Door, Small Bag Delivery, Snap on Rent, Hoho Media & Infotainment Agency, Chalbo India, Kala Sakruti Retail, Cerebroz, Solbuggy Connect, and Expreton. These brands will receive free access to Brandie for three months alongside its premium partners, such as Air India and Raw Pressery, and have the opportunity to transform loyal customers, staff, and friends into micro-influencers for their startups. In addition, these startups have the opportunity to use a pioneering platform and revolutionise the field of crowd-marketing in India.

[caption id="attachment_137278" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Brandie Founders[/caption]

Commenting on the partnership, ​Mr. ​Pranav Kosuri, Co-Founder, B​randie said, “​As serial entrepreneurs and committed partners to a number of international startups, we at Brandie are well aware of the difficulties new businesses face while marketing themselves. Through our partnership with Startup India, we hope to alleviate these issues for the nation’s aspiring entrepreneurs and position ourselves as an ideal partner to the community. By making Brandie available to this initial batch of companies, we’ve taken the first step in making our tool available to every startup in the country​.”

Speaking on the news, Mr. Nikhil Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO, Small Bag Delivery said “Word of mouth marketing is the most organic way of driving consumer spending, not only does it account for 13% of consumer sales but results in 5x more sales than a paid media impression. Every brand or business wants a more direct and personal connection with their audience and micro-influencers are doing just that in today’s world. We strongly believe that people are more likely to trust and buy from a brand that is recommended by a friend or someone you know and that is why a tool like Brandie is great as it helps us work in a more scalable and efficient manner.”

Brandie currently features over 13,000 micro-influencers with a reach of over 56 million, and allows them to post on all popular social media channels, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr. In the coming months, Brandie plans to introduce a select group of local and international brands to its programme. Brandie is available on iOS and Android.

About Brandie

Brandie is a Sweden-based crowd marketing platform that is also the world’s first social media loyalty program. Brandie is dedicated to democratizing marketing through their platform by giving the benefit of the top 1% of social media users to the other 99% and promote brand loyalty. Brandie will enable brands to create a relationship with their most loyal customers and to leverage that relationship in marketing efforts. For users this means being able to receive meaningful rewards by creating tailored content for the brands they love.

Founded by the Swedish entrepreneurs Mr. Pranav Kosuri and Mr. Douglas Andersson.

Startup India is an initiative of the Government of India. The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his 15 August 2015 address from the Red Fort, in New Delhi. The action plan of this initiative is based on the following three pillars: Simplification and Handholding, Funding Support and Incentives and Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation. An additional area of focus relating to this initiative, is to discard restrictive States Government policies within this domain, such as License Raj, Land Permissions, Foreign Investment Proposals, and Environmental Clearances. It was organized by The Department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPI&IT).

TV Show 'Startup ki Baat' to Air on DD National Every Sunday at 5pm

Within a week after announcing the plan of launching a dedicated TV Channel for Start-ups, government of India has just announced that its own TV show, 'Startup ki Baat', will air on DD National every Sunday at 5 PM, enabling entrepreneurs and startups to share their journey for others to learn from them.

Start-up India has tweeted to make an official announcement -

The premier of our tv show, 'Startup ki Baat', will air on @DDNational on the given channel numbers. Tune in to hear Startups share their entrepreneurial journey every Sunday at 5pm! pic.twitter.com/6cHiaIQWDW

— Startup India (@startupindia) July 13, 2019

It is to be noted that in March 2017, it was reported that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (formerly DIPP) has given a go-ahead to a government-run show on the lines of the famous American show, Shark Tank where entrepreneurs seeking investments for their businesses pitch their ideas to a panel of potential investors. However, there's hasn't been any update on same since then and it is unclear if 'Startup ki Baat' will be the same show that was talked about in 2017.

Notably, despite the digital media taking front seat from other mediums like print media, the craze for Televesion based shows still persist among end-users. Last August Indian space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), announced to launch a dedicated ISRO TV channel showcasing space applications, developments and science issues, targeting young viewers and people in remote areas in their language.

