The much-awaited two-day ‘Viksit Bharat Start-up Conclave Nagpur’ kicked off here at RTMNU University Campus on Friday. Organised by the Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council, in association with LEMON Ideas, and RTMNU Incubein Foundation, the event commenced with a formal inaugural ceremony attended by Rina Sinha, President VEd Council; Deepak Menaria, Founder Lemon Ideas, Dr Abhay Deshmukh, CEO, Incubein Foundation; and guest of honour Devendra Parekh, Past President VED, who highlighted VED’s contribution towards economic development of Vidarbha through its efforts. Prashant Ugemuge, Managing Director of Vidarbha Infotech Pvt. Ltd. (VIPL), Lead Partner of the event, was felicitated for his contributions to the industry by Rina Sinha.

 

Aatish Jindal, Joint Secretary, is the Event Project Director while Aliasger Wagh, Secretary of the VED Council, alongside a dedicated team of key members and contributors, including Varun Vijaywargi, Amit Yenurkar, Rahul Upganlawar, Pankaj Mahajan, Navin Malewar, Arun Hazare, Anish Buche, Rajendra Korde, A N Radha and Hitesh Bodkhe were present. The first day featured a series of ‘Knowledge Sessions’ designed to equip founders with both technical and emotional resilience. A pivotal session on ‘Nagpur as a Growth Engine for Startups’ highlighted the strategic advantages of the region for new enterprises.

 

The panelists Dilip Kamdar, Co-founder of Naivedyam Group; and Dushyant Deshpande, Director and Convener of the Vidarbha Defence Industries Association, highlighted the opportunities available for start-ups in Nagpur. Abhay Deshmukh moderated the session. Dilip Kamdar said Nagpur is one of the best locations for start-ups to set up their ventures. “The city is strategically located, its has top-class infrastructure and it is home for reputed educational institutes,” he highlighted. Dushyant Deshpande spoke about Vidarbha Defence Industries Association and urged the participating start-ups to grab the immense opportunities defence sector offers for entrepreneurs. In a move to nurture the next generation, the conclave hosted a Training Bootcamp for Juniors, where young participants engaged in validation exercises powered by Design Thinking. Simultaneously, the Innopreneurs Finale saw finalists presenting their ideas across four parallel tracks, evaluated by a specialised jury.