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Marketing

5 Brilliant Instagram Marketing Strategies For Your Business That Actually Work!

5 Brilliant Instagram Marketing Strategies For Your Business That Actually Work!
5 Brilliant Instagram Marketing Strategies For Your Business That Actually Work!

Being an entrepreneur is hard. Establishing a small business is even harder. You and your team, especially when it is only you, do everything you could to make the most of your available resources.

And the need to squeeze every drop of juice out of every resource certainly applies to your marketing efforts. No matter how much you do, there is always this feeling that something is lacking and you could be doing more.

So, how do know that whatever you are doing to get your small business in front of potential customers is working?

A recent study by Campaign Monitor brought some interesting facts. When the marketing teams of around 1,000 small business owners were asked, where their most significant opportunity lies, when it comes to brand awareness, their response was unanimous- Social Media, especially- Instagram for marketing.

On further asking 73% of the respondents reported that they would increase spending on social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. While many have already established a substantial brand presence on both YouTube and Facebook, most of them are still finding that their target audience has switched over to Instagram for their daily dose of social media.

Over 800 million monthly active users are on Instagram. Each day, more than 60 million images are posted, and 1.6 billion daily ‘likes’ are given on those photos.

Why? Instagram is easy to use with its scrolling feature, reels, videos and photos that are far more digestible by consumers.

What is Instagram Marketing?

Instagram Marketing is the new-age marketing strategy that allows businesses to interact with their target audience, at a more personalized level. What makes it a more powerful medium is that many are finding that they can implement influencer marketing to help their business reach a wider audience.

Is using Instagram for Marketing worth the time and resources?

From celebrities to sportspersons, politicians to businesses, everyone is on Instagram. And with millions of people joining in and spending at least once a day, with the right marketing strategy it could be beneficial for both big brands as well as startups who want to reach out to a wider audience.

There is a massive amount of followers and a large number of influencers too. This means that with the right plan, you can become an influential brand too.

Here are 5 powerful Instagram Marketing strategies that work and tip that are worth all your time and efforts:

  1. Switch to a Business Profile

If you haven`t already, you need to do this ASAP. Before you start thinking about making a strategy or a plan, you must have an Instagram Business Account. If you already have a personal account, you can easily switch to the business one, by going into the settings.

Why? Firstly, followers can call you directly, just like they would from your business website. Secondly, a business profile allows you to create posts and ads without needing to use any other marketing tools. Lastly, along with some perks, you also get access to Instagram analytics tools that provide statistics about the reach of your posts.

  1. Compelling Product Teasers that will urge people to buy

Ever thought that you could sell your products merely by posting product teasers on Instagram? Well, now you can!

Instagram is an amazing platform to advertise your products. And if you know how to utilize this platform creatively, you will roll!

Maintaining a balance between informing your customers and suffocating them is one of the most essential marketing strategies for Instagram. Customers these days are quite often bombarded with advertisements. So if you come out to be too pushy, followers will fly away. But by posting product teasers you can simply build up an air of curiosity and excitement without coming out too desperate.

Hence, on Instagram, if you play your cards right, you can gain new customers without annoying them off.

  1. Create Sponsored ads

Another brilliant tip that you can use on Instagram for marketing purpose is creating sponsored ads. We all must have come across Instagram ads while scrolling through our feeds. They have become quite common on this platform. Many brands are using this feature to expand their audience reach. Do you know the best part? You can control exactly how much you would like to spend on an ad by setting a budget.

You can create one ad or multiple ads with the carousel feature.

Sponsored ads give brands a whole new opportunity to target their audience. Before this feature was introduced, only your followers could see the updates and photos.

Now, every business can promote its products to its target audience by using engaging content and demographic information.

  1. Instagram Stories for Leads

The end goal of any business is to generate revenue. That comes from leads. And if you want to generate quality leads, Instagram Stories are here to help.

