Instamojo Launches Northeast Launchpad: A Business Planning Event for future entrepreneurs.
· Northeast Launchpad is open to entrepreneurs from the North Eastern states of India
· Instamojo to offer cash grant to the Best Business Plan and offer benefits worth more than Rs.10 lakhs
Mumbai | 14th July, 2021 : Instamojo, India's largest DIY e-commerce website builder, today announced the launch of Northeast Launchpad, a first-of-its-kind initiative to identify and support the growth of budding entrepreneurs from India’s North East region. Aspirants are encouraged to enroll and submit their business plans, which will then be judged by a panel of experts. The online business planning event is aimed to give aspirants a real-world experience in order to fine-tune their business goals, along with mentoring sessions on raising funds, marketing, compliance and commercialization of products. The best business plan will be shortlisted from the Top 10 entries, and stands a chance to win a cash grant from Instamojo along with other benefits worth Rs.10 lakh and more. The winner will also be eligible for direct entry to the AIC-SMUTBI incubation program.
Instamojo is one of the first to build a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) SaaS platform for MSMEs in India. The company provides online storefronts and online payment solutions to small, independent enterprises, MSMEs, and startups to run a successful online business. Merchants can now build an online profile along with running and managing their online businesses.
Speaking on announcing the Northeast Launchpad, Akash Gehani, Co-founder and COO, Instamojo said, “India’s Northeastern states has immense potential and a pool of untapped talent. In fact, in the last several years, we've witnessed a slew of new businesses spring up in the region. It would be fantastic to assist these enterprises in reaching a national audience via an online presence. Through Northeast Launchpad, we hope to provide a springboard to help catapult these businesses into the startup ecosystem”. He further added, “2020 was a critical year for businesses in India. Stores closed and businesses were put on pause while the country dealt with a global pandemic. This caused business owners to rethink how they would continue to operate, and switching to a digital platform has been the straightforward solution.”
The Northeast Launchpad will periodically host mentoring sessions for aspirants to further refine their business plans and business acumen. Experts in the field of compliance, marketing and business will conduct these sessions. The event has LegalWiz.in as the Compliance partner, Upgrowth and Deasra as the Marketing partners and AIC SMUTBI as the Incubation partner.
Entrepreneurs can register online to participate in Northeast Launchpad. Registration for the Northeast Launchpad is now live, and closes on the 5th of August 5, 2021. The top 10 shortlisted entries will be announced on 10th of August’21. The East Social Star will be announced on the 15th of August’21, followed by best business plan on the 21st of August’21.
Link to register for the Northeast Launchpad: www.northeastlaunchpad.com
About Instamojo:
Instamojo is a full-stack e-commerce platform for DTC brands and Micro, Medium & Small Enterprises (MSME’s). It is a one-stop shop for an entrepreneur that caters to their diverse business needs by leveraging technology, data and design. Founded in 2012 by Sampad Swain, Akash Gehani and Aditya Sengupta, Instamojo early this year raised Series B funding from Gunosy Capital, AnyPay-a Japanese payments firm and the existing VCs. In November 2014, the company raised USD 2.6 million in Series A funding from Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures, 500Startups and others. Prior to this, it had raised approximately USD 500,000 from 500 Startups, Blume Ventures and angel investors Rajan Anandan, Sunil Kalra, Shailesh Rao, Rob de Heus among others. In 2012, Instamojo was one of the first startups from India to join the prestigious 500Startups Silicon Valley Accelerator Program. It has also been featured as one of the hottest start-ups by Economic Times in 2015. Instamojo constantly works towards creating significant innovation in digital commerce, which is universally accessible to create newer opportunities & sustainable livelihoods for MSMEs.
