Assam's startup ecosystem is showing robust entrepreneurial participation across sectors, with half of such enterprises being run by women founders, a recent survey has found.
The 'Assam Startup Ecosystem Report' of the IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) covered 116 startups across the northeastern state and examined its emerging startup landscape, maturity of its ventures, opportunities and challenges faced by entrepreneurs and interventions required to build a stronger and more connected ecosystem.
The startups surveyed were from a diverse range of sectors, including agriculture and food, IT and technology, handloom and handicrafts, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, education, tourism and hospitality, and construction and real estate.
The survey found strong participation of women, with 52.6 per cent of the startups covered having women founders.
A major challenge revealed in the survey was lack of access to institutional capital.
A total of 67.9 per cent of the startups surveyed identified a dearth of institutional funding as a major systemic challenge, pointing to the need to broaden funding pathways and improve connections between startups and sources of capital.
At the individual level, 60.3 per cent of entrepreneurs cited a lack of business knowledge, 58.6 per cent highlighted limited awareness and exposure to the startup ecosystem, and 43.1 per cent pointed to a lack of technical know-how.
The report recommended addressing these areas through entrepreneurship education, stronger mentor and professional service networks, industry-academia collaboration, B2B networking and exposure platforms, improved technology infrastructure and local tech support, while strengthening market linkages for emerging ventures.
IIMCIP chairman Ajay Jain said, "Assam's entrepreneurial ecosystem has gained tremendous momentum, and its future is very promising. As an impact-first startup incubator, IIMCIP has been a significant partner to entrepreneurship development in Assam."
He said the aim of the report was to create the necessary awareness about the potential in the region for entrepreneurial growth and attract more ecosystem enablers.
"It is heartening to see significant growth of women entrepreneurs, resulting in gender inclusiveness. Assam can now build further on such a strong entrepreneurial foundation, turning local opportunities into sustainable enterprises," Jain added.