Panaji, Jan 20: With a focus on strengthening the startup ecosystem, the Startup & IT Promotion Cell (SITPC), under the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Government of Goa, organised a National Startup Day programme in Panaji, Goa. The event provided practical guidance, policy and funding awareness and further enabled startups to engage with key stakeholders.
The programme was graced by Shri Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Tourism and Printing & Stationery; Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director, DITE&C; Shri Praveen Volvotkar, Managing Director, Infotech Corporation of Goa Ltd; Dr Milind Sakhardande, Joint Director, DITE&C and Shri D. S. Prashant, CEO, Startup & IT Promotion Cell.
In his address, Shri Rohan Khaunte emphasised the government’s vision to build a strong startup ecosystem by facilitating access to policy support, funding and market opportunities. “The Government of Goa remains firmly committed to ensure that Goa’s entrepreneurs and youth have the right launchpad, policy support and ecosystem to transform ideas into viable products and services. We are looking at solutions developed in Goa and scaling them to the rest of the world,” the Minister stated.
With the theme ‘Empowering Startups. Enabling Ecosystem’, the event featured an introduction to National Startup Day, followed by a panel discussion on the effective utilisation of central government startup schemes, where experts shared insights on leveraging national initiatives for startup growth. The panelists included key ecosystem enablers like Shri Abhishek Singh, Incubation Manager, AIC-GIM; Shri Amey Karmali, CEO, CIBA; Shri Joish Madhusudhana Murthy, Senior Manager (Infra & Operations), BITS BioCyTih Foundation; Shri Thejus Joseph, Interim CEO, FIIRE; Shri Girish Sampath, Partnerships Head, build3; Shri Rajkumar Hajiani, AGM, SME, SBI; and Shri Rudolf Dsouza, Sr VP, Zonal Head, HDFC. The panel was moderated by Shri Lalit Saraswat.
A presentation by the SITPC team on strengthening Goa’s startup ecosystem outlined various state-level incentives and funding support available to startups. The event also included an engaging workshop by Shri Amarsh Chaturvedi, Co-founder of Traverse (acquired by US-based company) and Co-founder Neural Machines where he equipped entrepreneurs with practical pitching skills
The event concluded with the felicitation of startups, incubators, academicians and industry associations, acknowledging their efforts and achievements in strengthening Goa’s startup ecosystem. Startups such as Asier, Trash Co., Spatialcraft, Neural Kissan and YIMBY were felicitated. Incubators including AIC-GIM, CIBA, Build3, BITS BioCyTiH Foundation and FiiRE were also recognized. Industry associations that received felicitation included GCCI, GTA and ASSOCHAM–Goa Chapter. Academicians, including Dr. Snehanshu Saha, Dr. M.S. Krupashankara, Fr. Agnelo Gomes and Fr. Wilfred Fernandes, were also felicitated for their contribution towards Goa’s startup ecosystem.
By bringing together key stakeholders from across the ecosystem, the event created meaningful opportunities for interaction, knowledge-sharing and collaboration. It not only celebrated achievements but also strengthened collective efforts toward building a supportive and sustainable startup ecosystem in the state.