The MeitY Startup Hub Investor Connect Programme, held on March 9 at JECRC University in Jaipur, successfully connected 10 promising startups with a panel of 15+ investors and industry experts. This event was the first in a nationwide series aimed at empowering emerging startups by connecting them with investors.
The programme provided a platform for startups to pitch their ideas and receive valuable feedback on refining their pitches and business models.
The programme, organised by the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), supported by JECRC University and powered by Inc42, hosted investors such as Sanat Mondal, VP and principal at IAN Alpha Fund; Rishiraj Kalita, AVP at Huddle Ventures; Dr. Shweta Choudhary, director of Innovher as well as leaders from Realtime, Fluid Ventures and Iroller Capital, among others.
The 10 startups which pitched at the event came from various MeitY-backed programmes like SAMRIDH, TIDE 2.0, and centres of excellence. These programmes are designed to support young ventures with funding, mentorship, and resources.
Investor Connect also highlighted the power of collaboration between academia, government and industry players.
JECRC University, with its focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, played a key role in bringing all stakeholders together under the same roof at its incubation centre, JIC. JIC has helped over 20,000 students till date by offering valuable connections and mentorship through its network of industry leaders.
“Many academic incubation centres like JECRC Incubation Centre face the challenge of providing such opportunities to their incubated startups.I believe that the Investor Connect Programme by MSH is one such amazing opportunity for the startups incubated in the Incubation Centre, where it helps in nurturing a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem, by providing accessible funding, networking opportunities, and through capacity building by providing network accessibility,” said Dheemant Agrawal, CEO, JECRC Incubation Centre.
Bridging The Gap For Early Stage Startups
Startups from various MeitY-supported incubation centres, including the Atal Incubation Centre at Banasthali Vidyapeeth, JECRC University’s JIC, and IIT Jodhpur, presented their ideas to a jury during the event. These presentations showcased a diverse array of innovative solutions across agritech, AI, ecommerce, edtech, and other sectors.
Many of these startups garnered significant attention from investors. One such startup was CodeMate, which provides a tool that fixes coding errors in mere seconds, promising a tenfold increase in productivity.
Newgati, Cattleguru, DocTunes, UniqinAI, My Body Affairs, AI-GENIX, Urban Biotix, Shakti Wearables, and Petmojo were the other startups that participated in the programme.
“We typically see private investors working in silos and governments pursuing separate initiatives,” said Dr Choudhary a jury member. “But through this programme, both parties have come together on a common platform. This collaborative effort is a major success for the startup ecosystem.”
Another jury member, Milapsinh Jadeja, managing director of Iroller Capital, said, “This is the opportune moment to mobilise investors and startups. The biggest hurdle for startups lies between strategy creation and execution, which is where real mentorship becomes crucial. Funding will follow, and this is where cohort-based accelerators and academic incubators play a vital role.”
Jeet Vijay, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, said the core objective of the programme is to help startups connect with investors. “One of the biggest challenges in the ecosystem is the difficulty for startups to build relationships and access investors. Therefore, we plan to host this programme in 10 locations across India, from north to south, east to west and central regions, so that startups under MeitY schemes can interact with investors and secure funding.”
He also highlighted the other initiatives of MeitY to empower Indian startups, including building a repository of investors, mentors and other resources on the MeitY Startup Hub portal. “We encourage more and more investors to join the platform and provide greater investment opportunities,” Vijay said.
“Academia-industry partnerships create a mutually beneficial relationship for the key stakeholders as they provide a potential ground for young minds and startups. With the industry partnerships, academia benefits from opportunities to apply research in practical and impactful ways. It enhances innovation, accelerates technology transfer and drives economic growth by the practical implication of the industrial challenges,” said Agrawal of JIC.
By facilitating connections between startups and investors, the MeitY Startup Hub Investor Connect Programme serves as a valuable stepping stone for these young ventures on their path to growth.
