Bhubaneswar: In a milestone in the start-up journey in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated O-hub, a flagship initiative of Government of Odisha, to support Start-up formation and subsequent scale-up.
Inaugurating this world class incubation centre, the Chief Minister said that O-Hub will be the first point to identify the best in the industry for co-creation and development of business with their new ideas and it will be a conglomerate for Business Houses & Innovation. The CM said that now the innovators, mentors, corporate partners, ecosystem enablers & facilitators– all of them will work under one roof.
Start-ups being the agents of economic freedom, ideas and innovation, the CM added that O-hub will facilitate 200 start-ups every year in diverse sectors like Healthcare, Renewable Energy, ICT, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Handlooms and handicrafts, Agri-tech and many more.
Expressing happiness over creation of more than 1200 start-ups so far under Odisha Start-up Policy 2016 that have generated 10 thousand employments in the state, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that the State will achieve the goal of 5000 start-ups by 2025. O-hub will be a propellant to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship by providing end-to-end assistance to a start-up during their start up journey, he added.
Chief minister said that Start-Up Movement in Odisha is growing every day and Start-up Odisha has been a Catalyst to this movement, driving them by Energy, Enterprise & Innovation.
The State has proposed in the new draft policy 2021 to reach out to the young minds in school by adding entrepreneurship as a part of the school curriculum, the CM announced.
He said that the narrative of Odisha is changing & progressing towards a new world of ideas, innovations & a budding entrepreneurial community. We are on a path of resurgent Odisha scripting new stories of success in all fields.
He wished success to the budding entrepreneurs.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister MSME Dibya Shankar Mishra applauded the state initiative towards entrepreneurs & how Start-up Odisha has been pivotal in nurturing grassroots innovations & aiding them to be a scalable business.
The state incubation hub aims to mobilize Start-up Investments to the tune of Rs. 100 Cr per year through Venture Capitalists, Angel Networks, HNIs, State and Central Government Departments or Agencies or PSUs.
Odisha Skill Development Authority Chairman Subrato Bagchi said that O-hub is a great platform to celebrate start-ups and provide an investor ecosystem in the state.
Asit Tripathy, Principal Advisor to CM said how O-Hub would bring the start-up community together by providing a platform for entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and academia to interact and collaborate.
Satybrata Sahu, Principal Secretary MSME delivered the welcome address.
Suresh Mohapatra, Chief Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kr Jena, Development Commissioner also attended
The Chief Minister also released a coffee table book on Start-up Odisha.
The state supported incubation hub is located in the Special Economic Zone, Patia Bhubaneswar & offers 1,50,000 square feet area with state-of-the art facility, plug-n-play infrastructure to support star-tup activities within the state. This initiative would provide a platform for Innovators and Entrepreneurs to develop products or services, establish formal businesses and interact with stakeholders of the ecosystem.
With Startup Odisha Office stationed in O-hub, it will be a central place for Incubators, Accelerators & other major stakeholders. With a complete infrastructure support for High End Fabrication Labs, R&D Facilities, Amphitheatre among other facilities.