CELEBRATING ANDHRAPRENEURSHIP

The focus of youth towards entrepreneurship is a growing trend, and if you thought that it’s just the metros where the action happens, then here’s something to make you rethink! The StartAP fest with all its hungama is back, and that too with a bang!

With lots of changes happening in Vizag in the past few years and the city being hailed as an apex centre for start-ups in Andhra Pradesh, the StartAP fest comes at a befitting time. The twoday event that was introduced in 2014, at Vijayawada saw a bigger turnout than its founder, Siddharth Marupeddi, expected. The idea was to create some noise in the state and it succeeded to do so with 45 influential speakers featuring industrialists, CEOs, government representatives and the like.

Siddharth got the idea for the fest when he noticed the boom of start-ups. Where businesses once took years to get established, start-ups were managing to do the same and generate quick revenues in a matter of months. What he also noticed was that instead of trying their hand in their home cities, talent was migrating to cities like Hyderabad. With the idea of providing a platform and generating opportunity for homegrown entrepreneurs to stay in Andhra and thrive in their business, Siddharth conceived the StartAP Fest along with a fellow entrepreneur Sachin and later got the support of the Government of AP.

‘Vijayawada and Vizag are potential hubs right now for entrepreneurs. Also it is so appreciable to see the government working as an enterprise especially in the areas of skill development and start-ups’, he says. ‘In fact the government is so dynamic and approachable now that they play a major stakeholder with the event by being its lead sponsor. The Vijayawada dweller believes col lege is the best time to start innovating. The government even created an Innovation and Start-up Policy two years ago to support student entrepreneurs. At the fest’s second year, there is to be a Vice Chancellor panel to address the policy and create a dialogue between Vice Chancellors, government representatives and students.

The StartAP Fest this time around has been customised for Vizag. Informative and collaborative events will be the flavour of the day with the usual workshops and mentorship thrown in. But what will set it apart is the focus on institutions as a whole rather than individual speakers and on how freelancers play a key role in the eco-system.

The venues where the action will happen will include Sai Priya resorts where the business oriented conference for established industries will take place. If you’re entrepreneurially attuned then mark your calendars for March 5 and 6, because the StartAP fest will be an event of larger scale and scope. It will be an event that the city will look forth to, as it will mark the emergence of a new kind of entrepreneurship potential in the state. Let’s hear what Vizagites have to say about it

A growing market

As a student, I saw the recent changes in marketplace for companies, events, startups and entrepreneur culture in Vizag. These included, setting up of the StartUp Village, IFR and many more. This city is gaining fame across the nation and is being recognised as a place to grow which is a big thing for natives. Though less populated compared to any other metropolitan city, Vizag has good market for any product you introduce, and it will be amazing to watch and be a part of that generation which will take the change forward.

Ramya Rednam
Student, Gitam University

Plenty of potential

Visakhapatnam is just not a beautiful place, but is such a place where there are people with potential start up ideas. In such an environment, imagine an opportunity coming up where you get to interact with those individuals with amazing start up plans, all at one place. There are people who just need a platform to express and put in their ideas. When these set of ideas are put up and established in the city of destiny, there would be numerous opportunities.

Amruth Sharma
Core Team, StartAP