New Delhi: In a major boost to entrepreneurship in the Northeast, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday announced the expansion of the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP) to accommodate more startups and enhance the state’s innovation ecosystem. The announcement was made at a graduation ceremony for the incubator’s latest startup cohorts, where key developments were also unveiled under the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Programme (APEDP).
More Startups, Greater Support: APIIP Expansion Announced
CM Khandu emphasized the urgent need to support more startups in Arunachal Pradesh by physically expanding APIIP. He assured that the state government will either rent additional space or construct a new building to scale up operations.
“The current capacity of APIIP is not enough. We want to ensure every aspiring entrepreneur has access to the right ecosystem,” the CM stated.
APIIP, established in August 2020, has already supported 106 startups across three cohorts, disbursing over ₹4.5 crore in seed funding. A notable 38% of these ventures are led by women entrepreneurs, a milestone CM Khandu celebrated as a testament to inclusive growth.
APIIP Becomes First State Incubator to Use AI for Startup Selection
The chief minister also highlighted a landmark achievement — APIIP has become the first state-run incubator in India to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shortlisting startup applications. This year, 50 new startups were selected through the AI-based screening process.
The CM, however, said the number must grow. “We need to create opportunities for many more. Our youth are full of ideas — all they need is a platform,” he remarked.
Education-Startup Link: MoUs with Seven Institutions
To foster a stronger connection between academia and innovation, APIIP signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with seven prominent educational institutions in the state. These include:
- Arunachal Pradesh University, Pasighat
- Arunachal University of Studies, Namsai
- Dorjee Khandu Government College, Tawang
- Dera Natung Government College, Itanagar
- NERIST, Nirjuli
- NIT, Jote
- Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh
These partnerships will enable startup mentorship cells to be established within campuses, nurturing student-led innovations from the grassroots level.
YES Arunachal: A One-Stop Platform for Youth Empowerment
In a major step toward youth-focused governance, CM Khandu also launched ‘YES Arunachal – Youth Empowerment Sphere’, a unified digital platform to access all government schemes for skill-building, innovation, and employment.
He expressed confidence that APIIP will play a key role in the success of this initiative, acting as the state’s central hub for entrepreneurship development.
APIIP’s Journey So Far
APIIP operates under the Department of Planning, Investment & Finance, supporting the Arunachal Pradesh Startup Policy. It conducts annual startup challenges, provides pre-incubation and incubation programmes lasting up to 9 months, and offers seed funding, mentoring, and business support to selected entrepreneurs.
The incubator has supported ventures across diverse sectors including agriculture, handicrafts, e-commerce, IT, and tourism, reflecting the economic diversity of the state.
Acknowledgment of PM Modi’s Vision
CM Khandu credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Startup India Mission for catalyzing change across India. “In Arunachal Pradesh, every road built, every enterprise supported, every dream encouraged, is a step towards Viksit Arunachal (Developed Arunachal),” he said.
Event Highlights
During the ceremony:
- Graduation certificates were awarded to Cohort 3.0 startups.
- Prize money was handed out to Cohort 4.0 participants.
Dignitaries present included Deputy CM Chowna Mein, several cabinet ministers, the Chief Secretary, representatives from Startup India, and mentors from IIT Delhi and IIM Shillong.