Instagram stories come in a “slideshow” format and are life for only 24 hours. However, they can be saved to any of your devices and can be reused later at any given point. Once a user clicks on your photo at the top, a window will pop up where they can watch your story.

You can use this feature to create stories with concepts that are not so common to attract your potential customers.

  1. Make the most of Free Instagram Tools

Business profiles on Instagram are more or less similar to Facebook business profiles. However, you can view impressions, reach, and engagement data along with a breakdown of the demographics of your followers including the information on their gender, age, location, and most active hours.

These insights are not generalized. You can get specific insights on posts for the week that show you how many impressions you have gained for the period.

Though these tools are free, they are priceless. You can use them to understand exactly how users are getting engaged with your content.

By using our effective Instagram Marketing strategies, you can establish your brand. If you want to know more about how to expand your business, you can take our ‘Everything about Entrepreneurship’ course.

Categories
E-Commerce

India’s Processed Food Products Exports Grow 26.51% During April-February FY 20-21 Despite Challenges Posed by COVID-19 Pandemic

India's processed food products (Photo Credits:Pexels)

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s export of processed food products has witnessed a growth of 26.51%in the Rupee term during April-February (2020-21), compared to the same period during the previous year (2019-20). According to official data by the government, the total value of export of processed products was Rs 43,798 crores during April-February 2021 as per the quick estimates.

The data further informed that major processed food products exported from India include pulses, processed vegetables, processed fruits and juices, groundnuts, guar gum, cereals preparations, milled products, alcoholic beverages, and oil meals. Moreover, the value added products such as processed vegetables, alcoholic beverages, and milled products have witnessed a robust growth of more than 40% in April-Feb (2020-21) compared to same period in the previous fiscal (2019-20).

The export of miscellaneous processed items including Indian snacks, sauces, starch products, vegetable flours, malt products etc and pulses grew by 36% and 33% respectively in the first 11 months of the current financial year (2020-21). Considerable exports growth was achieved for the cereals-based products (18%), processed fruits and juices (12%) and Groundnut (7%). The export of oil meals rose by 96% in current fiscal (April-Feb).

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trade around the world, the overall growth of 26.51% achieved in export of processed food products of APEDA scheduled products due to concerted efforts and initiatives taken to facilitate export from India.

According to Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, this trend of increasing exports of processed food products is likely to continue in the next financial year (2021-22).  An increase in demand of Pulses, Processed fruits and vegetables, Milled products, cereals preparations and other processed items is seen especially from Middle East, Far East, USA and UK markets.

For boosting agricultural and processed food products exports, APEDA initiated series of measures including virtual buyer seller meet, product promotion meeting, webinars, creation of products specific export promotion forums, ensuring market access through organizing exports promotion activities, MOUs with key stakeholders, extending financial assistance for exports promotion and promotion of GI products.

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Technology

Xiaomi Leads India’s Smartphone Market With 26% Share for January-March Quarter in 2021: Report

Xiaomi (Photo Credits: Facabook)

Xiaomi managed to lead the Indian smartphone market with a 26 percent market share in Quarter one 2021, as total shipments increased 23 percent (on-year) to reach over 38 million units in Q1 2021, according to data released by Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service. However, the second quarter is likely to be affected due to the lethal second coronavirus wave.

Xiaomi was followed by Samsung with 20 percent in the second position, while Vivo was third with a 16 percent share, the report said. The fourth position was held by realme with 11 percent share.

“Continuing with its stellar run, India’s smartphone market registered a third consecutive quarter of record shipments in Q1 2021, riding on pent-up demand. Consumer confidence also increased due to the beginning of a vaccination drive in the country,” said Senior Research Analyst Prachir Singh.

“But these numbers should be taken with caution as a second and more virulent wave of COVID-19 is currently on in the country and is likely to impact the coming quarters,” he cautioned.

Meanwhile, India’s mobile market grew 19 percent year-on-year in the January-March period due to the sturdy performance of both smartphone and feature phone segments.