In September 2014, Jasper Infotech, the holding company of e-commerce firm Snapdeal had formed a joint-venture with Den Netowrks- a Cable distribution firm, to launch a market oriented TV channel. The idea however didn't succeed as Snapdeal was struggling with fresh funding issues in that year.

In 2017 only, TV channel MTV had also lsaunched MTV Dropout Pvt. Ltd., a reality show hosted by Roadies fame Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman and Droom founder Sandeep Aggarwal. The show however went off-air after season only. In its first season Mumbai-based Venture Catalysts, an integrated incubator, had facilitated an investment of Rs. 25 lakhs in the startup idea pitched by ERA, the winning team of the show.

Startup India Vision 2024: Income Tax Rebate for Founders who Sell their Properties

Aspiring entrepreneurs often sell their residential properties to support their startup ventures and keep it moving. However, according to Income Tax Act of India, capital gain on transfer of house property results in a tax liability. Seeing this as one of the much needed reforms, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has proposed relaxation -- as part of 'Startup India Vision 2024' -- in the income tax laws pertaining to sale of residential properties and carrying forward of losses, reported Economic Times citing sources privy to the developments.

There exist a Section 54GB (w.e.f. 1st April, 2013), wherein capital gain on transfer of residential property not to be charged in certain cases that include -- Relief from long-term capital gains tax on transfer of residential property and 2) If sale consideration invested in a manufacturing small or medium enterprise.

DPIIT has recommended amendments in Section 54GB and Section 79 (carry forward and set off of losses in case of certain companies) of the Income Tax Act in order to promote growth of budding entrepreneurs, who face difficulty in raising finances.

Prepared by the DPIIT for the new government, the proposal also includes setting up of 500 new startup incubators and accelerators by 2024, 100 innovation zones in urban local bodies and expanding CSR funding to incubators.

DPIIT also proposed to facilitate setting up of 50,000 new start-ups in the country by 2024 and creating 20 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Besides, DPIIT also suggested to deploy of entire corpus of Rs 10,000 crore Startup Fund of Funds announced in 2016 and yet to have a clarity on its disbursement after three years or so.

Govt Recognized 15,632 Startups Since the Launch of Startup India Initiative in 2016

Since the launch of Startup India initiative in January 2016, A total of 15,632 startups have been recognized to date by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) (now renamed as Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade).

This information was given by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary, in a written reply to Parliament (Lok Sabha).

Interestingly, this figure is different from the data Ministry of Commerce and Industry had revealed just two months back. To recall, in December the ministry had informed to parliament that a total 14,565 startups have been recognized under Start-up India initiative.

In 2017, the government data then had showed that over 2196 new ventures in India have been recognized by the DIPP since January, 2016 to August 2017

Replying to a separate question on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the minister said as on December 31, last year, 47 FDI proposals are under consideration at various stages in the concerned administrative ministries and departments. He said that a standard operating procedure has been devised for processing FDI proposals.

Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), which used to consider FDI proposal for approval or rejection, had been abolished in May 2017. After that, the work has been entrusted to the concerned administrative ministries and departments.

"Since then up to 31.12.2018, 283 proposals have been received including those which were not disposed of by erstwhile FIPB. Out of these, 120 proposals have been approved, 117 have been closed/rejected and 46 are under consideration in various Ministries/Departments," he added.

Foreign direct investment into India has declined 11% to USD 22.66 billion during April-September period of the current fiscal.

Source - Times of India

Budget Allocation for 'Startup India' Programme Slashed to ₹25 Crore for 2019-20

The government has reduced the allocation for Startup India programme in the Budget 2019-20 but added more money to the Make in India kitty. According to the budget documents, the allocation for Startup India programme has been slashed to Rs 25 crore for 2019-20 from the revised estimate of Rs 28 crore in 2018-19. Startup India initiative aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive to growth of budding entrepreneurs.

To recall, a report by a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, release in April last year, said that the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) could utilize only 0.4% of Rs 10 crore that were allocated to it for the promotion of 'Start-Up India' scheme in 2017-18.

There are 19 components under the Startup India action plan spanning across areas such as simplification and hand holding, funding support and incentives, and industry-academia partnership and incubation, according to the documents. On the other hand, Make in India programme that received increased budgetary allocation include scheme for investment promotion (Rs 232.02 crore), scheme for implementation of national manufacturing policy (Rs 8.47 crore), and fund of funds (Rs 100 crore).

