Labor Trade and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday honored 46 startups as well as an incubator and accelerator with the 2021 National Startup Awards.

This is the second edition of the National Startup Awards. In this edition of the awards, nominations were solicited from 15 sectors and 49 sub-sectors.

Sectors included agriculture, livestock, drinking water, education and skills development, energy, business technology, environment, financial technology, food processing, health and well-being, industry 4.0, security, space and transport and travel.

Six special categories have also been introduced to recognize outstanding startups that contribute to the good of society.

The 2021 edition of the awards also honored outstanding startups that come up with innovative solutions to promote Indian languages ​​and to complement national efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 2,177 applications were received from startups across the 49 subsectors, along with applications from 53 incubators and 6 accelerators for the ecosystem enabler categories.

These applicants included 863 women-led businesses, 414 innovations to fight COVID-19 and 253 startups working in rural areas, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a statement.

“All applicants were evaluated on six broad parameters, namely innovation, scalability, economic impact, social impact, environmental impact, inclusiveness and diversity,” the official said. ministry.

After three rounds of detailed evaluation, 175 startups were selected to be pitched before the judging panel who made presentations to the 16 specialist juries, which included subject matter experts from industry, investors and government.

Recognized entities will benefit from such recognition, not only in terms of their ability to attract more business, funding, partnerships and talent, but also by enabling them to serve as role models for and inspire other entities. to be determined and responsible about their socio-economic impact.

No less than 53 applications were received from incubators and 6 applications were received from accelerators. Some incubators and accelerators were selected after three rounds of evaluation to be presented in front of the jury who made presentations in front of the jury.

The congratulatory ceremony was accompanied by the release of a 2021 National Startup Awards e-report highlighting the year-long support provided to the inaugural National Startup Awards finalists and the 2021 NSA journey. .

“Prime Minister Modi strongly believes in the potential of startups to contribute significantly to the growth of the nation during Amritkaal, the next 25 years. He recognizes that innovation is the strongest pillar to make India ‘Aatmanirbhar’,” Goyal said.

“Whether it is the son of a fisherman from Chennai or the daughter of a boatman from Kashmir, they all want to bring prosperity to their families and people, and therefore dream bigger and bolder,” the minister added. .

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has designed the National Startup Awards to recognize and reward outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers who create innovative products or solutions and scalable businesses, to strong potential for job creation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social performance. impact.

The measure of success is not only the financial gains for investors, but also the contribution to social good.

Speaking on the occasion, DPIIT Secretary Anurag Jain said the department will organize the Startup Award finalists into seven streams, namely Investor Connect, Mentorship, Government Connect, Capacity Development, Corporate Connect, Brand Showcase and Unicorn. Commitment.

“Our journey together doesn’t end there with just rewards, we will walk this journey step by step with you,” Jain said.

(With ANI entries)

Posted: Saturday January 15th 2022, 8:13 PM IST