New Delhi/Jamshedpur: Top-tier national investors and industry titans converged on New Delhi this weekend to participate in “Jharkhand to India” and pivot Jharkhand into the centre of India’s startup map. The “Jharkhand to India” dialogue saw heavyweights from the venture capital and policy worlds commit to funding and mentoring the state’s emerging entrepreneurs.
Organized by the Navachar Research Incubation and Innovation Council (N.R.I.I.C.), the summit moved beyond discussion to concrete action. Founder directors Amar Nath Singh and Kartik Chaudhary set the tone, arguing that while the state teems with raw talent, a lack of infrastructure and capital has historically held back its best minds.
The high-level dialogue, which wrapped up on February 7, brought together startup founders, investors, policymakers, corporate leaders, academicians, and ecosystem enablers from across the country.
Discussions during the dialogue focused on the structural gaps and opportunities within Jharkhand’s startup ecosystem. Aditya Arora, CEO of Phad Capital, highlighted that while innovation exists in the state, the ecosystem fails to adequately support scaling startups, especially after Series B funding, calling for stronger policy backing.
Shweta Saxena of Soonicorn Ventures pointed out that weak local support systems and funding delays often force founders to relocate to other states. Manjeet Sahu, Director of L1 Healthcare, stressed the need for building a complete value chain linking ideas, institutions, markets, and capital, while Saurabh Jain, founder of Fun2Do Labs, spoke about the perception gap among investors towards Eastern India, which he said could be addressed through large-scale incubation programmes and a strong mentor network.
A key intervention came from Shivangi Jain, former Senior AVP at Startup India, DPIIT, who stated that Jharkhand lacks a dedicated startup dashboard and a single-point contact for founders.
Several major announcements were made during the dialogue. The launch of the ‘Third World Angel’ network was announced, aimed at funding startups across India with special participation from investors and entrepreneurs from Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. It was also announced that a major Demo Day will be organised in Jamshedpur on March 1, alongside the formal launch of ‘Navishkar 2026’. The next edition of the ‘Jharkhand to India’ dialogue will be held in Bengaluru in June.
The event also saw individual commitments of support from industry leaders. Rajni Kant Sinha, Founder and CEO of Serviz, announced comprehensive support, including funding, mentoring, and market access to a startup from Jharkhand through N.R.I.I.C. Shikha Suman of CureBay committed to mentoring three Jharkhand-based startups and assisting with their go-to-market strategies. Aditya Arora of Phad Capital announced funding support for five startups, while Amit Kumar of Dropty and Saurabh Jain, founder of Fun2Do Labs, pledged continued mentoring and funding assistance to promising ventures.
