Entrepreneurship conclave ends

Kathmandu, Mar. 24

The 3^rd edition of International Entrepreneurship Conclave–Connect [IN], successfully organised the other day in Kathmandu.

The event was co-inaugurated by Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

The event aimed at building upon the success of previous two editions to further cement the growing linkages between the startup ecosystem of India and Nepal, said the Embassy of India in Kathmandu in a statement.

The day-long Conclave saw participation of about 25 entrepreneurs, including five from India, working in domains as diverse as e-commerce, life sciences, fintech, education technology, social entrepreneurship, food tech, and financial services.

"Aspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders, media persons and bankers benefited from the discussions and deliberations that took place during the conclave. A much larger number watched the conclave over live stream," read the statement.

The Conclave comprised of four Entrepreneur InShots: stories from founders of key startups which have made it big in India and Nepal.

From India, these stories included Meesho, a unicorn, worth over US $ 1 billion, and one of India’s largest social e-commerce and resale portals, and Elucidata, an upcoming firm that uses data analytics to bridge the gap between life sciences and engineering. From Nepal, it included the well-known fintech player F1Soft Group and the e-commerce portal Sastodeal.

The Conclave also featured three panel discussions focusing on salient matters in the startup space, such as challenges faced by startups during their early stages, funding of startups from venture capitalists’ perspective, and on how technology can help overcome barriers in traditional businesses.

Among the Indian participants were Yatra Angel Network, a VC firm focusing on funding of fintech ventures, and Credenc, a startup using technology and data analytics for better decision making on disbursal of educational loans.

From Nepal, these included well-known startups such as Tootle, Hatti Hatti, Pick and Drop, Pad2Go and SweetFix, and VCs such as Dolma Impact Fund and Business Oxygen. The event also featured speakers from Standard Chartered Bank and King’s College Kathmandu.

  Published in The Rising Nepal dialy on 25 March 2022.