Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday inaugurated Odisha Startup Yatra and Startup Xpress 2023 which aims to promote startup ideas and entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, officials said.
This edition is 2.5 times bigger than the past and will connect more than 25,000 students from over 260 institutions with an aim to generate more than 3,500 ideas to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, they said.
The Startup Odisha has rolled out four dedicated vans, which will cover different schools and colleges in all 30 districts of the state, they said.
After the completion of the yatra, 50 shortlisted ideas from Startup Yatra will be invited for a three-day acceleration programme. Thereafter, top 25 ideas will be invited to O-Hub (the startup hub building) for the demonstrations. Thereafter ten selected students will be awarded seed funding of Rs three lakh each to develop their ideas into viable startup ventures, the officials said.
Additionally, top 20 ideas from Startup Xpress 2023 will be invited for final pitching. Of them 10 ideas will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 10,000 each to encourage the young students and encourage their entrepreneurial spirit, they said.
Since its inception, Startup Odisha has supported and facilitated more than 1700 startups, with 600 of them led by women directors, founders and co-founders, they added.
PTI