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Business motivation

7 Quotes to Inspire and Motivate Budding Entrepreneurs and help Them Grow Their Businesses

Business Motivating Quotes

Every person aspiring to be a successful businessman or a successful entrepreneur has to remember one thing that you should keep yourself going, despite all odds. There are many definitions of success, but one thing remains constant that success comes only to those who try and fail in their efforts at first. One has to be hardworking, inspired and dedicated to the work one is into. An entrepreneur should focus on their business and has to look out for opportunities in the market to make his/her brand stand out from the rest.

However, there are times when most people think of giving up because they are tired of trying. But wisdom lies in giving yourself some break and revitalizing yourself with some positive energy.

Here are some inspirational quotes from successful people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others to inspire you:

  1. “Always deliver more than expected.” – Larry Page, co-founder Google
  2. “All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA.” – Reid Hoffman, co-founder LinkedIn
  3. “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey, media proprietor
  4. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs, Co-founder, CEO, Chairman Apple Inc
  5. “All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA.” – Reid Hoffman, co-founder LinkedIn
  6. “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” -Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO Amazon
  7. “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had — every day I’m learning something new.” -Richard Branson, founder Virgin Group

We hope these inspiring quotes will surround you with some positive energy and inspire you to keep going and trying hard to make your business successful.

Categories
Business motivation

Indian Electronic Repair Market Capable of Creating Over 5 mn Jobs, Has Potential To Generate $20 Billion Revenue Per Annum: MAIT Report

future jobs
Job (Representational Image) Photo Credits: Picpedia)

New Delhi, April 24: The electronics manufacturing sector in India has the potential to generate over five million direct jobs, a new study has revealed. According to a recent study conducted by MAIT, the electronics repair market in India can help generate over 5 million direct jobs, with a potential to generate revenues of $20 billion per annum. It must be noted that MAIT is the apex body representing the ICT and electronics manufacturing sector in India. It said that the repair and calibration of electronic subassemblies and products is a $100 billion industry worldwide.

A report titled ‘Electronic Hardware Repair Services Outsourcing’ (ERSO) launched at the Electronics and Telecom Manufacturing Summit 2021 (MAIT-ETMS) said that high costs of repairing electronic goods in developed countries like the US and Europe are compelling the corporates to send goods overseas, where such repair services are provided at lower prices due to both skills and cost arbitrage.

The MAIT study also made recommendations to the Centre to streamline and simplify procedures to make India a repair and refurbishment hub for IT and electronic products. Nitin Kunkolienker, President, MAIT was quoted in the IANS report saying that the electronics repair industry has the potential of becoming an emerging sector for employment growth in India. With the right regulatory support from the government of India, the domestic repair service sector in India can experience a tremendous boost. “It will, thereby, generate valuable Forex revenue as well as create employment, especially during these COVID-19 times, which has made millions of Indians job-less,” he added.

The study also highlighted background on the regulatory landscape and emphasised bottlenecks and difficulties being faced day to day by the repair units in India. These include regulatory approvals, import/ export restrictions, investment and Infrastructure cost, lack of skilled workforce and technology, e-waste related constraints, etc. “The initiative to make India an electronics repairs outsourcing hub is the next sunrise sector for the country with the potential to generate over 5 million new direct jobs and attract investment from across the globe,” the report said.

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Powerful Personalities

4 Amazing Unheard Stories That Prove Sachin Tendulkar Is An Extraordinary Being!

4 Amazing Unheard Stories that Prove Sachin Tendulkar is an Extraordinary Being!
4 Amazing Unheard Stories that Prove Sachin Tendulkar is an Extraordinary Being!

No cricketer has ever walked on earth that has captured billions of hearts and minds, not only in his own country but in other countries and continents too. No sportsman has ever captivated the soul and spirit of a nation so strongly that people cried when he was given ‘out’ during a match.

The popularity that can even put Gods in a dilemma, no cricketer has set as many records and broken as many milestones as this ‘Little Master’, who is the living legend of Cricket.