Overall, the total allocation for Make in India initiative was increased to Rs 473.3 crore for 2019-20 as against the revised estimate of Rs 149 crore in 2018-19. Make in India campaign, which aims to transform the country into a global manufacturing hub, was launched on September 25, 2014.

However, the cumulative allocation for the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) has been reduced to Rs 5,674.51 crore for 2019-20 as against the revised estimate of Rs 6,140.23 crore in 2018-19. The department, which was recently renamed as Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), is under the commerce and industry ministry and deals with foreign investment related issues.

Source - Free Press Journal

82% Start-ups did Not get Benefits of Govt.'s Startup India Initiative: Report

Around 82% of startups in India are yet to receive any benefit under the Centre's Startup India initiative, a report.

"Only 18 per cent start-ups and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the next poll claimed to have benefited from the Startup India Mission. This means that a huge 82 per cent start-ups or SMEs felt that they did not receive any benefit from the highly publicised scheme," said the LocalCircles Annual Startup Survey 2019.

LocalCircles, a community social media platform, conducted the survey among over 15,000 start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs in the country, it said.

The Startup India initiative was launched in January 2016 with an aim to support the growth of start-ups in the country by providing incubation, funds and tax exemptions among other benefits.

Further, bringing the glare back to the "angel tax" issue faced by start-ups, the survey showed that about 32 per cent start-ups received multiple notices from the Income Tax Department in 2018.

"The angel tax has not made the life of an entrepreneur any easier with many SMEs and start-ups receiving income tax notices this year," the report said.

"32 per cent said they had received multiple notices while six per cent said they had received one notice. 62 per cent said they did not receive any notices."

The issue of tax notices to start-ups received public gaze after several start-up founders took to social media after receiving tax notices.

This led to the government ordering the Income Tax (IT) Department on December 24 not to take coercive measures to recover the outstanding angel-tax dues.

The order issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the matter was under consideration and directions were issued to the IT Department not to take any coercive measures to recover the outstanding demand till further instructions.

However, according to the report, issuance of assessment orders against start-ups continued despite the government orders.

"Though an order was issued to not take coercive measures to recover the demand, assessment orders continue to be issued against start-ups," it said.

About 97 per cent of the people surveyed felt the IT Department officials should be educated on start-up valuations.

On the outlook for the year ahead, 71% of start-up founders said they would like to grow their organisation while 24 per cent said they would close their businesses and the remaining five per cent intend to sell their business.

In a recent report by EDII (Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India), business discontinuation in India is among the highest in the world at 26.4%. Only 5% of the country's people go on to establish their own startup ventur, which is among the lowest rates in the world, said the report.

In 2017, industry body FICCI, in its report suggested that startups in India need government support to lessen the number of failures and revealed that startups success rate is not up to the mark in the country.

Last year, in a report called Asia’s startup-friendly countries list - 2017, India stands at 8th rank -- behind China and even Malaysia because of the very fact that it is still the poorest country in Asia with GDP per capita of $1,710, in 2017 and a high unemployment rate.

Northeast India Accounts Only 0.1% of India's Total 14,565 Recognized Startups

Northeast India that comprises eight states in north eastern region of India -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, accounts for exactly 0.144% of total 14,565 startups recognized under Start-up India initiative of Indian government, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

While Sikkim has the country's lowest number of just 1 startup, Manipur with 11 startups has highest number in Northeast region and rest of the 6 North-East states have less than 10 startups.

Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh are among those that have less than 100 start-ups.

Having huge geographies and diverse culture as well as languages, over 60% of the startups out of 14,565 startups recognized under Start-up India initiatives in India are concentrated in five States -

1. Maharashtra -- 2,787



2. Karnataka -- 2,107
,


3. Delhi -- 1,949



4. Uttar Pradesh -- 1,201



5. Telangana -- 824

The total number of applications received for recognition under Startup India initiative is 19,611, of which 14,565 applications have been approved, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

In a reply to the question in Lok Sabha, the Ministry further said, "The data of cost involved and manpower engaged under these initiatives across Central government ministries and various State governments is not centrally compiled,” stated the Ministry in a reply to the question in Lok Sabha. There are no provisions of loans under Make in India and Start-up India initiatives."

