JKEDI Hosts Startup Meet–2025, Highlights Surge in Entrepreneurial Activity In Jammu Kashmir

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) on Saturday hosted the Startup Meet–2025 at its Sempora campus, drawing together entrepreneurs, angel investors, and key stakeholders from across the Union Territory under the banner of the recently launched J&K Startup Policy 2024–27.

The high-profile event featured leading startup voices from across India, including Siddharth Ladsariya, founder of Everest Fleet, India’s largest Uber fleet operator, and Ms Ankita Sheth, co-founder of the luxury homestay platform Stay Vista. Both serial entrepreneurs and active angel investors, the two shared valuable insights from their journeys and extended offers of mentorship and incubation to promising ventures from J&K.

Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Industries and Commerce Department, Vikramjit Singh (IPS), was the Chief Guest at the event, and in his keynote address reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to nurturing innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the region.

“Over the past two to three years, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has scaled up institutional financing, enabling young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into impactful ventures,” he said, calling attention to a growing number of professionals returning to the region to launch startups with government support.

Singh also spoke of the policy’s broader objectives, including integrating entrepreneurship education across colleges and universities and encouraging startups from Jammu and Kashmir to participate in national incubator and investor programmes. He described the emerging startup ecosystem in J&K as a foundation for “a resilient and self-reliant economy.”

The event began with a live pitching session, where ten shortlisted startups presented their business models to a panel of investors and mentors. The ventures represented diverse sectors including technology, agriculture, healthcare, and education. The interactive Q&A sessions allowed investors to engage directly with founders, offering strategic advice and assessing funding potential.

Speaking later in the day, Siddharth Ladsariya shared the growth story of Everest Fleet, now operating over 20,500 vehicles nationwide. He discussed the common challenges faced by early-stage founders, particularly in securing funding and scaling operations, and urged budding entrepreneurs in J&K to actively leverage government schemes and collaborate widely. He also offered incubation support to standout ventures from the region.

Ankita Sheth, meanwhile, delivered a heartfelt address centred on resilience, adaptability, and teamwork. Drawing from her experience in building Stay Vista, she encouraged startup founders to seek mentorship and build networks of trust, describing such soft capital as “often more powerful than financial investment.” Her candid and motivational remarks resonated with the young audience.

Khalid Jahangir, Secretary to the Government and Director, JKEDI, closed the event by highlighting the growing momentum under the new startup policy. “Over 1,000 startups from J&K are now registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT),” he announced. “More than 200 mentors have already been onboarded through JKEDI’s digital platform, and the screening process for Startup Awards and Seed Funding will begin shortly.”

Also present were Mussarat Islam (JKAS), Director of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, and Parvez Ahmad Mir, Professor and CEO of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (CIED), IUST, Awantipora.

The Startup Meet–2025 served as a powerful platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and partnership building, firmly positioning JKEDI as a central actor in the growing entrepreneurial landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.

JKEDI sources said that while the pitches were made by the potential start-ups, these are supposed to take some time for scrutiny and possible acceptance.