Yes, we are talking about none other than the ‘master blaster- Sachin Tendulkar- a name that can certainly bring a smile to any sports lover. With hundreds of centuries in his bag, smashing every record in the book, Sachin isn’t just a cricketer. He is considered to be the “God of the Cricket”.

However, what makes him different from the rest of the popular players is his calm and composed demeanor.

Despite being adored all across the globe by his die-hard fans, he never let his roaring success get on his head. Sachin is a synonym of modesty, integrity, and humility.

And as he turns 48, today, we bring you stories from his life that will make you scream- “SACHIN…….SACHIN”….once again!

You can watch here:

  1. BORN TO LIFT THE WORLD CUP

Sachin started his cricket career at the young age of 16. It was on November 15, 1989, when he made his debut in international cricket. Though he has many world records under his kitty, his eyes were transfixed on the “World Cup”.

Despite being touted as one of the favorites for the ICC World Cup 2007, India couldn’t lift the trophy in West Indies. It was a terrible blow to hopes and came as a shock to the nation. The loss left Indian players along with the fans disheartened. Sachin Tendulkar was hurt so deeply that he didn’t leave his hotel room for two days and started thinking about retirement.

Later, he received a call from his batting hero Sir Vivian Richards who reassured him that such incidents are part of international cricket and that he should not quit as he has a lot of cricket in him.

That`s when he decided not to call it quits. India buried its demons when India lifted the World Cup trophy after four years in 2011, after defeating Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium.

  1. SACHIN TENDULKAR: THE MAN OF PRINCIPLES

When Sachin received his first “Man of the Match” award in 1990, he was given a champagne bottle. As he was 17 years old at that time, he was not eligible for the consumption of alcohol. Though the star player could have opened the bottle privately at his residence, he rather waited and followed the law.

He opened the bottle, eight years later on his daughter`s first birthday in 1998. He also kept the emptied bottle as a memento.

  1. NEVER ENDORSED TOBACCO OR ALCOHOL PRODUCTS

Where most national and international players had ‘Four Square’ or ‘Wills’ on their bats, Tendulkar decided not to promote brands that are associated with alcohol or tobacco. Sachin Tendulkar`s father has told him to always be a role model as a lot of people follow him.  Despite getting multiple offers in 1990, he never endorsed any alcohol or tobacco products.

  1. REMAINED DOWN-TO-EARTH

During India`s tour of Australia in 2007, Sachin hired an Indian Taxi. After some time, it started raining heavily. The taxi driver gave Sachin his jacket to keep him protected. Sachin was so touched by the generosity of the driver that he decided to do something in return for him.

Later on, he gifted the driver a brand new designer jacket, and one team jersey signed by the players of the Indian cricket team. Along with that he also presented him with match passes.

Sachin Tendulkar is a name that resonates with the game of cricket. He is admired by many great players for his sheer genius on the cricket pitch, and humble nature. He ended his 200-match career in white-ball cricket and has 15,921 runs in his name.

Tendulkar had played 200 Test matches during his illustrious cricket career. No other cricketer has played more than 168 (Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh).

Tendulkar is the first-ever batsman to score a double century in ODI format and bid adieu to international cricket in 2013, leaving billions of his fans with moist eyes, and choked throats.

 

Categories
Business motivation

Feeling Low and Demotivated? Here Are 7 Inspiring Quotes by the Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs That Will Boost Your Confidence

Women Entrepreneurs in India (Photo Credits: Pixabay)

The world is changing and modern times are now witnessing more and more women entrepreneurs taking up different types of businesses and succeeding like never before. Women-led businesses are rising beyond all levels and these females are proving themselves worthy of everything with each passing day. The only thing that keeps them going is- not giving up and not settling for anything less.

We are all facing the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the uncertainties all around, these quotes from these great inspirational ladies will truly cheer you up. Inspirational quotes from successful people can help you reframe negative thoughts during tough times and change your attitude for better things in life.

