Kathmandu [Nepal], June 3 (ANI): As India and Nepal deepen their engagements across all fronts, the second cohort of the India-Nepal Startup Partnership Network (IN-SPAN) programme commenced from Monday. Under this, 25 Nepali startups are undergoing an eight-week, fully-funded training and innovation programme at IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation in Chennai, the Embassy of India in Kathmandu said in a press statement.

As per the press release on Tuesday, the inauguration ceremony was attended by Professor Mangala Sundar, Professor Gaurav Raina, Professor Preeti Aghalayam and MJ Shankar Raman, CEO of IIT Madras Pravartak.

Addressing the event virtually, Ambassador Naveen Srivastava appreciated the diverse cohort and encouraged the participants to explore collaboration with the Indian startup ecosystem.

The India-Nepal Startup Partnership Network (IN-SPAN) is a fully-funded bilateral programme that brings together emerging Nepali entrepreneurs and the Indian technology and startup ecosystem.

Delivered in collaboration with IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, IN-SPAN aims to catalyse cross-border innovation, foster investment linkages, and build enduring entrepreneurial partnerships between India and Nepal.

The statement highlighted how the IN-SPAN's first cohort, conducted at IIT Madras Pravartak during December 2025 to January 2026, set an exceptional precedent. Selected through a competitive process from approximately 250 applications, the 24 participants represented sectors including cybersecurity, e-commerce, AI, edtech, healthcare, drone technology, cleantech, agritech, legal tech, climate tech, aerospace and fintech.

Over a period of eight weeks, participants attended workshops by IIT Madras faculty, engaged with more than 25 CxOs of Indian startups, completed skill development modules in Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors and solar photovoltaics, and undertook internships at Indian startups. Most significantly, 9 Nepali startups received incubation and investment offers from the IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITM IC) and IIT Madras Pravartak.

IITM IC is one of India's premier deep tech incubators, with a combined portfolio valuation exceeding USD 6 billion.

The statement underlined how, originally envisaged as an annual programme, the remarkable response from Nepal's startup community prompted the decision to advance the second cohort to June 2026, which is a testament to the programme's demonstrated impact and popularity.

The second cohort comprises 25 startups selected from 380 applications across Nepal, representing a broad cross-section of high-growth industries: Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, clean technology, fintech, health technology, agritech, e-commerce, mobility, manufacturing and construction technology, FMCG, aerospace, Internet of Things (IoT) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

The Embassy extended its wishes to all the participants as they embark on this transformative journey of IN-SPAN. (ANI)