Chandigarh
27 April 2022
DIVYA AZAD
Innovation Mission Punjab (IMPunjab), a unique private-public partnership that aims to build, empower and act as a catalyst for local startup communities in Punjab, scheduled its Incubator-Startup meetup, P.I.N.E (Punjab Incubators Network for Entrepreneurs) Matchmaking, today at the Atal Incubation Centre, ISB Mohali.
In addition to the various initiatives, IMPunjab is actively mobilizing a global pool of ambassadors and partners towards Startups for mentorship, market access & funding enablement. Under its flagship initiative, PINE, the Matchmaking event will happen quarterly to connect various early-stage startups with technology and business Incubators from across Punjab. This is where upcoming and promising Startups from our expanding repository & connections get to explore how multiple Incubators can support them for research, business and tech advisory, product and market validations, mentorship, funding, and opportunity to be co-incubated, and much more. The platform is envisioned to be a one-stop shop to unleash infinite possibilities with a healthy pipeline of incubators for startups, innovators, or entrepreneurs to present their ideas.
The PINE Matchmaking meetup saw participation from Incubators like GNDEC STEP Ludhiana, SACC Mohali, NIT Jalandhar TBI, TIET STEP (Patiala), IISER i-Rise Mohali, AIC-ISB Mohali, CUCEED (Rajpura) and NABI-CIAB (Mohali).
Talking about the event, Somveer Anand, CEO & Mission Director, IMPunjab, said, “Punjab has a burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem with ~450 startups, 20+ incubators and our mission is to act as a catalyst to strengthen it. PINE Matchmaking is an initiative to nurture future leaders by empowering and supporting their ventures in their new path as entrepreneurs. This event will help bring forward the massive talent pool of the startups within the state, thereby allowing them to build their venture with the support of the relevant Incubator.’’
Satyendra Singh, CEO, TBI at IISER Mohali, highlighting the importance of the event, said, “P.I.N.E Matchmaking provides a platform for Startups to connect with the Incubators for guidance, which is critical for budding Entrepreneurs with potential ideas. Overall, this initiative is helping bridge this gap and retain the talent within Punjab.”
The concept is parallel to speed dating, where Incubators get to interact with upcoming and promising Startups present for support and guidance. More than 20 startups participated in the meetup namely Credmate, Anshaj Smart Waste Management Private Limited, Venerated Technology Pvt Ltd, VecRep Technologies Private Limited, Campusdunia, among others.
Prior to this, IMPunjab has also taken various initiatives at the Industry and University level to enrich the startup ecosystem in Punjab by launching E.woke cells & IMPunjab Accelerator. It is also leveraging the strength of the Punjabi diaspora, allowing them to partake in this renewed growth story of Punjab.
IMPunjab is backed by some of the marquee names in the private sector as well as strong support from the Punjab Government. The Mission is chaired by Pramod Bhasin, Founder, Genpact, Clix Capital and Asha Impact.
The Board of Directors includes eminent leaders such as Saurabh Srivastava, widely acknowledged as an architect of the Indian IT Industry, noted economist & author Ajay Shah, D.S. Brar, Promoter-Chairman, GVK Bio, and award-winning film producer Bobby Bedi. The Mission also has Naina Lal Kidawai, Manoj Kohli, Rajan Anandan, Ido Arahoni, architect of Brand Israel, and other business leaders on its Advisory Board. The Mission is chaired by Pramod Bhasin, Founder, Genpact, Clix Capital and Asha Impact.