Here are 7 motivating quotes from the most powerful women in history

  1. “There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up.” ― Indra Nooyi
  2. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes—understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” -Arianna Huffington
  3. “You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.”―Sheryl Sandberg
  4. “I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.” -Coco Chanel
  5. “I don’t believe in failure. It’s not a failure if you enjoyed the process.” -Oprah Winfrey
  6. “If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking risk, really amazing things can happen.”- Marissa Mayer
  7. “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” ― Ginni Rometty
  8. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” ― Arianna Huffington

It has never been easy for women to prove themselves, but they have fought against all odds in the stereotype male-dominated society and made a place for themselves. Females have made important contributions as businesswomen, entrepreneurs, actors, leaders among several other fields.

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News Powerful Personalities

9 Interesting Facts About Sachin You Didn’t Know!

9 Interesting Facts about Sachin Tendulkar

On November 16, 2013, when the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar decided to bid adieu from the game; he is regarded as the ‘God’ of, millions of eyes shed tears of joy and sorrow at the same time.

While Sachin Tendulkar delivered his last speech with choked words and moist eyes; tens of thousands of his fans stood in the Wankhede stadium holding their breaths as the euphoria of catching the last glimpse of their favorite Indian cricketer on his home ground surmounted.

India, where cricket is the religion, and the stadiums scream of the infamous “Sachin….Sachin”, it would be considered a sin to not know this man who has made fans across the globe go breathless with his beautiful strokes, timeless elegance, calm demeanor on the field and his relentless dedication to the game.

Yes, we are talking about Sachin Tendulkar- the God of Cricket. And if you want to watch hand-picked stories that are unseen and unheard of, watch them here:

An unparalleled career that was further glorified with grand records created and broken by the ‘Little Master’ has been an inspiration for many national and international sportspersons who dare to dream.

Bringing some of the most untouched aspects from his life, we are going to tell you 9 interesting facts that we bet you probably did not know:

  1. Sachin Tendulkar is considered to be the best batsman, to date. But did you know that he wanted to become a fast bowler? However, when he went to the MRF Pace Foundation, Australian legend Dennis Lillee asked him to focus on his batting instead.
  2. Sachin Tendulkar bats and bowls from his right hand. But he writes from his left hand. This makes this legend ambidextrous too.
  3. Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Australian pacer Brett Lee for a record 14 times. This is the highest by any bowler.
  4. Sachin`s first car was a Maruti-800, and you know what, he still owns it.
  5. In 1987, during Pakistan`s tour of India, Sachin was sent in as a substitute fielder when Abdul Qadir and Javed Miandad went during lunchtime.

Remembering this incident, Sachin writes in his book “Playing it My Way”, “I don’t know whether Imran Khan remembers this or has any idea that I once fielded for his Pakistan team”.

  1. Sachin Tendulkar was the first international batsman who was given out by the third umpire, Jonty Rhodes in 1992 against South Africa.
  2. Tendulkar`s coach Ramakant Achrekar used to give him a Re 1 coin whenever he completed his entire practice session without getting dismissed. To date, this cricket legend has kept the collection of 13 coins with him.
  3. In Manchester, 1990, for his maiden Test ton, Sachin was awarded a bottle of champagne. But as the British rules didn’t allow people under 18 to drink, he waited for 8 year and opened the bottle on his daughter Sara`s first birthday in 1998.
  4. Sachin Tendulkar is the only Indian cricketer who has received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, and Padma Shri by the Indian government.

So what do you think, did you know the God of cricket as well as you thought you did? Let us know in the comment section below.

Categories
MSME

Bank of Maharashtra Aims To Resolve About 25 Stressed MSME Loans Under Pre-Packaged Insolvency Resolution Process

Mumbai, April 24: In a bid to help the stressed micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, the State-owned Bank of Maharashtra is looking out to roll out a plan at resolving 20-25 stressed MSME accounts under the pre-packaged insolvency resolution process. The news was announced by a senior bank official, a report by PTI said. Earlier this month, the government had introduced a pre-packaged insolvency resolution process for stressed MSMEs by amending the insolvency law.

