Patna: As part of the ambitious “Let’s Inspire Bihar” campaign, the Startup Summit 2024 is set to take place in Patna on August 25, with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship across the state. The event, which will see the participation of over 300 startups from all districts of Bihar, aims to establish at least five successful startups in each district by 2028, each with the potential to create employment for over 100 people.
This target was outlined during the Bihar @2047 Conclave, held at the NDMC Auditorium in New Delhi on December 23, 2023. Since then, efforts have been underway to identify and support promising startups throughout the state.
The summit will be inaugurated by Nitish Mishra, the Bihar Industries Minister, with Jitan Ram Manjhi, Union Minister of MSME, serving as the Chief Guest. The event is being spearheaded by Mohan Jha, the Chief Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Chapter, with the support of the entire Let’s Inspire Bihar (LIB) team. Their focus is on empowering startups through access to funding from MSMEs, infrastructure, technological advancements, skilled manpower, and crowdfunding opportunities.
The Startup Summit 2024 has attracted a distinguished roster of guests from various regions of India, including Rajesh Kumar Jha, Director of NIFT Bhubaneswar; Anil Kumar Jha, CEO of Fab Five Network Pvt. Ltd.; Omika Dubey of Giacca Capital; Neha Sharma, Director of Accelerate India; Rohit Singh, Director of Furnix; Vipul Singh, VP of Ctrls Data Center; Anshuman Singh of IBSEA; Rajeev Ranjan Yadav of Patnia Group; Prabhash Nirbhay, Angel Investor; Rajeev Ranjan, GM of Wipro; and Ravi Bhardwaj, Legal Advisor for Start-ups, among others.
As per a statement issued on Friday, the “Let’s Inspire Bihar” campaign, launched on March 22, 2021, by IPS officer Vikas Vaibhav, is committed to transforming the state by 2047. The campaign’s vision is to create a Bihar where residents no longer need to leave for education, employment, or healthcare. Anchored in the principles of education, equality, and entrepreneurship, the campaign seeks to draw inspiration from Bihar’s rich heritage while overcoming social barriers such as casteism, communalism, and gender discrimination. Today, more than 100,000 volunteers are actively contributing to this mission.
“Central to the campaign is the promotion of entrepreneurship in Bihar. Despite a wealth of innovative ideas in the state, many have struggled due to a lack of resources. To address this, an entrepreneurship chapter was established, which has since garnered the support of over 10,000 successful entrepreneurs from India and abroad. These entrepreneurs regularly provide guidance to startups, helping to cultivate a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bihar,” Vaibhav said in a press conference at Patna on Friday.
He added: “In the past three years, the campaign has organized over 1,400 programs across Bihar’s districts, major Indian metros, and internationally. Notably, the “Namaste Bihar Pratham Brihat Jan Samvad,” held in Begusarai on December 10, 2023, saw participation from more than 50,000 people. Looking ahead, the third Brihat Jan Samvad is scheduled for December 1, 2024, in Sasaram (Rohtas), with subsequent events planned in Chapra (Saran) on December 8, 2024, and Hajipur (Vaishali) on February 9, 2025.”
Additionally, the Jeevak Adhyay initiative, founded by doctors, has benefitted over 25,000 underprivileged individuals through more than 200 free health camps. The Gargi Chapter, led by women, is providing free education to underprivileged students across 15 Gargi Pathshala centres in eight districts of Bihar, and is making significant strides in promoting self-employment among underprivileged women through Gargi Kala Kaushal Kendras and Gargi Kritya.
