The Tamil Nadu government has announced plans to support start-ups run by persons with disabilities and transgender individuals through a special seed fund. This fund, which is a grant, aims to promote inclusive growth in new-age entrepreneurship development and ₹50 lakh has been allocated for this scheme. The Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN) will identify the beneficiaries of this fund.
In addition to the seed fund, the government also announced the establishment of new regional start-up hubs in Coimbatore and Tiruchi at a cost of ₹1.5 crore. These hubs will join others that have already been established in Madurai, Tirunelveli, Erode, Salem, Hosur, Cuddalore, and Thanjavur over the past two years.
The Minister also announced plans to establish Global Startup Coordination Centers in Singapore and the U.S. at a cost of ₹1 crore. These centers will help start-ups registered in Tamil Nadu expand their businesses to global markets.
A design studio called Thozhil Nayam will be established at StartupTN’s Chennai office, at a cost of ₹1 crore, to cater to the design needs of the start-ups. This will help start-ups design their products.
The second edition of Tamil Nadu Startup Thiruvizha will be held in Madurai, at a cost of ₹1 crore, with the aim of fostering positive thoughts about new-age entrepreneurship, raising awareness of start-ups among younger generations, and generating market access and networking opportunities for the start-ups.
A one-year certificate course on entrepreneurship and innovation will be started at the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII) at a cost of ₹1.85 crore. The School Innovation Development Project (SIDP) will also be extended to all government high schools for students of Classes 6-12 at a cost of ₹4.11 crore.
Lastly, a Tamil Nadu Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC) will be formed at a cost of ₹1.40 crore to help entrepreneurs and SIDP and EDII hackathon innovators file intellectual property rights. These initiatives aim to support and strengthen the start-up ecosystem in Tamil Nadu.
