- Fostering Collaboration to Propel Tamil Nadu to Sectoral Leadership
Feb 26, 2024 – Tamil Nadu: StartupTN, the State Nodal Agency for Startup and Innovation under the Government of Tamil Nadu’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, unveiled the Industry 4.0 & Advanced Manufacturing Forum on Monday as part of its sectoral initiatives.
The forum inauguration took place at the CMRL Building Auditorium in Nandanam, attended by Thiru. Sivarajah Ramanathan, Mission Director & CEO of StartupTN, government officials, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders from the sectors.
Thiru. Sivarajah Ramanathan stated that StartupTN aims to establish forums for all 30 identified crucial sectors. Led by stakeholders with support from StartupTN, each sector will have a designated representative to facilitate discussions.
He underscored the state government’s commitment to raising Industry 4.0 awareness among SMEs, particularly in southern regions where exposure to this technological advancement is relatively less.
Furthermore, he highlighted corporate leaders’ keen interest in collaborating with startups, offering a significant opportunity for direct engagement and co-innovation activities.
To foster collaboration, StartupTN introduced an Open Innovation portal connecting corporates/industries with startups and innovators to address problem statements. The goal is to have 100 companies posting their problem statements on the portal by the end of 2024.
Mr. Vish Sahasranamam, Co-Founder and CEO of Forge Innovation & Ventures, emphasized the transformative impact of industry-startup collaborations on the economy, drawing parallels with Silicon Valley’s growth.
Gaurav Daga, Associate Vice President at Guidance Tamil Nadu, highlighted the government’s efforts to enhance access to finance, technology utilization, and skill development through initiatives like the Naan Mudhalvan scheme.
During the event, StartupTN signed two MoUs: one with Bootstrappers Research Council for Virtual Incubation and IPR Support, and another with Forge Innovation & Ventures for Industrial Innovation & Growth Partnership.
A Panel Discussion titled ‘Open Industrial Innovation through Startups: Redefining Manufacturing & Value-Chains’ moderated by Mr. Vish Sahasranamam, featured Thiru. Sivarajah Ramanathan, Mr. Dhinesh Kanakaraj, Mr. Sekar Udayamurthy, and Mr. Moorthi Kanagaraj, exploring new avenues for manufacturing innovation.