Launched in January 2016 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Start-up India is a flagship initiative of the government set-up under Invest India and is intended to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

Existing industries' regulations are for traditional industries and as they do not justify its purpose for new-age startup ventures working in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things or even e-commerce for that matter these regulation become almost irrelevant. The Ministry is thus reviewing these regulations and some of them are either scrapped or modified in order to facilitate the booming ecosystem of the country which will foster and encourage startups to take root.

40% Youths in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar have No Idea about Govt's 'Start-up India'

A recent study conducted by Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) faculty members states that around 40% youth in cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have no idea about 'Start-up India', one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious initiatives launched in 2016.

The study results comes at times when entrepreneurship wave is considered to be riding high across the country and both center and state governments are encouraging students to come with startups by organizing startup yatras and other lavishing events.

Titled as "Factors affecting entrepreneurial inclination among undergraduate students in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar cities", the study revealed that while 59.7% of the total 491 respondents were aware of Startup India campaign, 40.3% responded in the negative.

Besides this unawareness, orthodox mentality of parents also come out to be the one of primary reason for keeping youths away from entrepreneurial activities as out of the total 491 respondents, 38.1% of them stated that knowledge or education of management is more important than starting one's own business, while according to 2.6% respondent parents entrepreneurship is least important. Respondents who were neutral towards entrepreneurship are 27.7% and ONLY 24.2% stated that it was most important whereas 7.3% respondents stated that it was somewhat important.

According to 41.5% students, their parents did not encourage them to start own business. However on a brighter side there were students whose parents motivated them to do so. According to 36.3% students, their father motivated, while 16.1% students said that it was their mother who motivated them.

On the other side, 26% of respondents said they were not interested in starting their own venture.

Respondents when asked whether they were interested in starting their own venture, 45.21% of 491 respondents answered in positive whereas 25.46% of them responded in negative.

According to principal investigator of the study, Viral Pandya, "Entrepreneurship and startups are the most important vehicles for acceleration of economic activities and job creation. With this objective the research was conducted among undergraduate students of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar to identify factors affecting the entrepreneurial inclination. The relationship between entrepreneurial inclinations is gender neutral."

"Both male and female students showed inclination towards entrepreneurship. Students' association with entrepreneurship related activities in universities doesn't increase the likelihood of starting their own business. Motivation from role models affects the inclination of youth towards entrepreneurship," he said.

When a total of 491 respondents were asked if funding/initial investment plays an important role in making the decision to start one's own business, 37.5% of them said that it was important, 27.5% of them maintained a neutral viewpoint towards it, 22.8% stated that it was very important, 9% of them stated that it was somewhat important whereas 3.3% of them stated that it was the least important factor in starting one's business.

According to Rahul Bhagchandani, acting CEO of Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council, "If 60% students are aware of Startup India, it is a good number and it is increasing. Regarding entrepreneurship, most students have time after academics to seek knowledge about entrepreneurship and channelise their ideas."

Besides GNLU, an another Gujarat-based institute, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), had revealed in its report this year that only 5% of Indians went on to establish their own business or startups, which is among the lowest rates in the world. Moreover, business discontinuation in India is among the highest in the world at 26.4%.

Source - Ahmedabad Mirror

'Start-up India' Launches Challenge for Startups in Air, Water & Waste Management Sectors

Government of India, under its flagship 'Start-up India' initiative, has launched Swachch Bharat Grand Challenge to award innovative solutions from startups in the sectors of Sanitation, Waste Management, Water Treatment and Air Purification.

Observed by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), under the aegis of the Swachchta Pakhwada fortnight (of Swachh Bharat Mission), the challenge is open to all DIPP Recognized Startups working in 4 focus sectors -- Sanitation, Air Management, Waste Management, and Water & Waste water Management are invited to apply for the challenge till 10th November. Results will be announced on 15 November.

An evaluation committee will review the details filled in by the startups and would select top startups basis novelty of their solutions, scalability and impact potential. The top two chosen startups in each sector will be awarded cash prizes and certificates of excellence .

