Mizoram Kailawn 2019 saw 4 entrepreneurs from Mizoram sign up MoU’s with entrepreneurs from other parts of the country to work together. This will pave the way forward for collaborations and synergies and growth of business in Mizoram.

The third year of Mizoram Kailawn was launched on 17 June 2019 by honourable Chief Secretary Pu Lalnunmawia Chuaungo. Thereafter, Outreach and Awareness Programmes were conducted in each district capital by the MzCG team and District Master Trainers chosen under the Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (EDS). Awareness programmes focused on entrepreneurship awareness as well as a call for invitation to apply for the business plan competition. District Outreach and Awareness Programs were coordinated with the support of Offices of the Deputy Commissioner. A total of nine Outreach and Awareness Programs were conducted for Mizoram Kailawn 2019, with approximately 150-200 attendees for each program. Mizoram Kailawn this year saw great enthusiasm with a total of 456 participants registering, an increase from the 330 applicants in 2018, and 287 in 2017. Evaluators from IIM Calcutta Innovation Park and other stakeholders from the entrepreneurial ecosystem shortlisted 40 Finalists to take part in the Boot Camp/Training programme hosted at the Tourist Lodge in Chaltlang, Aizawl. The four day residential Boot Camp was packed with rigorous sessions by IIMCIP Mentors who covered sessions on business presentation pitches, financial projections, idea valuation and other aspects required of a viable business.Given that evaluators conduct a blind evaluation of the applications, it is truly remarkable that there was representation from all districts among the Top 40 Finalists. The fourday residential Boot Camp was packed with rigorous sessions by IIMCIP Mentors who covered sessions on business presentation pitches, financial projections, idea valuation and other aspects required of a viable business. Women founders/entrepreneurs represented 32.5% (13 women) of the Finalists selected to participate in the Boot Camp/Training.

True to the inclusive nature of Mizoram Kailawn, the Top 40 Finalist business plans covered a range of sectors, whether at idea stage or start-up phase. Business plans spanned all sectors including Agriculture and Allied, Manufacturing, Service Industry, Food and Beverage, Handicrafts, Food Processing, and Information Technology amongst others. The finalists selected spanned in age as well, where the youngest was 20 years old and the most senior finalist was 65 years old. The Top 20 Finalists were then shortlisted at the close of the Boot Camp, and delivered their final presentations on 16 September 2019.

Mizoram Kailawn 2019 concluded with the Entrepreneurship Summit on 17 September 2019 at Vanapa Hall, Aizawl. The Summit included a Start Up Conclave, highlighting start-ups from Mizoram as and those incubated at IIMCIP, a Master Class by Srikant Sastri, talks and panel discussions on entrepreneurship development in Mizoram, and announcement of MoUs between start-ups in Mizoram and those incubated by IIMCIP. The grand finale of the Summit was the announcement and felicitation of the Mizoram Kailawn 2019 Business Plan Contest Winners.

The Government of Meghalaya is very keen on creating a growing number of sustainable business enterprises to foster socio-economic development and employment generation in the state. The aim is to develop an “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” in the State. Therefore, the Chief Minister’s E Champion Challenge was launched on 14th August 2019 by Mr Conrad K Sangma. It is being implemented through the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE) in the state. The initiative is being supported by IIM Calcutta innovation Park (IIMCIP) and will support the Government of Meghalaya and MIE in planning, implementing and monitoring the Chief Minister’s E Champion Challenge to deliver its desired results.

IIMCIP has partnered with the Mizoram government to launch the third edition of the biggest B-plan contest in the state. It was inaugurated by the chief secretary of Mizoram Lalnunmawia Chuaungo in Aizawl on 17th June 2019 and the event was attended by over 200 budding entrepreneurs. IIMCIP through this initiative aims to nurture the start-up ecosystem and promote entrepreneurship in the state by mentoring the young minds and connecting them with their desired markets as well as venture capitalists.

The mega pitching event, where 113 shortlisted startups from the incubation contest pitched before the jury on 11 May at The Nest in Assam. A bootcamp was held at The Nest on 10 May 2019 on “What Investors Want”. Speakers included Sushanto Mitra, Founder & CEO, Lead Angels; Chandradeep Mitra, Advisor & Mentor, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park; Vikram Duggal, Investor & Mentor, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park; Sanjay Enishetty, Managing Director & CEO, 50K Ventures. The Pitch Hatch received over 1000 applications

IIM Calcutta Innovation Park organised a one-day “Thinking Social” seminar at Goa in association with Goa State Innovation Council on 25th January, 2019. The primary objective of this exercise was to build awareness, interest and desire to engage with the Social Enterprise Ecosystem amongst the aspiring entrepreneurs and start ups who were about to embark on their entrepreneurship journey soon. This seminar series introduced the budding entrepreneurs to the concept of social entrepreneurship in the rapidly evolving global economy.

IIM Calcutta Innovation Park launched the NIDHI Entrepreneur-In-Residence program on 2nd May 2019 by inducting the 1st batch of the fellows. The NIDHI-EIR Program would provide subsistence grant to an aspiring or budding entrepreneur of considerable potential for pursuing a promising technology business idea.

The Tata Social Enterprise Challenge 2018-19 received over 900 applications from across India in sectors such as agriculture; healthcare; water and sanitation; technology and development; education and skills development; housing; handicrafts; energy; and microfinance, among others. Out of 900 applications, the top 60 teams were shortlisted. This was followed by Regional Rounds at Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai in December last year from which the top 20 teams were selected. Besides these 20 teams, two entrepreneurs from Germany joined the Semi-finals. The Semi-final and the Grand Finale were scheduled on 11th and 12th January, 2019 respectively at IIM Calcutta. In the Grand Finale the top three startups in the social enterprises space were identified. Eminent personalities also attended the event to motivate the youth towards social entrepreneurship.