The launch of the third cohort of the North East Growth Lab (NEGL) by IIMA Ventures in partnership with SAP highlights growing institutional confidence in Northeast India’s evolving startup economy, with the programme targeting 25 high-potential ventures across the region. The initiative seeks to accelerate startups from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, climate, biotechnology, livelihoods, financial inclusion and deep technology. Beyond providing mentorship and capacity building, the programme is designed to improve access to catalytic capital, investors, corporates and new markets—key factors for strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The economic impact of earlier cohorts points to increasing market traction. More than 40 ventures have already been supported, while the first cohort backed 41 social enterprises. Of these, 31 ventures secured Rs 2.38 crore in grants and investments before raising another Rs 2.29 crore through grants, debt and equity financing. The startups also created over 44 business opportunities and established 27 commercial engagements, including partnerships, pilot projects, procurement discussions and market access initiatives. To broaden participation, IIMA Ventures conducted roadshows in Guwahati, Dimapur, Imphal and Agartala between June 15 and June 24 with ecosystem partners including Assam Startup-NEST, BioNEST, IIT Guwahati Technology Innovation and Development Foundation (TIDF), Educentre School of Business (ESB) Incubator, Manipur Technology Innovation Hub (MTI-Hub), Startup Tripura and the Directorate of IT & NIT Agartala Incubator. Nearly 175 founders attended the sessions, which also featured value proposition workshops.
ChintanBakshi, Partner – Incubation at IIMA Ventures, said the Northeast is emerging as a vibrant entrepreneurship hub with locally driven innovations capable of scaling nationally. Applications for the third cohort are now open, with startups to be assessed on innovation, scalability, impact potential and their ability to create sustainable livelihoods and long-term economic opportunities across the region.
