Indo-Dutch initiative to help start-ups in Bengaluru

The Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte's visit to Bengaluru on Friday will see the launch of a joint Indo-Dutch initiative to help and encourage the start-ups in both the countries.

“In an endeavour to further the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Invest India and the Dutch government are jointly launching the Indo-Dutch #StartUpLink initiative,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated on Wednesday.

Invest India is a national agency for promotion and facilitation of investment. It acts as the first point of reference for investors in India. “The (Indo-Dutch #StartUpLink) initiative will fulfill the twin objective of facilitating market expansion for startups in the two countries alongside fostering a joint sense of innovation and entrepreneurship,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated.

Rutte is arriving on Thursday for a two-day visit to India. Apart from meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, he will also visit Bengaluru. He will visit Shell Technology Centre and the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bengaluru on Friday.

He will also address the post-graduate students and researchers as well as young leaders and entrepreneurs in Bengaluru, where the Indo-Dutch #StartUpLink initiative will be launched.

“The Indo-Dutch #StartUpLink is developed for Indian and Dutch startups that are exploring each other’s markets and offers access to key information, relevant networks, pilot opportunities, and navigators for the respective startup ecosystems,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industries stated. “(This) Startup India Hub, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change will act as a single point of contact and navigator for their respective countries, it added.

“A delegation of 10-12 Dutch Start-Ups is expected to visit India later this year and take part in a series of B2B and B2G meetings, exposure trips along with networking and pilot opportunities. The Startup India and its implementing partner in the Netherlands, Dutch Basecamp, are also gearing up to organize startup missions from India to Netherlands.

Rutte will be accompanied by a trade delegation comprising 220 participants.

He will launch the ‘Clean Air’ India Ring, a critical component of the Indo-Dutch #StartUpLink, in New Delhi on Thursday. The initiative is a multi-corporate challenge that will test and scale innovations through collaboration between startups, corporate houses and governments by providing pilot opportunities for promising innovations that solve the problem of pollution. Indian and Dutch startups will be matched through this program to relevant corporate houses for the same, according to an official press-release.