Cash prizes of total INR 12 Lakh will be awarded that include cash prizes for top two startups in each of the 4 below mentioned sectors.

Focus Sectors -

1. Sanitation: Startups that focus on maintaining sanitation at public places by providing solutions to simple sanitation problems like open defecation, availability of toilets, etc. Solutions & systems for developing/improving access to sanitation in rural and urban areas




2. > Waste Management: Startups focused on management of waste across the value chain including collection, disposal, processing and recycling into various forms




3. > Water and Wastewater Management: Startups focused on managing water and wastewater resources including - developing systems for treatment of wastewater; generation, filtration, and purification systems to provide access to safe drinking water; and Smart Water Management solutions to manage water resources




4. > Air Management: Startups involved in monitoring, controlling air pollution and/or purifying air.

To Apply Visit - Swachch Bharat Grand Program

Are you a Startup working in the space of Waste Management? Apply Now at https://t.co/Ews8judCn0 to participate in the Swachch Bharat Grand Program and win exciting cash prizes! pic.twitter.com/200IxSvOu8

— Startup India (@startupindia) November 3, 2018

India and Japan Collaborate for AI, IoT and Security Tech To Co-Develop Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed on enhanced cooperation in security and digital technology including working together on next generation technologies such as Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV).

IndianWeb2.com had earlier published a content on same last week.

A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was inked between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on a Japan-India Digital Partnership.

Under this MoC, the countries aim to tap into the synergies and complementarities between Japan’s “Society 5.0” and India’s initiatives like Digital India, Smart City and Start-up India. It hopes to promote cooperation in areas of next-generation technologies such as AI and IoT.

Japan and India will promote the expansion of their startup talent in each other’s markets through a centre set up in India’s technological hub - Bangalore. The Indian government will support Japanese businesses entering the country by connecting them with talent and related companies.

The countries also signed a statement of intent between the National Institute of Transforming India (NITI Aayog), India's policy think tank, and Japan's Ministry of Economy and the Trade and Industry (METI). The statement is on AI and will encourage and develop cooperation on AI technologies.

To conduct joint research on AI, the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, one of Japan's largest public research institutions, will jointly develop AI technology and begin research in the robotics field.

Besides, the two nations have also made an arrangement for deeper cooperation between their defence mechanism and for same a joint project in the area of development of Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and Robotics has been initiated. This joint project will collaboratively done by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Acquisition, Technology and Logistical Agency (ATLA) of Japan.

In February this year, India and Japan had already signed a pact for robotics and artificial intelligence in the defense segment.

Source - Press Information Bureau, Nikkie Asian Review, Financial Express

[Top Image - scmp.com]

WhatsApp Announces Startup Challenge to Invest $0.5 Mn in Indian Startups

Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has announced its partnership with India's official investment promotion agency, Invest India, to launch 'WhatsApp Startup Challenge' to help the growth of startups and SMBs in India. The program will focus on the proliferation of startups, promoting economic growth and generating employment opportunities in India, announced Ministry of Commerce & Industry, today.

According to Startup India, this is one of the largest partnerships Invest India has made till date.

WhatsApp will invest quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) as seed funding to the top 5 winners of the 'WhatsApp Startup Challenge' and an additional $250,000 will be directed to a select few from the entrepreneurial community to promote their WhatsApp business number on Facebook and drive discovery of their businesses. This way customers will be able to find the business and start talking to them on that WhatsApp number.Invest India is also working with WhatsApp to drive awareness about its business tools in around 15 states impacting over 60,000 businesses in the coming months through tools such as Startup India 'Yatra' program and other in-person training events.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Chris Daniels, Vice President, WhatsApp said that India has a great ecosystem of startups which are making huge impact in all sectors of the Indian economy. Mr. Daniels further said that small and medium businesses are the back bone of India’s economy, employing 100 million people and contributing to a 3rd India’s GDP. WhatsApp cares deeply about helping businesses connect with customers and grow. The more opportunities that are given the more startups will become engines of India’s economic growth.

India's Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, who were also present in the launch, said that WhatsApp is a startup that has grown into a community and is an example of how an idea can grow to become an integral part of our day to day life. The Minister went on to say that Indian startups in order to be successful have to learn to convert an idea into a business plan. He further said that the Startup community is the future of India and will be the platform through which the millions of youth of this country will be gain fully employed.

Launched on 16th January 2016 by the Prime Minister of India, Startup India, set-up under Invest India, is a flagship initiative of the Government of India and is intended to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation & Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

In the last 2 years at the Startup India programme, there are over 13,000 startups registered with Startup India program that spread across 448 districts covering all 29 States and 6 Union Territories.

Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ramesh Abhishek and CEO & MD of Invest India, Deepak Bagla, were also present on the occasion.

NITI Aayog to Fund 80 Incubation Centers in 2nd Phase of Start-Up India Program

With a view to encourage and foster Indian startup ecosystem, policy think tank, NITI Aayog, will fund 80 incubation centers including Atal Incubation Centers and Established Incubation Centers (EICs), across the country.

This funding exercise will be part of the second phase of "Startup India" Program that was announced in January 2015.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha that the government has selected 80 incubation centers for funding by Niti Aayog in the 2nd phase of Startup India program.

The names of 80 incubation centers that will be funded in the second phase have still not been made official.

However, it is confirmed that Atal Incubation Centres and Established Incubation Centres (EICs) will be receiving funds in the second phase.

In a written reply to question, Chaudhary said that Startup India hub has so far mentored more than 550 startups, 2,20,000 startups have been registered and nearly one lakh queries have been successfully handled.

In the first funding phase, NITI Aayog had selected only 19 incubation centers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Startup India and Standup India initiative on Independence Day in 2015.

The initiative was officially launched by former Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on January 2016.

It aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of Start-ups.

People Matters Partners with the Govt's Startup India Program for Its TechHR Startup Program

Gurgaon headquartered People Matters has on-boarded Startup India as its knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR startup program. The TechHR startup program is a part of its flagship People Matters TechHR conference, to be held from 1st August to 3rd August this year in Delhi.

People Matters has onboarded Startup India as its knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR startup program. The TechHR startup program is a part of its flagship People Matters TechHR conference, to be held from 1st August to 3rd August this year in Delhi.

The People Matters TechHR Startup Program has been bringing together early-stage startups in the HR technology space to interact with investors and buyers while showcasing their products to the decision-makers in the HR domain. The 5th edition of People Matters TechHR which is being hosted at The Leela Ambience, Gurgaon will be a gathering of 3000+ HR Heads, CHROs, Business Leaders, investors and mentors.

Government’s Startup India program has partnered as knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR Startup program, thus, the program will be registered at the Startup India Virtual Hub, thus providing a further boost to HR Tech startups registering for the program.

In a statement to People Matters, a spokesperson on behalf of Startup India said, “We are excited to be the knowledge partner of People Matters TechHR Startup Program. Startup India encourages and promotes initiatives that help budding entrepreneurs with adequate capital and provides opportunities of connecting with the right mentors. The People Matters TechHR Startup program aligns with our objective of building a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country.”

The Startup India Hub is one of a kind online platform for all stakeholders for startup ecosystem in India to discover, connect and engage with each other. Launched in June 2017 as part of the Startup India, Standup India initiative, the portal hosts startups, investors, funds, mentors, academia, incubators, accelerators, corporates, government bodies and more. The Hub attempts to solve the problem of information asymmetry and lack of access to knowledge, tools, & experts, especially in the nascent ecosystems across Tier II and III towns.

Till date, the Startup India hub has recognized over around 10,029 startups till date and has helped fund over 124 startups.

Ester Martinez, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of People Matters stated, “Startups are the source of innovation, energy and bring new competitive dynamics to the fore. They ultimately drive a better and more developed ecosystem and products for the customers. As leaders in the community of people, technology and work, People Matters TechHR bring together the largest community of HR Tech Start-ups in the region. Over 50 startups from India and ASEAN will be represented in TechHR18, representation of startups at TechHR has been doubling year on year. This year the program has the blessings of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry initiative, Startup India, and all startups registered as part of this program will have the opportunity to apply to People Matters TechHR Program.”

