Director, JKEDI, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat, attended a two day incubator capacity development program jointly organized by Startup India, IIT Madras Research Park and IIT Madras incubation cell in Chennai.
The theme of the workshop was “what makes an incubator successful”. In order to make J&K a startup-friendly destination, the department is revising operational guidelines of J&K Startup Policy to make it more inclusive and incorporate best practices from across the country.
The workshop started with an inaugural session by Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IITM Research Park and IITM Incubation Cell. He shared his rich experience with the participants and gave an in-depth insight into how a university should run an incubator and the importance of creating discipline among startups.
Shruti Singh, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) was also present on the occasion. Aastha Grover, Head of Startup India gave a presentation on their role and how they are helping startups around the country.
The workshop also included sessions with successful entrepreneurs like Ravi Saroagi, co-founder of Uniphore, Ranjith Mukundan from Stellapps Technologies and Arun Prakash, Guvi Apps, shared their knowledge and first-hand experience.
The workshop also included panel discussion on creating a successful startup. The panel included Professor Prabhu Rajgopal and R Narayan Swami among others. The participants also visited various research facilities of IIT Madras and interacted with faculty members and researchers.
For the last several years, IIT Madras has been focusing on India's societal problems, which they can solve. Some recent examples are the robot that cleans septic tanks, 3D printed houses and foldable housing through which 3,000 oxygen beds were made ready in just about a month during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vishal Ray, Incubation Manager, Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Business Modelling, JKEDI also attended the workshop along with the Director, JKEDI.
He also discussed possible collaborations and how to make the incubator at the Institute vibrant and result-oriented. Sharing knowledge and best practices will help JKEDI reach new heights and benefit the youth of J&K, he added.