The evolution of North East's entrepreneurial ecosystem

Ask anyone about the map of the startup ecosystem of India and arguably, cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi etc. would be highlighted first. These tier 1 startup destinations, with their infrastructural and networking prowess, attract not only the brightest minds in the country but also potential investors from across the globe. However, an emerging startup ecosystem also resides in the beautiful landscape of the Northeast. Slowly but steadily, the startup environment has been growing exponentially in the Northeast regions, with the state governments encouraging and promoting entrepreneurship and creating a space for entrepreneurs to ideate and innovate. 

Today, the trend of entrepreneurship is fast leaning towards India’s small towns and cities. The credit majorly goes to a robust entrepreneurial climate in the country, nurturing government policies, as well as national and international investors warming up to emerging India. Let us delve deeper into some statistics to understand the rich ecosystem of the states in question – 

• Assam alone accounts for almost 50% of India’s tea production.
• Arunachal Pradesh enjoys a unique distinction of producing all four varieties of natural silk: Mulberry, Eri, Muga and Oak tasar.
• Manipur is home to one of the largest cottage industries India.
• Meghalaya provides excellent institutional support through various state and central government agencies.
• About 57% of the geographical area of Mizoram is under Bamboo cover, making the state one of the largest producers of Bamboo in India. 
• Nagaland has a high literacy rate of 80.11% with most people in the state speaking English, one of the official languages of Nagaland.
• Sikkim is the largest producer of big cardamon in India.
• Tripura is the second-largest producer of natural rubber in India. 

Let’s Talk Numbers

Although the Northeast startup ecosystem is in its early stages, state governments of all the eight states are working proactively to support the startups and boost wealth and employment generation in the region. Northeast India is home to over 900 DPIIT-recognised startups that have altogether created over 8,800 job opportunities. 42% of these startups have at least one female director. 

The potential of startups in Northeast India is immense, and to further promote their ecosystem, ASCEND (Accelerating Startup Calibre & Entrepreneurial Drive) workshops by Startup India have been organised in the seven states of the Northeast in the month of November 2022. The aim of these workshops is to boost the spirit of entrepreneurship and promote unprecedented growth of the startup ecosystem in the Northeast region. Let’s see a tabular representation of how startups in the Northeast region have increased since the introduction of Startup India as a national platform.

*Source- Startup India

Government Support to Improve the Startup Ecosystem

The entrepreneurship wave of digital India is not limited to the tier 1 cities of India, as tier 2 and tier 3 cities are giving them a stiff competition. The Indian Entrepreneurship Foundation (IEF) is India’s first collaborative ecosystem for small-scale entrepreneurs that work towards educating and empowering entrepreneurs across sectors. Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship is another government organisation that has been working for enterprise development and capacity building of the people in the state. 

The newly launched Northeast Entrepreneurship Fellowship is a special initiative for boosting entrepreneurship in NER, an initiative that connects, networks and trains entrepreneurs from around the Northeast ecosystem. The set-up of some of the finest educational institutions, such as IIM and NIFT, promises to go a long way in creating the Northeast as a preferred destination for resources and training.

The Outlook

Given that the startup ecosystem in the Northeast is at a nascent stage, it becomes imperative that the founders and budding innovators are given apt guidance, requisite infrastructure and a thriving network led by ecosystem enablers such as incubators, mentors, and academia, to develop a robust startup ecosystem.

If you are a startup looking at unprecedented growth and the right tools to scale your startup, register your startup with DPIIT today and get ample growth, networking, showcase and handholding opportunities via the Startup India portal.