Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday launched the industries and commerce department’s “Startup Haryana Seva Sankalp - From Ideas to Expansion,” a three-month state-wide entrepreneurship programme aimed at discovering, nurturing, and fostering entrepreneurial talent across all 23 districts.
Officials said this programme is part of the broader Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years of public service.
The campaign was formally inaugurated by the CM at Kurukshetra University in the presence of industries and commerce minister Rao Narbir Singh, commissioner and secretary of the department Amit Kumar Agarwal, Director general (industries and commerce) Yash Garg and others.
Representatives from industry, startups, academia, incubators, the investment community, and entrepreneurs were also present.
Designed as an integrated journey from idea to investor, the CM said the programme aims to foster grassroots entrepreneurship. Under this, a statewide pipeline will be created to discover promising ideas, develop entrepreneurial skills, and connect startups and aspiring entrepreneurs with mentorship, grants, investors, state government support, and the broader startup Haryana ecosystem.
The three-month programme will cover all 23 districts of Haryana and aims to connect over 300,000 aspiring entrepreneurs and startups, identify 50 high-potential finalists, and recognise and reward the top 10.
{{/usCountry}}The three-month programme will cover all 23 districts of Haryana and aims to connect over 300,000 aspiring entrepreneurs and startups, identify 50 high-potential finalists, and recognise and reward the top 10.
{{/usCountry}}A key objective of this initiative is to expand entrepreneurship beyond established startup hubs like Gurugram and Faridabad and strengthen the startup movement in southern, western, and other parts of Haryana.
Through district-level awareness, systematic capacity building, and access to mentors, and investors, the programme aims to create a more inclusive and geographically balanced entrepreneurship ecosystem in the state.
Following the statewide launch, one-day district ideathons will be held in all 23 districts to provide a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs and startups to present their ideas in a 60-second pitch.
Approximately 3,450 participants are expected to participate in these district-level ideathons, with approximately 1,150 participants progressing to the seven-module masterclass programme. It covers key aspects of the entrepreneurial journey, from founder clarity to financial management, and will also include a mock pitch at the end.
Approximately 350 teams will then receive one-on-one mentorship and be divided into two tracks based on their stage and needs. These teams will compete in pitchathons across four divisions of Haryana, from which the top 50 finalists will advance.
Programme to culminate in two separate tracks
The entire process is designed to guide participants through awareness, idea generation, capacity building, mentorship, and competition, ultimately gaining access to funding and the ecosystem. Since growth-stage startups and early-stage grassroots innovators require different types of support, the programme will culminate in two separate tracks, each with 25 finalists.
Track 1 will include registered growth-stage startups that are on the investor route, while Track 2 will include aspiring entrepreneurs, students, and grassroots innovators on the grant route.
Under the award structure, the top five startups in Track 1 will receive prizes of ₹15 lakh, ₹12 lakh, ₹10 lakh, ₹7.5 lakh, and ₹5 lakh, respectively. The top five aspiring entrepreneurs in Track 2 will receive prizes of ₹5 lakh, ₹4 lakh, ₹3 lakh, ₹2 lakh, and ₹1 lakh, respectively.
The programme also includes direct consideration for the state startup seed grant, as well as cloud credits, incubation support, and industry connect. All 50 finalists will receive certificates and mementos, while the selected startups will have the opportunity to present their ventures to the chief minister.
During the launch event, the CM handed over letters of intent (LOIs) to JC Bose University and the startup accelerator chamber of commerce to establish two new incubators in the state. These incubators will be located in Faridabad and Panchkula, respectively.
To further strengthen the state’s startup and innovation ecosystem, LoIs were also signed with two ecosystem partners, Zoho Corporation and Paytm Payments.
Saini also distributed cheques to 11 startups receiving seed funding under the Haryana State Startup Policy 2022.