Tripura Hosts North East Growth Lab Roadshow: A New Chapter for Startup Innovation in the Region

Last Updated: June 2026

At Fueler, we know what it feels like to build a startup from a small town. For a long time, building from places like Agartala meant doing almost everything alone. No mentors nearby, no investors dropping in, no workshops to attend on a random weekday. You just had a laptop, an internet connection, and a problem you wanted to solve.

That is why what happened on June 24, 2026, at the Smart Training Centre in IT Bhavan, Agartala, felt personal to us. Tripura officially became part of the North East Growth Lab, a startup support program that is now one of the biggest things to happen to entrepreneurship in this region.

We are Fueler, a skills-first portfolio platform that helps companies hire people based on real work instead of just a resume. We have spent the last few years building from the North East, watching the startup ecosystem slowly grow around us. So when we attended this event, we knew it was worth writing about in detail, because founders across Tripura and the Northeast need to know what just opened up for them.

What Exactly Happened in Agartala

Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, IT is addressing the North East Growth Lab Roadshow

The event was organized by the Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Tripura, along with IIMA Ventures and SAP. It was not a typical government event with speeches and photo ops. It was a working session, where entrepreneurs sat down, opened worksheets, and actually built something during the day.

The session opened with a welcome address by Jeya Ragul Geshan B, IFS, Director of IT, Government of Tripura. Then came the keynote from Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, who said something that stuck with us. He told the entrepreneurs in the room to stop looking outward for opportunity and start looking at what is already around them. He spoke specifically about bamboo and rubber, two resources Tripura has in abundance, and pushed founders to think about high value products like biochar and medical grade materials instead of just raw exports.

That is a powerful shift in thinking. Instead of treating local resources as something basic, the message was to treat them as the foundation for products that can compete nationally and globally.

The work happened during the Value Proposition Workshop, led by program managers from IIMA Ventures including Abhimanyu Saxena, Shilpa Jain, and Gayatri Baruah. Founders worked through their own businesses, filled out worksheets connecting their product to a real customer problem, and presented it to the room. Startup like Fueler.io, and other Tripura startups were part of the founders in attendance, which tells you the range of ideas already taking shape in the state.

There was also a session from a successful entrepreneur from Tripura who shared her own journey, including the failures and pivots along the way. We think that kind of story matters more than people realize. Hearing advice from someone visiting from a big city is useful, but hearing it from someone who built something real in the same conditions you are working in hits differently.

Where the North East Growth Lab Came From

Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, IT is addressing the North East Growth Lab Roadshow

The Northeast Growth Lab did not start as an idea for all eight states. It began as the Assam Agribusiness Growth Lab, a World Bank supported program led by IIMA Ventures that focused only on agribusiness startups in Assam. That program backed early stage founders with funding, grants, and mentorship, and the results were strong enough that IIMA Ventures and SAP decided to scale it up.

That is how the Northeast Growth Lab was set up in mid 2025. It now covers all eight northeastern states, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim. The program launched with a bootcamp in Guwahati where the first batch of founders got hands on training in AI tools, B2B sales, storytelling, and finding the right market for their sector. The Tripura roadshow is part of the next phase, where the program is now reaching founders directly in each state rather than expecting them to travel.

Who Can Apply for North East Growth Lab 2026

Gayatri Baruah is addressing the North East Growth Lab Roadshow

This part matters a lot, because many founders assume programs like this are only for tech startups. They are not. The North East Growth Lab is open to startups registered in India, with founders based in any of the eight northeastern states, and the company should usually be less than five years old.

The sectors covered are wide. Agriculture, agribusiness, agroforestry, climate tech, clean tech, health tech, sustainable tourism, fintech, edtech, crafts, traditional textiles, ethnic tourism, and financial inclusion all qualify. There is a clear focus on ventures working on agri and rural livelihoods, which makes sense given how much of the North East's economy depends on farming and local produce.

If you run a business that turns a local resource, whether it is bamboo, rubber, tea, or a traditional craft, into something with real market value, this program was built with you in mind. We would also point founders working on hiring and skills toward thinking about how proof of work based hiring can help them build stronger teams while scaling.

What You Get If You Are Selected

Abhimanyu Saxena is addressing the North East Growth Lab Roadshow

The support is not just a certificate and a handshake. Selected startups get catalytic capital, which means grants and sometimes convertible debt to help them grow without giving up too much equity too early. They also get structured training on things like value proposition design, sales, and financial management, along with one on one mentoring tailored to their specific stage and sector.

There is also real market access built into the program, with direct connections to corporates and distribution networks. Selected founders get monthly office hours for an entire year, plus access to demo days and investor forums that include institutions like NABARD, NEDFi, NEHHDC, NERAMAC, and the Ministry for Development of the North East Region.

Over three years, the program aims to support 90 startups and social enterprises, and the expected impact is on more than 3,000 livelihoods. That is not a small number for a region that has historically struggled to get this kind of structured, long term support.

Why IIMA Ventures is Running This Program?

We think it is worth explaining why having IIMA Ventures behind this program is a big deal. IIMA Ventures, earlier known as IIMA-CIIE, was set up at IIM Ahmedabad in 2002 and became a Section 8 company in 2007-08. It is recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Over the years, IIMA Ventures has mentored over 10,000 founders and accelerated more than 2,000 startups. It has provided catalytic capital to over 700 companies and built India's first startup accelerator, iAccelerator, back in 2009. It also runs The Power of Ideas, one of India's largest idea scouting competitions, and INFUSE Ventures, the country's first climate focused fund.

