10 REASONS WHY THE START-UP INDIA EVENT IS worth attending...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme last month, elaborated on the ‘Start-up India, Stand Up India’ plan – an initiative by the government to adapt new start-up-friendly policies.

This just reinforces the relevance of start-ups and can be seen as an acknowledgement of the role they play in shaping the economy.

Here are the top 10 reasons why the Start-up India, Stand Up India event – a nonstop, day-long global workshop being held on January 16, 2016 – is possibly the best thing to happen for the start-up industry in India.

         1. Government Acknowledges Relevance of Start-ups

The government wants to promote entrepreneurship at the grassroots level. This event is intended to bring about fresh opportunities to enthusiastic youth by creating a structured programme. 

Job creation will be boosted with the provision of financing and incentives for start-up ventures.

         2. Address by the PM to the Start-up Community

The closing session of the event will be given by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He will formally launch the initiative and reveal the complete Start-up Action Plan.

He will also elaborate about the policies and schemes that will come into play.

         3. Networking Opportunity with Thought Leaders

Over 1500 CEOs, industry experts and investors from across the country have been invited to be a part of the event.

This means a large congregation of knowledge and talent in one place – a perfect opportunity to learn, network and establish relationships.

(Incidentally, get an opportunity to catch up with Vibhesh Mishra – Founder & MD, Apna Haat)

         4. Tax Concessions

The Start-up India, Stand Up India event will be the introduction of the removal of tax on start-ups for seed funding provided by Indian angel investors.

Presently, 90% of Indian start-ups look at foreign sources for funds, but this move will encourage funding to come from within the country itself.  

         5. Interactive Talks with Global Capitalists

Masayoshi Son (Founder & CEO, SoftBank), Travis Kalanick (Founder, Uber) and Adam Neumann (Founder, WeWork) will be engaging in interactive sessions.

Nikesh Arora (President & CEO, SoftBank) will also present an interactive session relating to start-up funding.

         6. Google’s ‘Launchpad Accelerator’ Session

Google is all set for their innovative session called ‘Launchpad Accelerator’, which is intended to enable start-ups to develop great apps by making live pitches to potential investors at the early stage itself.

         7. Other Guests of Honour

Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the event, and the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, will be the Guest of Honour.

         8. Panel Discussions

Some of the panel discussions to look forward to are –

• Unleashing Entrepreneurship & Innovation: What do Indian Start-ups Need to Grow & Prosper
• How Digitalisation Will Change India’s Future
• Celebrating Women: Stories of Innovative Women Entrepreneurs
• Financial Inclusion is Within Reach

  9. Unique Q&A Session

A session titled ‘Face-to-Face with Policy-Makers’ will be held, which involves secretaries from key ministries answering questions relating to the government enabling the development of the start-up ecosystem.

This purpose of this panel is to reinforce the government’s commitment towards the creation of the ideal start-up growth ecosystem.

         10. Concerns by Entrepreneurs

A survey conducted by YourStory revealed some of the biggest concerns by entrepreneurs as –

• Regulatory compliance norms to be made easier
• Relaxation of existing tax laws
• Access and support to funding
• Access to guidance from industry leaders
• Exposure to colleges outside the IIT/ IIM network

All these issues are expected to be addressed at the day-long workshop.

APNA HAAT is an Omni-channel Food and Grocery Retail Start up, currently operating in Delhi NCR.