Latest news with #StartupTN
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
HCL Foundation inks MoUs with T.N. govt. on vocational education, entrepreneurship
HCL Foundation, which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of global technology company HCL Tech in India, has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with two departments of the Government of Tamil Nadu. One is with StartupTN and the other with the Department of Employment and Training (DET), to enhance entrepreneurship and vocational education in the State. StartupTN, under the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of Tamil Nadu, promotes innovation and start-ups and operates as a registered Section 8 company. 'Through this collaboration, we aim at supporting 100 startups over the next three years — providing mentoring, incubation, market linkage, and liaison support to help them scale and succeed,' said Sivarajah Ramanathan, CEO & Mission Director, StartupTN. This MoU for three years aims at fostering entrepreneurship among Tamil Nadu's youth, promote inclusive innovation and strengthen the State's start-up ecosystem for sustainable development and economic growth. The second MoU is a renewal of an existing collaboration and was signed between the Department of Employment and Training (DET), Government of Tamil Nadu, and HCL Foundation. The agreement was formalized by B. Vishnu Chandran, Director of Employment and Training, and Nidhi Pundhir, SVP of Global CSR at HCL Tech and Director of HCL Foundation. This five-year initiative aims at strengthening the vocational education system in the State through several measures, including the deployment of a 'Skill Rath' (mobile lab and awareness unit) to increase outreach in communities, the upgradation of curriculum in select trades, training programs for both students and trainers of Government ITIs and the promotion of sports to encourage holistic development. 'As India advances in technological innovation, it is imperative that our youth are equipped with future-ready skills such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and other emerging technologies,' Mr. Chandran said. 'By providing access to vocational education and supporting startups, we aim at creating sustainable opportunities that will contribute to the holistic development of the State,' said Nidhi Pundhir.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TN govt to host global startup summit in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: The micro, small and medium enterprises department of the state govt will host the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit at Codissia Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore on Oct 9 and 10. More than 700 startups from different countries are expected to set up their stalls in the fair. The Tamil Nadu govt revived StartupTN in 2020-21. At that point in time, Chennai was home to 75% of startups registered in the state. At present, the situation has changed. Chennai accounts for 40% startups while the rest of the state accounts for 60% of startups. 'The state govt is planning to conduct the global summit in Coimbatore to give startups global exposure, connection and business opportunities. The event will project Tamil Nadu as one of the top startup ecosystems in the world,' said a StartupTN official from. The official added that the power-packed convention and exhibition with more than 700 stalls would bring together more than 30,000 participants, including startup founders, entrepreneurs, innovators, aspirants, incubators, educational institutions, investors, industry bodies, mentors, govt agencies and other stakeholders.
New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin unveils startup summit logo
CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday launched the logo and website for the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025, set to be held in Coimbatore, as the state seeks to boost its startup ecosystem. Dates for the summit at CODISSIA, Coimbatore, will be announced soon, according to a release. The summit, organised by the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN) under the MSME Department, aims to position the state as a global startup hub. The event is expected to attract more than 30,000 participants, including startups, investors, universities, and policymakers from India and abroad. Tamil Nadu, which has seen the number of startups registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) rise from 2,032 in 2021 to over 10,800 (till today), is targeting to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030, the release said. To realise the vision of ensuring distributed growth across the state, regional hubs have been established over the past four years in 10 districts – Chennai, Madurai, Erode, Tirunelveli, Hosur, Salem, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Trichy – the release said. The summit will feature a large-scale startup expo with more than 750 stalls representing sectors such as SpaceTech, climate change management, electric vehicle technology, AgriTech, and artificial intelligence. Government departments, corporates, and incubators will also participate, the release said.
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Udhayanidhi launches logo, website for Startup Summit
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday launched the logo and website for 'Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit 2025' to be organised by StartupTN at Coimbatore. T.M. Anbarasan, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Atul Anand, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, and Sivarajah Ramanathan, Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer of StartupTN, were present during the launch.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
T.N. government aims to take start-ups to villages, says StartupTN CEO
The Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN) will be launching a scheme called Gramam Thorum Puthozhil (Establishing Start-ups in Villages) this year, focusing on inclusive entrepreneurship, rural innovation, and sustainable economic growth. 'We want to take the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship to villages,' Sivarajah Ramanathan, Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer, StartupTN, said in a fireside chat on 'Harnessing Innovation: Tamil Nadu's Role in the Global Startup Ecosystem.' The session was moderated by Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu. Highlighting the various initiatives of StartupTN, Mr. Ramanathan said: 'Our primary mandate is to create a good ecosystem for start-up companies to start and grow in the State. We are creating funding schemes; we are working with Venture Capitalists to connect with start-ups. Our policy focuses on three major inclusive aspects — gender inclusivity, caste inclusivity, and geographical inclusivity. We have over 40 different schemes,' he added. Throwing statistics on how the start-up ecosystem has grown over the last three years, Mr. Ramanathan said Tamil Nadu currently had over 10,700 start-ups. 'This is a 5x growth. When we started, we were at the last in the national rankings but now we are competing with States such as Karnataka and Maharashtra,' he said. When the moderator asked him about the yardstick used to define start-ups, he said: 'In 2023, the Government of Tamil Nadu introduced a policy that slightly modified the Government of India's definition of a start-up. While the Centre defines a start-up as being less than 10 years old with a turnover of less than ₹100 crore, Tamil Nadu's policy revised the turnover threshold to ₹50 crore.' 'Additionally, to support social impact, Tamil Nadu's definition expands beyond new innovations. For example, while e-commerce may no longer be considered an innovation, if a marginalised community — such as a tribal one — is using an online platform to sell their products, it qualifies as a start-up to us. The key criteria are that the start-up should benefit the community members,' Mr. Ramanathan added. The event is presented by SRM Institute of Science and Technology, co-presented by StartupTN and in association with Sify Technologies. Retail GPT is the phygital commerce partner; Tally the technology partner; CII the strategic partner; ITC Mangaldeep the fragrance partner; and Puthiya Thalaimurai the TV partner.
