Applications Invited for Maharashtra Startup Week 2021

About the Organization:

A nodal government agency to boost innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state of Maharashtra. Established under Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of Maharashtra, the society aims to foster innovative approaches and create conducive environment for innovative businesses to operate in Maharashtra. Under the aegis of Maharashtra State Innovative Startup Policy 2018, released in February 2018, the team at Maharashtra State Innovation Society is driving various initiatives to provide support at multiple levels to the startup ecosystem.

Maharashtra Startup Week 2021:

The Maharashtra Startup Week is an effort to encourage, engage and enable the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. It provides startups with a platform to showcase their innovative solutions to the Government of Maharashtra. Startups from sectors such as education, skilling, healthcare, agriculture, clean energy, environment, water and waste management, smart infrastructure and mobility, governance and miscellaneous are invited to submit their applications. With the help of multiple ecosystem partners, the top 100 startups are selected to present their solutions to an esteemed panel of judges comprising representatives from the government, industry, academia and investors.During the week-long event, startups from each sector make their pitch to a panel consisting of senior government officials, industry experts, academicians, and corporate partners. The best 24 are selected as winners. Winners receive work orders of up to Rs 15 lakh. from the Maharashtra State Innovation Society to pilot their solutions within different state departments.Subsequently, the startups receive support in terms of access to government machinery and mentoring from its institutional partners for a period of up to 12 months to deploy their solutions on the ground. The participating startups also get access to multiple other benefits such as cloud credits, access to multiple events, connect with ecosystem players such as mentors, investors, etc.

Eligibility: All startups from across country that conform to the criteria defined in the Maharashtra State Innovative Startup Policy 2018 are eligible to apply. Accordingly, a startup must:

• Be incorporated as a private limited company (as defined in the Companies Act, 2013) OR registered as a partnership firm (under Section 59 of the Partnership Act, 1932) OR as a limited liability partnership (under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008) in India
• Have been incorporated/registered within the last seven years (in the case of startups in the biotechnology and/or social sector the period shall be up to ten years)
• Not have exceeded a turnover of Rs.25 Cr in any of the financial years since its incorporation/registration
• Be working towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or if it is a scalable business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation.
• Furthermore, startups must have a “minimum viable product” and be ready to demonstrate “proof of concept”. Idea-stage ventures shall not be considered at this point.

Deadline: 15^th June, 2021

For more information, please check the Link