In an attempt to make Nagpur a thriving economic hub with a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, multiple stakeholders jointly launched a pilot project in the name of Nagpur Entrepreneurship Mission (NEM) on Monday at an event held in Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur).

The initiative is a part of the larger Maharashtra State Entrepreneurship Mission (MSEM) launched in October 2023 by GAME (Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship), in association with the Government of Maharashtra.

As part of NEM, a convening was held at IIM Nagpur which brought together local stakeholders to brainstorm and ideate to co-create a roadmap for Nagpur’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. At the district level, Nagpur Entrepreneurship Mission seeks to identify leaders and stakeholders who would enable entrepreneurship in the region. These stakeholders will collaborate to define a shared mission, vision, and strategic roadmap.

 

Commenting on the occasion, Madan Padaki, Co-founder of GAME, said, “We are excited to have the participation of ecosystem leaders from organisations like TiE Nagpur, IIM Nagpur, Nagpur First Foundation, Teaching Learning Community (TLC), representatives of other industry associations and other key stakeholders to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of Nagpur.” Shashikant Chaudhury, former President of TiE Nagpur, said, “It is essential to build on existing strengths and increase our momentum to drive progress even further.”

Dr Bhimaraya Metri, Director of IIM Nagpur, said, “The Nagpur Entrepreneurship Mission is a remarkable initiative. I am confident that, under the vision of Viksit Bharat and the country’s leadership, this first-of-its-kind effort will inspire similar movements across other districts and states.”

 

Sameer Bendre - Managing Director of HyZero and President of TIE Nagpur, said, “To truly thrive and grow globally, we all need to embrace entrepreneurship more deeply.” The forum brainstormed and discussed a number of possible ideas to accelerate the economic growth of the city, including women centric industrial parks, education driven entrepreneurship creating innovation, discovery of 100 district level projects through school and college competitions and introduction of AI upskilling courses to develop tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.