MANDI: IIT Mandi Catalyst is aspiring to convert the Kamand valley into Silicon Valley of the Himalayas after organising its sixth edition of Himalayan Startup Trek (HST) 2022 from 26th to 28th August 2022.
It is enabling young minds to solve unique problems of the progressive world as IIT Mandi has supported over 226 startup in its brief journey.
The event brought stakeholders of the Indian startup ecosystem on board and provided young entrepreneurs with a platform to pitch their ideas for incubation support and fundraising.
This edition of the HST 2022 Grand challenge received more than 440 applications across diverse sectors.
These include Agriculture, Biotech, Healthcare, Clean Energy, Waste Management, Enterprise Solutions, Education, Travel, and Consumer Internet.
Out of these, 60 teams were shortlisted for the grand finale and 11 winners under three thematic areas were awarded cash prizes along with an incubation offer at IIT Mandi Catalyst.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presided over the HST concluding event .
Various speakers, industry leaders, investors and 100+ startups from all across India attended the event.
Addressing the gathering at IIT Mandi Jai Ram Thakur said, “I expect that IIT Mandi should focus on a few targeted areas which could be beneficial for the livelihood in Himachal Pradesh such as smart agriculture and horticulture”.
Himachal Government is ready to lend their support in as many ways as they can to the Institute and its incubation Center as the government really appreciates the idea of making the Kamand valley into a hill startup valley”, he added.
Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, said, “The key features for a startup are to solve problems to help society at large.
IIT Mandi Catalyst is aspiring to convert the Kamand valley into Silicon Valley of the Himalayas, he said.
It is enabling young minds to solve unique problems of the progressive world. “We at IIT Mandi look forward to inspiring more and more startups with innovative solutions”.
He said Himachal Pradesh has the potential to become the first state for practicing climate control agriculture and become the food grower state for the rest of the country.
We aim to make IIT Mandi as a Himalayan Startup Valley in Himachal Pradesh and would like to bring not just national but international startups in this valley.”
Speaking during the event, Dr. Anita Gupta, Scientist G, NSTEDB, Department of Science & Technology, said, “The Department of Science and Technology has multiple examples to showcase how we are tapping the startups and connecting them with the right mentors for a successful collaboration.
“IIT Mandi has made exemplary efforts by supporting various startups and making Himachal Pradesh a hub for startups.”
Dr. Puran Singh, Faculty-in-charge, IIT Mandi Catalyst, said, “This is a great beginning for the winning startups to come and work in the state.
Government departments in the states have shown unprecedented interest and support for startups. Several other startups will be invited to join the incubation program that will begin next month at IIT Mandi.
These startups will have access to the startup ecosystem in the state and the support mechanism at IIT Mandi. I wish them the best."
The three-day event featured the pitch sessions, investors connect, panel discussions, speed dating, and master classes for incubators and startups.
Different government departments of Himachal Pradesh took a keen interest in the innovative solutions provided by the startups.
The departments held special meetings with innovators and provided opportunities to connect and support startups in different capacities.
The event was supported by the HP Center for Entrepreneurship Development of HP Industries Department, Startup Himachal, IIT Mandi IHUB and HCI foundation, Peak Ventures, Compliance Support, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, HIMURJA, HP Pollution Control Board, National Health Mission, Department of Information technology Himachal Pradesh, Cunomial, Ashoka Furniture and HDFC bank.
IIT Mandi Catalyst has supported over 260 startups in a range of sectors including clean energy, healthcare, enterprise management, agriculture, manufacturing, biotech, education, and consumer internet. Catalyst has hosted over 130 such programs to date and has disbursed or committed over INR 6 Cr for prototyping and commercialization purposes to the startups.
Other dignitaries including Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, Director, Industries, Himachal Pradesh; Dr. Anita Gupta, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India; Dr. Ajai Kumar Garg, Director, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India; Shri Mukesh Repaswal (IAS) Department of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh.
