Goa can be the next StartUp Hub say Investors
Goa continues to be an ideal place
to work and live in according to the country’s top investors. The beautiful
sunny state has much to offer for professionals and startups.
Anurag Agrawal, Partner at Aavishkaar Capital agreed but added that a key ingredient to be able to scale up and grow is availability of skilled talent. He said, “While the state is attractive to startups and venture capitalists, one needs access to talent. There is a severe skilled talent shortage across the globe. Goa has a well-developed education system. It has the potential to develop a talent pool of skilled professionals. For that Goa needs to make the state attractive to talent so that it can be a hub.”
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant when speaking at recently
held Antha Prerna, a Startup Conclave and Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by the
Startup Promotion Cell of Government of Goa in collaboration with AIC-GIM (Atal
Incubation Centre- Goa Institute of Management) and Info Tech Corporation of
Goa Limited had said that the state has a clear opportunity to emerge as a top
start up hub in the country. “Goa is attractive not only to
entrepreneurs, investors and innovators from Goa but also to those across the
country and beyond. We invite those who want to make Goa their base and place
for their business options. I assure you that we will make all efforts to make
Goa the perfect ecosystem for startups.
Parixit Pai Fondekar, Founder of FIERCE Kitchens,
India’s only culinary incubator articulated the potential the state has in the
culinary industry. He said, Goa is a tourist hub. The state has a vast skilled
workforce in the hospitality sector, many of whom are working beyond the state.
Now is an opportunity for some of them to return and start a venture of their
own. The pandemic also saw the emergence of foodpreneurs across verticals.”
Culinary as a business is not capital intensive, one
can start off right from their own kitchens at home he explained. “With
culinary, one can start simple. What’s key is innovation. I see immense
potential in Goa. I forecast that the next 2 years will witness an even bigger
boom in foodpreneurs. With AICGIM’s expertise and support FIERCE Kitchens is
going to be mentoring some path breaking, innovative culinary ideas,” he added.
Mahavir Pratap Sharma, Former Chairman, TiE India
Angels and RAIN (Rajasthan Angel Innovators Network), said that the state is
moving in the right direction. He said, “The three pillars that you need for a
start-up ecosystem to evolve and mature is Govt. support and policy which is in
place, infrastructure which includes colleges, incubation centers and
accelerator programs and the third is angel investors. Goa has all these three
pillars in place.”
The Startup Conclave and Entrepreneurship Summit was
hosted by the Startup Promotion Cell, Government of Goa in collaboration with
AIC-GIM (Atal Incubation Centre- Goa Institute of Management) and Info Tech
Corporation of Goa Limited. The summit was an effort to bring together the
collective ecosystem of entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, startups,
educationists, the government and policy makers to create synergies that will
empower and facilitate a robust startup ecosystem in Goa.
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