Ladakh ‘Naropa Fellows’ and their entrepreneurial venturesAgrow and Ladakh Basket have been selected for Startup Exploration Programmeorganised by Catalyst, IIT Mandi.
Catalyst picked a handful of most feasible ideas to enablethe willing innovators/entrepreneurs to prototype, test and implement theirideas so to create an impact in the Himalayan region. Catalyst will alsoprovide financial support of up to Rs 15 lakh over the next three months duringwhich these teams will convert their ideas into prototypes/products.
The ventures are built based on the idea of conserving theHimalayan Region. Team A grow intends to build low-cost and eco-friendlygreenhouses all over Ladakh using eco-bricks made of discarded plastic bottles.Team Ladakh Basket, on the other hand, plans to use e-commerce to sellhigh-quality yet under-appreciated local produce, such as apricots, walnuts,and the Ladakhi green tea, to a wider market.
Congratulating thefellows on their selection, Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, Co-founder of NaropaFellowship has said “It is a proud moment for us to see the level of successour first batch of Naropa Fellows has achieved in such a short span. Both thestartups aim for the betterment and growth of the Himalayan region and arecompletely aligned with the aim of Naropa Fellowship.”
Based in the IndianInstitute of Technology, Mandi, Catalyst is the first technology businessincubator of Himachal Pradesh. The Startup Exploration Programme helps buddinginnovators and entrepreneurs to convert their ideas into viable businessmodels. A total of twelve startups from different sectors such as AugmentedReality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Waste Management,Agrotech, Renewable Energy and Online services were shortlisted for theprogramme and five out of these 12 teams are from Himachal Pradesh. Oncompletion of the programme, Catalyst will provide selected ventures a one-yearIncubation programme which includes up to Rs. 15 Lakh seed funding.