With the coronavirus pandemic, several sectors have taken a major hit. Bank of Maharashtra’s general manager (credit – large and mid-corporate, MSME) Sanjay Rudra said with the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, the stress on hospitality, luxury retail, tour operators, lodging and restaurant operators has increased considerably. “I expect around 20-25 stressed MSME accounts to be resolved under the pre-packaged insolvency resolution regime in the coming months,” he said.

Rudra said this during a webinar organised by MVIRDC World Trade Center, Mumbai and All India Association of Industries.

Here’s how to stressed MSME would benefit:

  1. Under a pre-packaged process, main stakeholders such as creditors and shareholders come together to identify a prospective buyer and negotiate a resolution plan before approaching the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
  2. Rudra said under the pre-packaged insolvency resolution system, the government has given an opportunity for MSMEs to resolve their stress at an early stage while holding control over their business.
  3. “Now, MSMEs should maintain complete transparency in the whole resolution process to regain trust and confidence of lenders,” Rudra said.

Meanwhile, AZB & Partners cofounder Bahram N Vakil said MSME promoters should file for resolution with the NCLT only after having a robust base plan. According to a report by PTI, Vakil said that if the promoters could come out with a resolution plan with a minimum possible haircut for operational creditors and if it is also acceptable to the committee of creditors, then the chances of such plans being challenged in the Swiss challenge auction are less.

 

 

Categories
Technology

Tech Startups To Get Major Boost As India and Singapore Ink Pact To Usher an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Tech Startups in India (Photo Credits: Pexels)

New Delhi, April 24: India and Singapore have inked a pact to boost the startup ecosystem and encourage start-ups to take advantage of the Singapore-India trade and technology corridor. Under the pact, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of IIT-Kanpur have come together to provide a gateway of opportunities to tech-based start-ups. This would help these startups to usher a circular economy and an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

India is today the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with over 45,000 start-ups in various stages. In 2014, only four start-ups in India were in the Unicorn club. According to a report by PTI, the SICCI-SIIC conducted the first in a series of cross-border collaborations on Friday under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on March 10, 2021.

Here’s how the pact between India and Singapore would help tech start-ups:

  1. The two institutions are collaborating to identify young, indigenous talent to provide them with an array of incubation services.
  2. A joint statement said that this one-of-its-kind association will provide start-ups in Singapore and India a competitive edge in the global market.
  3. With an array of services, both SICCI and SIIC will promote homegrown and international initiatives operating in the technology domain with mentorship and access to capital.
  4. To galvanise their efforts towards promoting indigenous innovation, SICCI-SIIC Launchpad Competition – SICCI-SIIC INNOVATION LAUNCHPAD – held a start-up pitch competition on a virtual platform.
  5. Nine pre-selected contestants – five from Singapore and four from India – pitched their ideas to the judges.

Prof Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, in-charge of Innovation and Incubation at IIT Kanpur, said that LaunchPad 2021 is the first of many upcoming endeavours that marks the beginning of an unseen era in the incubation ecosystem. “SIIC and SICCI have come together to develop a symbiotic relationship to benefit indigenous innovations in our respective countries,” he said.

“As we open our doors for their startups to explore the Indian market, and vice versa, we bring in a plethora of opportunities for all stakeholders. We are delighted to support tech-based businesses that are sustainable, ensure value-addition, and provide local employment opportunities,” he added.

Meanwhile, SICCI Chairman Dr T Chandroo said with SIIC, we plan to provide a well-deserved launchpad to our start-ups and those in India to create well-established global brands that thrive on excellence, innovation, and ingenuity. It was with this expectation that the Prime Minister of India launched the ‘Startup India’ initiative in January 2016.