Excitel Broadband’s co-founder and CEO, Vivek Raina, has announced the creation of the “Launchpad Kashmir” incubation fund. The Jammu and Kashmir region’s startup and entrepreneurial scene is expected to undergo a radical transformation thanks to this project. Six other well-known startup founders are involved with Raina in this endeavour: Ishfaq Mir, co-founder of Kashmir Box; Dawood Khan, principal engineer at Thndr; Namrata Kaul, director at Vivriti Capital; Khalid Wani, senior director at Western Digital; and Muheet Mehraj, founder of Launchpad Kashmir. Together, they hope to give budding business owners and early-stage businesses the tools and support they need to succeed.
Comprehensive Support for Startups
By the conclusion of FY25, Launchpad Kashmir, a sector-neutral initiative, hopes to have funded and incubated 24 businesses. From the ideation phase through the seed investment round, these startups will receive help from the programme. Space, coaching, training, and funding for proof of concept are all included in the support. Moreover, Launchpad Kashmir seeks to facilitate business scaling by cultivating relationships between angel investors, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs.
Strategic Investments
Launchpad Kashmir, with investments ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh on average, is expected to have a major influence on the startup environment in the region. The objective is to support and grow regional companies by giving them the resources and direction they require to compete on a national and international scale.
Vivek Raina’s Vision
“I have a special place in my heart for Kashmir since it is my home. My co-founders and I had a meeting last year while on a vacation, and that meeting resulted in a sharing of ideas and a desire to make a significant difference for the people back home’, stated Vivek Raina, co-founder and CEO of Excitel as well as mentor of Launchpad Kashmir. “While these entrepreneurs have enormous potential for local businesses and solutions, we learned from our interactions with the emerging startup community in Jammu and Kashmir that they face significant challenges in training and mentorship on how to take those ideas or solutions to the national and global level. Thus, we decided to launch this project on our own. We’re excited to construct.
Building a Sustainable Ecosystem
The goal of Launchpad Kashmir is to develop a strong, long-lasting ecosystem that will support and develop entrepreneurial talent both inside and outside of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to incubating startups. Launchpad Kashmir seeks to create enduring change in the economic environment of the region by offering all-encompassing support and facilitating essential linkages.
