Bhubaneswar: It all started in January this year when Startup Odisha’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Omkar Rai, had a meeting with billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper in Bhubaneswar during the latter’s visit to the state wherein the duo discussed the prospects of establishing a Draper Startup House in the State capital.
Ever since Startup Odisha has been making every possible effort to materialize and give it a shape. Now, six months down the line, the slated visit of Karan Bahadur, Co-Founder & Head of Operations at Draper Startup House, India to Startup Odisha elicits hope that these efforts will likely bear fruits and a ‘Draper Startup House’ in Bhubaneswar would soon be a reality.
A Draper Startup House would add to the building up of a world-class startup ecosystem in Odisha by leveraging it with the global entrepreneurial ecosystem and providing the best of the resources to the startups in Odisha, including financial. It would foster connections with venture capitalists and angel investors across the globe besides providing a co-living space where startup entrepreneurs, investors, founders, mentors, and other stakeholders of the startup ecosystem in Odisha would be able to work in close consonance and coherence.
The proposed visit sends a positive signal among all the stakeholders of the Startup ecosystem in Odisha who are hopeful that setting up a ‘Draper Startup House’ in Bhubaneswar will open the door to a sea of opportunities and provide global avenues. Further, it would also help position Odisha as a Startup Hub keeping pace with the most advanced and futuristic startup ecosystem around the world. It is worth mentioning that Draper Startup House supports startup entrepreneurs across the world with a vision and mission to one million entrepreneurs by 2030. Draper Startup House locations are for traveling startup founders, digital nomads, and other remote workers.
Eliciting hope that something significant is coming down the pike following the visit of Mr. Bahadur, Dr. Rai enumerated, “The upcoming meeting will foster and embolden the prospects of collaboration between O-Hub and Draper Startup House, wherein both organizations would work towards mutual growth opportunities and strengthening the startup ecosystem in the State of Odisha”.
Further, during his stay in Bhubaneswar, Mr. Karan Bahadur would be meeting local startups, incubators, and prominent industry leaders, aiming to gain a comprehensive insight and understanding of the startup landscape in the state.
