Ludhiana: PAU incubatee breaks into top 100 startups at national challenge

Several incubatees from PAU’s NIDHI-TBI were shortlisted to pitch their ideas before a panel of experts

An incubatee from Punjab Agricultural University’s (PAU) NIDHI–technology business incubator (NIDHI-TBI) has brought laurels to the university by securing a place among the top 100 startups in the first cohort of the APEDA Bharati Business Challenge. This national-level challenge, organised by the agricultural and processed food products export development authority (APEDA) on January 8, brought together promising startups from across the country to showcase innovation, scalability, and export potential.

Jagroop Singh, a registered incubatee and founder of “The Countryman”, stood out for his robust business model and value-driven approach. (HT Photo)

Several incubatees from PAU’s NIDHI-TBI were shortlisted to pitch their ideas before a panel of experts. Among them, Jagroop Singh, a registered incubatee and founder of “The Countryman”, a Jagraon-based brand specialising in jaggery and jaggery-based products, stood out for his robust business model and value-driven approach. His successful pitch earned him a spot in this prestigious national initiative, opening doors for professional networking, strategic partnerships, and accelerated growth.

Congratulating Singh on the achievement, Dr Ramandeep Singh, principal investigator of NIDHI-TBI and director of the school of business studies at PAU, said that the selection reflects the incubatee’s innovation, hard work, and entrepreneurial commitment. He also appreciated the NIDHI-TBI team’s consistent efforts in nurturing agri-based startups for national platforms.

Dr Poonam A Sachdev, co-principal investigator of NIDHI-TBI and principal food technologist at PAU, praised the startup’s focus on value addition and market-oriented agri-food products, which she said are crucial for enhancing farmers’ income and expanding agri-exports.

Gurinder Singh, CEO of NIDHI-TBI, and Sameer Gautam, business manager of the incubator, who also attended the event, lauded the incubatee for effectively representing PAU’s incubation ecosystem at the national level. They said such recognitions highlight the impact of structured mentoring, industry linkages and market-readiness support provided under the project. The NIDHI-TBI team also expressed gratitude to the APEDA authorities and the organising team, including Dr Tamanna Chaturvedi, Anjali Lakra and Sakshi Dwivedi, for offering startups a valuable national platform.