Its portfolio includes names you have probably heard of, like Ola, Razorpay, ideaForge, Agnikul Cosmos, and Fourth Partner Energy. Startups it has backed have gone on to raise more than 250 million dollars in follow on funding from investors like Sequoia, Accel, and Matrix Partners. When an institution with this track record decides to focus specifically on the North East, it is a strong signal that the region's potential is finally being taken seriously at a national level.

What This Means for Tripura Specifically

Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, IT is addressing the North East Growth Lab Roadshow

Tripura's biggest advantage right now is its natural resources. The state is one of India's largest rubber producers and has significant bamboo forest cover. For years, a lot of this has been sold as raw material with relatively low value. The message from this roadshow was clear, that needs to change.

Products made from bamboo and rubber, like biochar, sustainable building materials, and high quality rubber compounds, can serve markets far beyond Tripura's borders. The state government, through this partnership, is essentially telling founders that the raw material advantage is already there. What was missing was the structured support to turn that advantage into scalable businesses, and that is exactly what the Northeast Growth Lab is offering.

The Directorate of IT has also confirmed that this is not a one time event. More programs like this will be organized in Tripura going forward, which means founders in the state now have a continuing source of mentorship, capital access, and networking rather than a single workshop they have to make the most of in one day.

If you are someone building a startup around local crafts or resources, it is worth understanding how to position your story for investors and customers, since the way you present your value proposition often matters as much as the product itself.

The Bigger Picture for Northeast Startup Ecosystem

The Bigger Picture for Northeast Startup Ecosystem

This roadshow is happening at a time when the entire North East startup ecosystem is gaining real momentum. Events like the Rising North East Investors Summit have already pulled in over Rs. 6,000 crore in MoUs, and there is growing national policy attention on the region. What has always been missing is the connective tissue, the mentorship, the structured capital, and the market access that actually turns an idea into a sustainable business. The North East Growth Lab is built to be exactly that.

The first Guwahati bootcamp already gave a glimpse of what this support looks like in practice, with founders working on things like AI based crop prediction for tea growers, bamboo based water filtration, and GI tagged Joha rice products getting real, structured guidance instead of generic startup advice.

How and When to Apply for North East Growth Lab 2026

How and When to Apply for North East Growth Lab 2026

If you are building something in Tripura or anywhere else in the North East, the application deadline for the next North East Growth Lab cohort is July 12, 2026. IIMA Ventures will select between 10 and 15 companies from across the eight north eastern states for this round.

You can apply and get the latest updates through the IIMA Ventures website at iimaventures.com, or follow their social media pages for announcements. For direct queries, you can reach out to the North East Growth Lab team at gayatrib@iima.ac.in.

The selection process focuses on early stage startups with scalable, innovative solutions, incorporated in India, with founders based in the Northeast. If you work in agri and rural livelihoods, climate, crafts, ethnic tourism, or financial inclusion, you are especially encouraged to apply. As you prepare your application, it also helps to think about how you will showcase your work and your team's capability.

Our Final Thoughts

What happened in Agartala on June 24 was not just another government event. It was a real signal that Tripura's startup ecosystem is finally being treated as something worth investing in seriously. The state has the raw resources, the founders have the ideas, and now there is a structured program backed by one of India's most credible startup institutions and a global technology company to bring it all together.

We have seen firsthand how hard it is to build from a small town without access to mentors or capital. Programs like the North East Growth Lab change that equation. If you are sitting on an idea in Tripura or anywhere else in the Northeast, this is genuinely one of the better windows you will get to turn that idea into a real business. The deadline is July 12, 2026. We would not let it pass.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the North East Growth Lab and who can apply to it?

The North East Growth Lab is a startup support program run by IIMA Ventures and SAP for founders based in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim. Startups must be registered in India and are usually less than five years old, working in sectors like agriculture, climate tech, fintech, crafts, or tourism.

2. What is the application deadline for the North East Growth Lab 2026 cohort?

The deadline to apply for the next cohort of the North East Growth Lab is July 12, 2026. IIMA Ventures plans to select between 10 and 15 startups from across the eight northeastern states for this round.

3. What kind of funding and support does the North East Growth Lab provide?

Selected startups receive catalytic capital in the form of grants and convertible debt, structured business training, one on one mentoring, market access through corporate connections, monthly office hours for a year, and exposure to investors and institutions like NABARD, NEDFi, and NEHHDC.

4. How is the Tripura startup ecosystem connected to this program?

The Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Tripura, partnered with IIMA Ventures and SAP to bring the North East Growth Lab directly to Tripura through a roadshow held in Agartala on June 24, 2026. The state government has confirmed more programs will follow.

5. Why is IIMA Ventures considered a credible partner for North East startups?

IIMA Ventures was set up at IIM Ahmedabad in 2002, is recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Department of Science and Technology, and has mentored over 10,000 founders, accelerated over 2,000 startups, and backed portfolio companies like Ola, Razorpay, and Agnikul Cosmos.

Why 100,000+ professionals use Fueler

Fueler helps professionals showcase proof of work through projects, assignments, case studies, and achievements.

• Thousands of professionals use Fueler to create their digital portfolio
• Thousands of projects published on Fueler. Check here
• Startups and Companies hire through proof of work on Fueler
• Used by freelancers, creators, marketers, video editors, writers, designers, and product managers

Our mission is to help the next 100 million professionals build a verified professional identity through proof of work