IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC), has launched North East Entrepreneurship Development Programme (NEEDP) encompassing startups from all 8 states of North East India.

We are super stoked to announce the launch of North East Entrepreneurship Development Programme (NEEDP), an initiative in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC). It’s a first-of-its-kind program encompassing startups from all the 8 states of North East India. 270 promising startups from the region will be identified and supported to scale new heights through well-laid incubation and pre-incubation programs.

The program was launched today at NEC Secretariat, Nongrim Hills in Shillong, in the presence of Shri K. Moses Chalai, IAS, Secretary, NEC and Smt. R. Lalrodingi, Advisor, BIT, NEC. We were ably represented by Pranjal Konwar, COO, IIMCIP, Rajarshi Sarma, Program Head, NEEDP and Flo Oberhofer, Program Head, Prime Hub Meghalaya.

The first phase of the initiative, the NE Entrepreneurship Challenge (Hunt) was also formally launched during the inauguration ceremony. The Hunt is a combination of multiple initiatives aimed at identifying top 270 startup ideas from the region. It would culminate with a Reward and Recognition Summit, wherein the 270 selected startups will be awarded with cash prizes, certificates and enrollment into the Incubation and Pre-Incubation programs.