In the TechHR Startup Program, the startups not only get a chance to participate and showcase at the Startup Zone for three days during the conference but also get a chance to their products to top investors and mentors. They also get a chance for a One2One exclusive interaction with investors and an exclusive Masterclasses from India’s Top VCs and startup entrepreneurs.

This year’s TechHR Startup Program includes mentors and investors such as John Sumser, Principal Analyst, HRExaminer; Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO Sheroes; Tarun Davda, Managing Director Matrix Partners; Harmeen Mehta, Global CIO and Head of Digital Airtel; Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, Eight Innovate; Sanjeev Somasundaram, APAC Head - Programs Staffing Google among others.

Some of the startups that have confirmed participation for this year program are Workruit, Compport, SalaryFits, Hyreo, PredInt, and ZoomLearn among others. The deadline for application to the program is 15th July.

Source - Email feed from Business Wire India

People Matters Partners with the Govt's Startup India Program for Its TechHR Startup Program

Gurgaon headquartered People Matters has on-boarded Startup India as its knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR startup program. The TechHR startup program is a part of its flagship People Matters TechHR conference, to be held from 1st August to 3rd August this year in Delhi.

People Matters has onboarded Startup India as its knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR startup program. The TechHR startup program is a part of its flagship People Matters TechHR conference, to be held from 1st August to 3rd August this year in Delhi.

The People Matters TechHR Startup Program has been bringing together early-stage startups in the HR technology space to interact with investors and buyers while showcasing their products to the decision-makers in the HR domain. The 5th edition of People Matters TechHR which is being hosted at The Leela Ambience, Gurgaon will be a gathering of 3000+ HR Heads, CHROs, Business Leaders, investors and mentors.

Government’s Startup India program has partnered as knowledge partner for the People Matters TechHR Startup program, thus, the program will be registered at the Startup India Virtual Hub, thus providing a further boost to HR Tech startups registering for the program.

In a statement to People Matters, a spokesperson on behalf of Startup India said, “We are excited to be the knowledge partner of People Matters TechHR Startup Program. Startup India encourages and promotes initiatives that help budding entrepreneurs with adequate capital and provides opportunities of connecting with the right mentors. The People Matters TechHR Startup program aligns with our objective of building a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country.”

The Startup India Hub is one of a kind online platform for all stakeholders for startup ecosystem in India to discover, connect and engage with each other. Launched in June 2017 as part of the Startup India, Standup India initiative, the portal hosts startups, investors, funds, mentors, academia, incubators, accelerators, corporates, government bodies and more. The Hub attempts to solve the problem of information asymmetry and lack of access to knowledge, tools, & experts, especially in the nascent ecosystems across Tier II and III towns.

Till date, the Startup India hub has recognized over around 10,029 startups till date and has helped fund over 124 startups.

Ester Martinez, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of People Matters stated, “Startups are the source of innovation, energy and bring new competitive dynamics to the fore. They ultimately drive a better and more developed ecosystem and products for the customers. As leaders in the community of people, technology and work, People Matters TechHR bring together the largest community of HR Tech Start-ups in the region. Over 50 startups from India and ASEAN will be represented in TechHR18, representation of startups at TechHR has been doubling year on year. This year the program has the blessings of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry initiative, Startup India, and all startups registered as part of this program will have the opportunity to apply to People Matters TechHR Program.”

In the TechHR Startup Program, the startups not only get a chance to participate and showcase at the Startup Zone for three days during the conference but also get a chance to their products to top investors and mentors. They also get a chance for a One2One exclusive interaction with investors and an exclusive Masterclasses from India’s Top VCs and startup entrepreneurs.

This year’s TechHR Startup Program includes mentors and investors such as John Sumser, Principal Analyst, HRExaminer; Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO Sheroes; Tarun Davda, Managing Director Matrix Partners; Harmeen Mehta, Global CIO and Head of Digital Airtel; Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, Eight Innovate; Sanjeev Somasundaram, APAC Head - Programs Staffing Google among others.

Some of the startups that have confirmed participation for this year program are Workruit, Compport, SalaryFits, Hyreo, PredInt, and ZoomLearn among others. The deadline for application to the program is 15th July.

Source - Email feed from Business Wire India