Educentre kicks off 2026 with a prize money grant at Espace in Dimapur.
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DIMAPUR — Educentre kicked off 2026 with a prize money grant, in collaboration with the Entrepreneur School of Business, Atal Incubation Centre – Sikkim Manipal University Technology Business Incubation Foundation, DigiSAPNE, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, at Espace in Dimapur on Monday.
Interacting with media persons, Chief Executive Officer and Advisor Member of the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC), DPIIT, Government of India, Prof. Tejbanta S Chingtham said that they are in Nagaland to discuss the DigiSAPNE programme, which is hosted at the Atal Incubation Centre, Sikkim Manipal University (AIC-SMU-TBI), one of the first Atal incubation centres in the North East.
He said that that they have partnered with various ministries to implement several initiatives, one of the key programmes being DigiSAPNE—the Startup Acceleration Programme for the North East.
He informed that the programme is designed to support startups and entrepreneurs who have already launched their ventures and demonstrated initial traction and business progress.
Chingtham said that the objective is to accelerate growth, as many startups tend to plateau after a few years, and to address this, support such as funding, mentorship, branding and market access becomes essential.
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To address these gaps that have led to stagnation in many ventures, the programme aims to support such startups and entrepreneurs. He also noted that DigiSAPNE is now in its second cohort.
He said a similar programme was conducted last year, during which startups from all Northeastern states were selected, with at least one startup from each state. One startup from Nagaland was also chosen and received a grant of INR 10 lakh.
He said that an overall assessment of the 12 startups selected in the previous cohort showed that ventures from all North-eastern states together raised nearly INR 7 crore in external funding, generated around INR 10 crore in revenue, and created about 200 jobs within a year.
In view of this impact, they felt it was important to reach out again to encourage greater participation from Nagaland in the programme.
When asked about the kind of entrepreneurs they are looking for, Chingtham said the programme is sector-agnostic and open to startups from any domain, including AgriTech, tourism and AI, provided there is some level of technology intervention that enables faster scalability.
He said the aim of the programme is to make startups investment-ready, noting that many ventures struggle to scale because they rely heavily on bank loans or debt funding, which require repayment and are often short-term solutions that do not support long-term growth.
He explained that the programme focuses on preparing startups to raise funds from various investors; however, the final investment terms and agreements are beyond the programme’s scope and are entirely decided by the founders and investors.
While sharing their experience, co-founder of Sutsung Enterprise Private Limited, a DigiSAPNE 2025 winner, said they started the venture in 2021 and have benefited immensely from the AIC-SMU-TBI programme. They highlighted gains in networking, exploring foreign investment opportunities, and learning crucial business skills such as financial discipline, proper documentation, and filing.
The startup focuses on waste management, processing kitchen, hotel, and organic waste using Black Soldier Flies (BSF). The larvae consume the waste and transform it into a high-protein source for poultry and fish feed, while the byproduct is high-quality organic compost.
Currently, the startup is focusing on two key verticals — bioplastics and composting.
Addressing the gathering on ‘Nagaland Startup Ecosystem, Lucy Ngouri, Functional Manager of Startup Nagaland, Directorate of Industries and Commerce, said that Startup Nagaland is actively building a robust ecosystem, gaining national recognition, and implementing policies to support and guide a diverse range of entrepreneurs in the state.
She emphasised that the Nagaland Startup Policy is more than just a policy—it is a movement aimed at unlocking the potential of the state’s youth, innovators, and entrepreneurs, helping turn their ideas and dreams into reality.
“Let’s work together to create a thriving startup ecosystem in Nagaland, boost economic growth, and generate opportunities for our own people,” she stated.
Vekulu Demo, Centre Manager of Swavalamban Connect Kendra (SCK), IDAN Dimapur, spoke on ‘Startup investment opportunities in Nagaland,’ while Kadenba Walling, a member of Educentre, delivered the welcome address.
The programme concluded with a networking session and a Q&A segment, followed by the closing remarks from Educentre CEO, Lezo Putsure.