EDII Organises Annual Startup Summit ‘Empresario’ on National Startup Day

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), on Monday organised its annual entrepreneurship festival— Empresario— on the occasion of National Startup Day. The event was inaugurated by Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Minister of State for Home, Industries, Cultural Activities (State Minister); Sports, Youth Service (Independent Charge), Government of Gujarat. Other dignitaries at the inauguration included Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Co-Chair, FICCI, Gujarat State Council and Prof. Deepak Kumar Pandey, Assistant Director, Department of Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand.

The two-day festival (16th & 17th Jan’2023) includes master classes by industry veterans, talks by successful startup founders, workshops, discussions and startup awards. The summit also included a Big Pitch Event, where over 30 startups pitched their products and services to a panel of 15 investors with an aim to garner funding. The theme for this year’s celebration was entrepreneurship and sustainability. Notably, startups featured in the popular reality show ‘Shark Tank India’ also participated in the two-day event.

In his inaugural address, Shri Harsh Sanghvi, said, “Gujarat is on the road to being one of the most progressive startup destinations in the country through a merger of proactive policies, strong institutional setup, and dynamic participation of the private sector. The  ‘Stand Up India’ and’ Start Up India’ Schemes were launched in 2016 and since then, more than 80,000 startups have been registered and about 100 unicorns have come into being. It is heartening to note that more than 48% startups are by females.”

He added, “The state has introduced several changes in regulations and clauses to create a conducive ecosystem. We see an active collaboration between government, industry and institutions, association of startup hubs of India with startups in the state and creation of intrastate regional centres for startups. The State has successfully addressed the concerns of startups through innovative and sustainable solutions, and through setting up of incubators and accelerators.”

Speaking about Empresario, Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, said, “EDII’s startup summit is one of the most unique entrepreneurship festivals held in India. Since its inception in 2012, Empresario has witnessed participation from over 1,000 startups. There is idea generation, opportunity creation and exceptional learning at this event. ”

Dr Shukla emphasized on the role of technology and innovations in the success of startups. He announced that the EDII’s Technology Business Incubator – the Centre for Advancing and Launching Enterprises (CrAdLE), has incubated 106 startups so far, that have raised over INR 30 crore in funding. Talking about a recent development, he said, “EDII will now have another incubation centre sanctioned by the NITI Aayog under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). EDII is also associated with CSR projects of several corporates directed at raising the numbers of entrepreneurial ventures and startups in the country.”

Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Co-Chair, FICCI, Gujarat State Council, said, “Empresario is a big networking platform, and networking makes a huge difference in enhancing boundaries, curating opportunities and developing knowledge for an entrepreneur. Shri Gandhi also stressed on the significance of dedication, integrity and commitment for an entrepreneur. To the potential and the existing startups, his advice was to institute a transparent human resource policy and establish good communication.”

Prof. Deepak Kumar Pandey, Assistant Director, Department of Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand said, “The concept of entrepreneurship and startups is picking up in the country. I believe a conducive ecosystem and thrust on entrepreneur-friendly policies are playing a big role in ensuring that youth and other sections of society opt for entrepreneurship as a career. As academicians, we are placing accent of developing an entrepreneurial mindset among our students.”

The event also witnessed The Startup Award 2023, in which 4 startups were selected for awards out of 28 nominations.

Some of the notable speakers over the two days will be: Dr. Anil K. Gupta – Founder, Honey Bee Network; Shri Deepak Gadhia - Chairman & Managing Director, Sunrise CSP India; Shri Paresh Gupta, Neos Angles, Network LLP; Shri Dipan Sahu, Asst. Innovation Director, Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell & AICTE, GoI; Shri Sanjay Maury –Urban Air Labs; Shri Mansukh Prajapati - Founder, Miticool; Shri Snehal Desai- Motivational Speaker; Ms. Anushree Maloo, Co-Founder, Nuutjob; Shri Sulay Lavsi - Founder, Bummer; Shri Bhupendra Madaan, Founder, Theka Coffee;  Shri Rutvij Dasadia - Founder, Booz Mobility; Shri Kuldeep Singh Kaler, Motivational Speaker; Shri Himanshu Ghosh - Founder, Knownsense Studio; Shri Deepak Makwana, Founder, Biztea; Shri Saurabh Jain, Ex-Vice President, Paytm; Mr. Lou Van Noorden, Senior Expert, PUM Netherlands; Shri Mihir Joshi, CEO, GVFL and Shri Jeet V., CEO, MEITY Startup Hub.