[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he latest startup fad, which has swept across India in the past few years, seems to have penetrated the creamy layer of metros and rooted deep into several smaller towns of the country with many participants dreaming of making it big.
According to a recent report by German airline Lufthansa, which is collaborating with The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) to organize the Startup Expo, around 20 percent of the total 34, 000 applicants registered came from towns like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad and states like Rajasthan and Kerala.
Wolfgang Will, director of South Asia at Lufthansa, told media, “There are a lot of entrepreneurship abilities even in smaller cities and towns in India, but they rarely get a platform. With this initiative, we are providing opportunity to them as well,”
The event is a one-day expo, which will be held in Gurgaon this weekend. It is the highest-ever participation from smaller towns in India, according to the German airline that is supporting the project.
Conceived in October last year, Startup Expo mainly focuses on reaching the interiors of India and giving them representation. It also expects participation from women entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, student entrepreneurs, service providers, and technology and food entrepreneurs.
| City/State |
Number of applications |
| Delhi |
18, 693 |
| Chennai |
8, 960 |
| Hyderabad |
4, 874 |
| Pune |
553 |
| Nagpur |
447 |
| Chandigarh |
345 |
| Kerala |
222 |
| Rajasthan |
221 |
| Ludhiana |
164 |
| Ahmedabad |
131 |
Despite a surge in the participation from small towns, the participation from the big metro cities lead the way as the data shows more major cities like Delhi and Chennai continue to be significant contributors (see chart).
Geetika Dayal, executive director, TiE Delhi-NCR, told media, “It was a conscious decision to focus this expo on smaller cities, women, youth and startup companies that can bring social impact.”
The exhibition is likely to be attended by business experts such as Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Vice Chairman at Naukri.com; Deep Kalra, founder and group CEO at Make My Trip India Private Limited; Alok Mittal, founder of Indifi Technologies; and, O P Manchanda, CEO at Dr. Lal Path Labs Private Limited.
The expo also has the support of the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), which is the nodal ministry for the Startup India initiative. With Narendra Modi government’s ‘Startup India’ initiative started as well as the scheduled launch of ‘Twitter Seva’ that looks to solve issues of budding entrepreneurs within 24 hours, the scenario of startups in India cannot look any brighter.
By 2020, India is expected to be a home of 11,500 startups, employing over 250,000 people.
