Young entrepreneurs to drive Odisha’s growth: CM Naveen Patnaik
In order to ensure maximum coverage and efficiency, Startup Odisha will have four dedicated vans for covering all 30 districts to ensure maximum coverage and efficiency.
Published: 12th September 2023 08:26 AM | Last Updated: 12th September 2023 08:26 AM | A+A A-
BJD chief and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik (Photo | Special Arrangement)
BHUBANESWAR: Young entrepreneurs will be the force behind the future economic growth and development of Odisha, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Monday. Inaugurating Odisha Startup Yatra and Startup Xpress 2023 to encourage grassroots innovators and promote entrepreneurship among them, the chief minister said the initiative will usher in an era of innovation and prosperity in the state.
The current edition of the initiative aims at 5,000 start-ups by 2025 and is 2.5 times bigger than the earlier.
Besides, it is expected to witness incremental growth connecting more than 25,000 students from over 260 institutions with the aim of generating more than 3,500 ideas to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
In order to ensure maximum coverage and efficiency, Startup Odisha will have four dedicated vans for covering all 30 districts to ensure maximum coverage and efficiency. During the startup yatra, 50 shortlisted ideas will be invited for a three-day acceleration programme. Thereafter, the top 25 ideas will be invited to O-Hub for the demo day of which 10 will be awarded seed funding worth `3 lakh each to develop their ideas into viable startup ventures.
This apart, the top 20 ideas from Startup Xpress 2023 will be invited for final pitching of which 10 will be awarded a cash prize of `10,000 each to encourage young students and build their entrepreneurial spirit. Startup Odisha was created in 2016 with a startup policy under the MSME department.
