The Northeast needs to think big and scale up.

This was said by Ochintya Sharma, a technology and management expert who was the keynote speaker at a Tech Talk programme organised by Margdarshak Advisory- a Guwahati-based management consultancy firm here today. The firm provides a one-stop solution to businesses, corporate and government and has has around 200 entrepreneurs on its board.

BusinessNortheast was the media partner of the event.

Sharma currently is the Co-Founder of Oxome Consulting, which offers consulting services in the areas of business enablement, connected products, innovation management and organization strategy.

He has spent more than three decades in the areas of Wireless Communications, HighTech Software and Executive Management.

The meet was organised to discuss the themes dominating the technology sector and the challenges ahead. Representatives from corporate sector and others were present in the discussion who spoke on the different facets of technology sector and the challenges lying ahead.

"The energy levels of people now in the Northeast are amazing and there has been a perceptibe difference in the situation. The situation early was one of despair" he said.

He said youngsters fresh out of the campus have the confidence now and can run enterprises now. Technology tools are now available which were not available earlier. "As they say the world is flat and we can now say flat world is in Guwahati" he said.

"The exposure which people have now is great. The importance of education and influx and outflux of talent has helped" he said.

His professional assignments include- Vice President, Samsung R&D India, VicePresident Engineering, SiRF Technologies, GlobalHead of Engineering, Binatone and Head of Wireless Internet SBU, Motorola India. He has also spearheaded the startups- TrueSpan Semiconductors and Hubble Connected.

"We need to think big and scale up. The ability to think big has still not arrived and needs to happen quickly" he said.

"In the tech space we have to scale up. This is a mindset issue and this will change when we see good role models. This is just a matter of time and the scenario will change" he said.

Sharma spoke on how digital techology is transforming the business model, disruptive technologies and innovation. "Ordering food has become a different experience altogether" he said citing instances of how technology is changing the way business is being done.

There were interesting discussions on the technology sector and participants spoke of their own experiences.

The other speaker was Rajiv Kumar Singh Managing Director of North Eastern Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation who spoke on the acute need for intervention in the handloom sector in the Northeast which is becoming an "endangered species".

"There is so much of potential in the handloom sector in the Northeast but unfortunately we have not done enough" he said.

Citing an instance, he said the situation is so bad that statistics of handicraft and handloom exports do not figure in the annual reports of commerce ministry.

He said North Eastern Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation have signed a MoU with KOSHA, an award-winning technology start-up to transform the handloom sector in the northeast region.

As per the MoU, KOSHA will support NEHHDC in increasing demand for genuine handicraft and handloom products of northeast by way of brand building, using technology for authentication and traceability.

He said proving the authenticity of the handmade products in a market which is flooded with counterfeits is a big problem in the Northeast.

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