Sikkim hosts four national platforms to connect Northeast startups with capital, market.
Gangtok, Sep 26 (PTI) Sikkim on Saturday hosted the convergence of four major national platforms on entrepreneurship, investment, innovation and frontier-region development, bringing investors, venture capital funds, corporates, startups and policymakers together at Majitar in Rangpo.
The convergence was aimed at creating stronger links between the entrepreneurial potential of the Northeast and national capital, markets and industry, said Prof Tej Chingtham, CEO of Atal Incubation Centre-Sikkim Manipal University Technology Business Incubation Foundation (AIC-SMUTBI) and advisory member of National Startup Advisory Council.
“Today and tomorrow, Sikkim is bringing together four major national platforms — HIM’26, NEED’26, the NITI AAYOG Frontier Region Programme and the fourth edition of Northeast Entrepreneurs’ Meet — on a common platform,” Chingtham told PTI.
He said the coming together of investors, family offices, venture capital funds, corporates, entrepreneurs, government agencies and policymakers would provide startups from the region with opportunities to access capital, markets, mentorship and industry partnerships.
The 2nd Himalayan Investors’ Meet (HIM’26), 2nd North East Entrepreneurs Dialogue (NEED’26), NITI AAYOG Frontier Region Programme and the 4th Entrepreneurs’ Meet 2026 are being held on September 26 and 27 at AIC-SMUTBI, Majitar.
According to Chingtham, HIM’26 is focused on bringing investors, venture capital funds, family offices, corporates and high-potential startups together to explore investment and partnership opportunities emerging from the Himalayan and Northeastern ecosystem.
NEED’26, he said, provides a regional platform for entrepreneurs, Startup Nodal Agencies, government representatives and ecosystem stakeholders from all eight Northeastern states to discuss ways of strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and creating pathways for scaling enterprises.
The NITI AAYOG Frontier Region Programme, Chingtham said, is bringing together relevant government stakeholders to deliberate on development priorities, opportunities and challenges facing frontier regions of the Northeast.
He said the fourth edition of Entrepreneurs’ Meet, the flagship annual platform of AIC-SMUTBI, is aimed at facilitating interaction between entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, corporates and ecosystem partners while strengthening the startup ecosystem in the region.
Chingtham said the significance of the two-day programme lay in the convergence of capital, entrepreneurship, policy and industry at a single platform.
The participation includes representatives from Numaligarh Refinery Limited, IBM, Zoho and Bosch, besides venture capital investors, family offices, angel investors and other corporate and investment ecosystem stakeholders, he said.
The AIC-SMUTBI CEO said the interaction would allow startups to engage directly with investors and industry, understand market requirements, explore partnerships and build networks outside the region.
He said the focus was not merely on creating more startups but on helping existing and emerging enterprises access finance, develop market linkages, attract industry partnerships and scale their operations.
Sikkim recorded a score of 13.85 in the India Innovation Index 2021 under the Northeast and Hill States category, improving its position from 10th in 2020 to sixth in 2021.
The NITI AAYOG assessment identified human capital and investment as areas of strength for the state, while pointing to scope for improvement in business environment, knowledge output and knowledge diffusion.
Chingtham said the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem needed to be viewed as a wider regional effort, with the eight Northeastern states connected through stronger institutional, investment and market networks.
He said the Northeast has opportunities across sectors such as technology, tourism, agriculture and food processing, healthcare, handicrafts and handlooms, climate and sustainability, logistics, manufacturing, digital services and emerging technologies.
According to Chingtham, the larger objective of the programmes is to create stronger bridges between entrepreneurs in the Northeast and the capital, technology, markets and institutional networks available nationally.
He said the region’s next phase of entrepreneurial growth would require closer collaboration between government, industry, investors, academia and startups.
AIC-SMUTBI, supported by the Atal Innovation Mission under NITI AAYOG, has been working to connect entrepreneurs from the Northeast with investors, mentors, corporates, institutions and government stakeholders.
Chingtham said the four programmes being hosted in Sikkim represent a convergence of those efforts and could help create wider opportunities for startups to scale, generate employment and build economic value within the region. PTI COR RG
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