AICGIM to host Defence India Startup Challenge at ICG

Mumbai, May 2022: In order to support and promote entrepreneurship in Goa, the Atal Incubation Centre and Goa Institute of Management (AICGIM) foundation is hosting a startup challenge on 28th May 2022 at the International Centre Goa (IGG) at Dona Paula. This event is being hosted in collaboration with ANIC (Atal New India Challenge) for Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Niti Aayog and iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) for DISC (Defence Innovation Startup Challenge). A boon here is that funding support up to 1.5 crores will be made available by iDEX during this challenge.

Speaking about the event Rajesh Joshi, CEO, AICGIM Foundation said, “Building a better startup ecosystem in Goa and India is AICGIM’s mission. Bringing these challenges, creating awareness about them in Goa and having the central government ministry representatives in Goa will give Goan SMEs, and startups exposure and also the esteemed central government departments and ministries will be able to see the innovation,  solutions and products of Goa-based ventures''. 

The Defence India Startup Challenge has been launched by the Ministry of Defence in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission is aimed at supporting startups, MSMEs and innovators to create prototypes and commercialise products and solutions in the area of national defence and security.

Joshi explained, "The primary objective of the challenge is to help create functional prototypes of products and technologies that are relevant for national security (prototyping), and spur fast-moving innovation in the India defence sector and to help new tech products and technologies find a market and early customer (commercialization) in the form of the Indian defense establishment”.

The event is open to all Goa (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) SMEs, startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and ventures to provide solutions to the various ministries in the government of India.