US Ambassador visits Startup Village, offers support to boost startup ecosystem

In a remarkable gesture of goodwill and possible long term cooperation in the development of startup ecosystem in India, US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma visited Startup Village and interacted with the young entrepreneurs and officials.

Responding positively to the Startup Village officials' request for facilitating young entrepreneurs' visit to Silicon Valley in the US, Verma during his visit yesterday said that he would examine the possibility of supporting a "Landing Pad", which is getting ready in the Silicon Valley in the US. The Landing Pad is a platform for start-ups from India to get a first hand knowledge of the Silicon Valley culture.

The Startup Village officials, including Startup Village chairman Sanjay Vijayakumar and CEO Pranav Kumar Suresh accompanied by IT and Industries Principle Secretary P H Kurian, apprised Verma of the abundance of talent available here and also of the challenges faced by startup companies.

Verma, at the same time, was hopeful of a stronger cooperation between Indian and US startup companies and offered to actively support the demand for bringing in the members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) to Startup Village.

Established by the Department of Commerce, PAGE is a group of successful American businesspeople eager to share their knowledge and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs at home and abroad.

"The evolving entrepreneurial culture and the rising number of young business aspirants in the state need world class infrastructure, funding ecosystem and a drastic change in the mindset of the people here," Kurian said.

"While the state government is extending all possible support for encouraging entrepreneurship, we hope to address some of these challenges in a more effective way if we have the support and guidance of investors and mentors from countries like the US," he noted.

"The visit is part of the Startup Village's efforts to maintain strong bonds with the Silicon Valley in the US, which is the birth place of many billion dollar tech companies," Vijayakumar said.

"By building a strong tie up with the Sillicon Valley, Startup Village hopes to reach out to mentors and angel investors who are willing to invest in Indian start ups," he added.

Startup Village CEO said, "Our aim is to give global exposure to the young entrepreneurs at Startup Village both at professional and technological levels, help them learn the nuances of business from the most experienced people, and assist them to find investors who can help them to grow."

Startup Village is India's first Public Private Partnership technology business incubator jointly promoted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, Technopark and MobME Wireless.