Tripura Launches T-RISE to Power the Next Generation of Startups

2026-08-17 03:34:37 News & Society

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Agartala, 17 August 2026: Marking a significant milestone in Tripura's journey towards becoming a leading hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-driven growth in North-East India, the Directorate of Information Technology (DIT), Government of Tripura, in collaboration with T-Hub, Hyderabad- India’s leading innovation catalyst and pioneer in nurturing startups, today organized the "Building a Unicorn in Tripura" workshop at Pragya Bhavan, Agartala. The workshop, themed “Building a Unicorn in Tripura,” aims to inspire and equip the State’s emerging entrepreneurs to build high-growth, scalable ventures. A “Unicorn” refers to a privately held startup valued at over US$1 billion, and the initiative seeks to nurture the next generation of high-growth enterprises from Tripura. The event witnessed the launch of the T-RISE (Tripura Registry & Integration for Startup Ecosystem) Portal and the exchange of strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading industry partners to accelerate startup growth, innovation, and investment in the State.

The workshop reflected the vision of Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, who has consistently emphasized startups as engines of innovation, employment generation, and the realization of Viksit Bharat. Guided by the Startup India initiative, the Government of Tripura is building a vibrant startup ecosystem through progressive policies, robust institutional support, and strategic partnerships to nurture globally competitive enterprises.

In line with this vision, under the visionary leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tripura and the strategic guidance of Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Hon'ble Minister for Information Technology, Finance, Planning & Coordination, the Government of Tripura has launched the New Sector-Agnostic Tripura Startup Policy, a comprehensive framework to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment generation across all sectors. As part of this initiative, DIT has established T-NEST, the State-level incubation centre at the International Business Centre, Hapania, to provide startups with world-class incubation, mentorship, technical guidance, and market linkages. To further strengthen the ecosystem, DIT signed a strategic partnership with T-Hub as a knowledge partner, bringing its expertise, global networks, and accelerator programmes to support the implementation of the Startup Policy.

The workshop was inaugurated by Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Hon'ble Minister for Information Technology, Finance, Planning & Coordination in the esteemed presence of Shri Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary to Hon'ble Chief Minister, GA (Good Governance), Dr. P. K. Goyal, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology & Finance, Shri Jeya Ragul Geshan B, IFS, Director, Information Technology, along with senior Government officials, industry leaders, investors, startup founders, and representatives from academia and innovation ecosystems.

Addressing the gathering, the Hon'ble Minister, Information Technology reaffirmed the Government's commitment to fostering an innovation-led economy and empowering the youth to become entrepreneurs, job creators, and technology leaders. He emphasized that Tripura is creating an enabling ecosystem through progressive policies, digital infrastructure, and strategic collaborations to attract investment, promote innovation, and generate high-quality employment.

The programme also showcased the encouraging progress achieved under the New SectorAgnostic Tripura Startup Policy. Since its launch, over 185+ startup applications have been received, 140 registrations approved, and 70 startups recognized. Financial assistance exceeding ₹2.72 crore has already been extended through the Tri-Seed Fund, Proof of Concept (PoC) support, and operational assistance, enabling entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures.

A major highlight of the event was the launch of the T-RISE Portal — a unique, integrated single-window digital platform connecting startups, entrepreneurs, incubators, mentors, investors, academic institutions, and Government departments. The portal will provide access to a growing network of 20+ mentors, 10+ investors, 10+ corporates, incubators, and domain experts across technology, finance, marketing, legal, and business strategy, offering structured, on-demand support throughout the entrepreneurial journey. It will also connect Tripura’s global professional community of technology leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts with roots in the State, unlocking an important resource for the growth of its startup ecosystem.

Another significant milestone was the exchange of strategic MoUs with HDFC Bank Limited, Amazon Seller Services Private Limited (Amazon.in), and Zoho Corporation Private Limited. These collaborations will enable startups to access specialized financial products, digital business solutions, e-commerce and export opportunities, cloud technologies, mentorship, technical advisory services, and capacity-building programmes, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in national and global markets.

The workshop also featured expert-led mentoring sessions by T-Hub covering innovation management, business scaling, fundraising, and market expansion. An inspiring interaction with Mr. Tejaswi Bhagavatula, VP, Skyroot Aerospace, and other successful startup founders provided valuable insights into building high-growth enterprises. Skyroot Aerospace, India's first space-tech unicorn, has made history with Vikram-S, India's first privately developed rocket, and more recently with Vikram-I, which became the first privately developed Indian rocket to successfully reach orbit from Indian soil. These success stories inspired aspiring entrepreneurs to dream bigger and pursue globally competitive ventures from Tripura.

The workshop reaffirmed the Government of Tripura's commitment to build a future-ready, innovation-driven and pioneering startup ecosystem through progressive policy reforms, world-class incubation support, strategic industry partnerships, and digital innovation. These initiatives are expected to catalyse entrepreneurship, attract investments, create high-value employment opportunities, and firmly position Tripura as a pioneer and emerging destination for startups and innovation in Eastern India.