Assam Startup – The Nest, an initiative of Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Assam has organized a three-day bootcamp, beginning from Friday for the startups who have been selected for physical and virtual incubation at ‘Assam Startup – The Nest’, Assam’s first state-owned marquee incubator.
The training camp has been especially designed to prepare the selected startups for the Cohort period of six months to commence from Friday.
Assam Startup – ‘The Nest’ was launched on January 20 early this year by state chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of industries and commerce minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary.
Ever since, it has received overwhelming response from online registrations of 1047 numbers of applications, out which 113 startups were shortlisted for pitching.
Following the rigorous stages of evaluation done by experts from IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, 25 startups have made it to the final list of startups for physical incubation at The Nest, whereas 27 will be provided virtual incubation.
Addressing the gathering, Meenakshi Sundaram, commissioner and secretary, Industries and Commerce department, expressed satisfaction about the way, the new and innovative startups have been actively participating in the startup movement initiated by the Government of Assam through the Assam Startup Policy.
He also promised every possible support from the government for the startups in order to usher in a culture of entrepreneurship in Assam.
Manjula Saikia Bhuyan, additional secretary and MD, AIIDC, nodal agency for Assam Startup also expressed delight to see the conviction of the startups turning up for the Bootcamp and showing keen interest in the knowledge sessions. She urged innovative incubatee to work hard to make their dream a success story.
The three-day workshop began with an icebreaking session followed by a series of meticulous sessions on the key aspects of entrepreneurship. The startups have been familiarized with the crucial components of a business like design thinking, business and financial modelling, customer acquisition, marketing and branding, and so on.
Veteran professors, expert startup mentors, and seasoned entrepreneurs will enrich the sessions during the three days with their wisdom and sharp insights. Some of the personalities to take sessions during the Bootcamp are, Prashant Mishra, Dean (New Initiatives and External Relations), IIM Calcutta; Rajesh Singhal, Asst. Vice President, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times Group); Chandradeep Mitra, corporate trainer and startup mentor, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park; Dr. Subhrangshu Sanyal, CEO, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park; and Abhijit Bhuyan, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Bohniman Systems Pvt. Ltd., among others.
The incubated startups will be thoroughly mentored by industry experts and business mentors. Moreover, they will be provided access to sturdy infrastructural facilities, capacity building programmes, business support services including legal and financial expertise, market and funding connect, and crucial networking opportunities to help them make it to the next level. Recently, The Nest had also initiated a meeting with the high net worth individuals (HNI) of Guwahati towards forming an Angel Network in the state for creating more funding opportunities for the startups.