Uttarakhand edition of Startup India Yatra drops anchor at UPES

The Uttarakhand edition of Startup India Yatra travelled to eight cities of Uttarakhand to scout for entrepreneurial talent and culminated with a grand finale in UPES Dehradun

UPES Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UCIE) is a Business Incubator (BI) with a focus on the technology sectors in Delhi NCR and Uttarakhand region. The primary mission of the incubator is to synchronize and facilitate interactions between the various stakeholders of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. This communication enables students to become successful entrepreneurs through structured programs and events.

Startup Rath Yatra was one such event that created awareness about entrepreneurship and innovation amongst students, faculty members and the community of the Uttarakhand region.

Organised under the StartupIndia, Startup India Yatra was the tier 2/3 initiative that travelled to small cities of India. Entrepreneurship and forming a new venture are no longer a big-city phenomenon. Across tier 2/3 cities, the startup culture is booming and many entrepreneurs are coming up with interesting business ideas.

Therefore, the Startup India Yatra attempted to search for entrepreneurial talent and help develop the startup ecosystem in the states. The Uttarakhand Edition travelled to eight cities of Uttarakhand and ended with a grand finale in UPES Dehradun.

The government decided to organise a two-day ‘Startup Boot Camp’ in some educational institutions across the state. This created awareness about the startup ecosystem and helped identify entrepreneurs who have an idea that can be transformed into a successful business venture.

Startup India, in collaboration with the execution partner,  organised workshops on entrepreneurship awareness, advanced technologies, idea generation and validation. The goal of the Ideation Workshop was to mentor students and faculty,  stimulate their creativity and inspire them to become  entrepreneurs. The two-day workshop was a great opportunity for students to learn and understand the nuances of entrepreneurship. The workshop helped potential students, innovators and startups to mould themselves towards the journey of entrepreneurship. The selected ideas from each Boot Camp will get pre-incubation support from the incubator recognised by the state government for six months. 

Startup India Yatra aims to reach every district of the country. The goal of Startup India Yatra is to guide and encourage promising entrepreneurs in the small towns of India. It is a platform for budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their dreams and taking their idea to the next level. Some of the objectives of the proposed Startup India Yatra in Uttarakhand are as follows:

• Spread the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the state of Uttarakhand
• Equip budding startups with the awareness of opportunities available to pursue their ideas, including government incentives and ecosystem support
• Scout and select the best ideas for the grand finale of Startup India Yatra in Dehradun
• Support the top selected startups by offering them incubation opportunities in Uttarakhand