Guwahati: CONNECT.X, one of the biggest platforms for businesses and start-ups in the Northeast, made a thumping comeback with its third edition earlier this week. Supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, CONNECT.X on March 20 hosted 100 entrepreneurs in the Lily Hotel in Khanapara, Guwahati.

"The idea [behind CONNECT.X] is to create a platform where entrepreneurs, start-ups, and founders can come together and meet other founders and discuss their issues and problems", Pranjal Konwar, the chief operating officer of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCInnovation Park), told the attendants. This will enable them to forge collaborations while also forming a "business perspective" to take back home.

Hosted by the IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, the event aimed to build a collaborative network of startups and allied entities and enrich emerging startups with valuable industry perspectives. 

The start-ups took 2 minutes each to describe their founders and goals.

Sudarshan Deka from Deroi Tea, whom we have covered on Business North East pitched the carbon-free nature of the brew as a unique selling point (USP). "We are promoting green tea, orthodox tea, and unblended tea and trying to make Deroi tea a global company soon", he asserted. 

Mriganka Baruah’s 'Bharat POS', another participant, said that his is a business management platform where "everything business-related" - like billing and inventory management - can be done. "This talent pool was leaving Assam and trying to do this from outside the state but today they are here", Baruah said, outlining the benefits of having platforms like CONNECT.X. "They want to build in Assam for Assam."

Abhilash Bora came from Dibrugarh to present his idea to launch a science news platform for the country. "I devised my idea due to the lack of science-based news in general across India", he said.

17-year-old entrepreneur Vamika Singhal said she launched 'Founderly' to help young students aged 22-25 through skill development, personal branding, and entrepreneurship. 

The event also included a prize distribution ceremony for the winners of Meity TIDE 2.0 Techathon-X3 (Assam Edition), the Northeast India’s biggest hunt for ICT-based business ideas that celebrate the ethos of innovation and entrepreneurship. It is organized by the Ministry of  Electronics and Instrumentation Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park.

The winners - Cloket, Leofelis Instruments, and Parv. Techathon - now have the opportunity to secure a MeiTY grant of Rs 4-7 lakh through MeitY EIR fellowship and to get incubated at IIM Calcutta Innovation Park.

"Every time, we see the quality of entrepreneurs is improving, but this is a long journey, and we are not even halfway through", Konwar told Business North East on the sidelines of the event. "It has taken five years for the state to embark upon the journey of building the entrepreneurial ecosystem of start-ups. In  Assam, our start-ups are comparable to anywhere across the country so there is no dearth of talent pool here", he said. These entrepreneurs, Konwar stressed, also want to take their ideas from Assam to the outside world.

The event ended with a panel discussion on 'Navigating the Journey from Product Development to Market Launch: Best Practices and Pitfalls for Start-ups'. The discussion was attended by several noted entrepreneurs and visionaries from the region.

ALSO READ: Centre includes wheat and rice in price stabilization fund - Reports