Odisha targets 1,000 startups by 2020

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is targeting to register 1,000 startups under Startup Odisha Initiative by the year 2020, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Attending concluding ceremony of Startup India-Odisha Yatra at Jayadev Bhawan on Friday, Patnaik said that 200 startups have been registered with Startup Odisha Initiative so far, out of which 23 are getting financial assistance from Startup Odisha. The state will be able to achieve the target of 1,000 startups by 2020.

The Startup India-Odisha Yatra, which was launched on January 30, 2018, has reached 10,000 youths of 50 educational institutions. During the period, 3,600 ideas were received, of which 125 ideas were shortlisted for the Accelerator Programme.

The experts have selected 75 innovators including IIT Bhubaneswar, STPI, KIIT University and Centurion University for free incubation offers, he added.

He launched the booklet of Startup India-Odisha Yatra during the grand finale of the event yesterday.

Odisha tops the country in Startup initiative. The state government has provided Rs 2.5 crore to IIT Bhubaneswar for setting up the centre on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. The state has been providing the facility and assistance to the startup and budding entrepreneurs, said Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi.