Rajasthan IT Day 2023: State Govt To Host Three-Day Event To Boost Entrepreneurial Spirit

In its endeavour to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship in the region, the Rajasthan government is all set to host Rajasthan IT Day from March 19 to March 21 in Jaipur. 

The three-day event, which will be addressed by CM Ashok Gehlot, aims to bring together its youth, startups, investors, corporate leaders, and academicians under one roof.

With more than 50K attendees, the event is expected to witness the participation of several industry bodies and stakeholders of the Indian startup ecosystem.

Some of the key speakers that are expected to attend the event include the erstwhile MD of BharatPe, Ashneer Grover; the cofounder of Primus Partner, Charu Malhotra; the cofounder of PhysicsWallah, Prateek Maheswari; author Chetan Bhagat; and filmmaker Kabir Khan, just to name a few.   

At the heart of this event rests the state government’s earnest attempt to help young innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs connect with the key leaders of the country’s startup ecosystem. By the end of the event, these innovators and entrepreneurs will be nudged to pitch their ideas to investors and get their backing.

The three-day event is divided into different modules, which are as follows:

Round Table Conferences

The round table conference will host key industry stakeholders and leaders from diverse industries and backgrounds who will speak about current and upcoming startup trends. They will help aspiring entrepreneurs of the state to decode strategies to create solutions and products that can disrupt the current market trends. 

There will also be discussions between the state government and the startup leaders on government initiatives. Multiple topics will be discussed in depth in the form of power talks, engaging fireside chats and panel discussions.

Startup Expo & Startup Bazaar

The 100+ startups recognised by the state government will showcase their products and services at the startup expo, giving the participants direct access to a market and networking opportunity with key state government officials. 

Meanwhile, the Startup Bazaar will be a mock marketplace wherein the participating startups will exhibit their creations to the attendees of the event, including investors. There will be more than 80 products on display that can be bought from the startups on the spot. 

Hackathon 7.0

The seventh edition of the hackathon will be a 24-hour coding competition, which will give developers and designers an opportunity to showcase their skills to create innovative solutions. The competition will be held online and offline, with three winners emerging. 

While the winner will take home INR 25 Lakhs, along with the opportunity to work with the state government, innovators grabbing the second and third spot will get INR 20 Lakh and INR 15 Lakh, respectively.

The themes for the competition are set around social impact, sustainability, blockchain, education, AI, financial inclusion, and augmented and virtual reality, among others. 

Funding Day For The Startups

The evaluation committee, under the Rajasthan Startup Policy, 2022, will evaluate the startups for funding. The participants will be given an opportunity to pitch their ideas in the presence of well-known angel investors and VC firms.  

Mega Job Fair

The Department of Information Technology & Communication (DoIT&C) will organise a job fair at Jaipur’s Commerce College on March 20 and March 21. 

More than 400 companies across sectors like IT, consulting, automobiles, BPO, finance and manufacturing will be present at the event. Students pursuing higher studies in technical education can reach out to these companies.

Besides the scheduled events, attendees can also look forward to a drone show and participating in a marathon covering all significant landmarks of Jaipur.

Launch of The Digital Rajasthan Yatra 3.0 Coffeetable Book

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will unveil The Digital Yatra Coffeetable Book. The Yatra, carried out by Inc42 in collaboration with the Rajasthan state government endeavoured to show digital transformation across Rajasthan. A team of Inc42 travelled across the lengths and breadths of the state from 13th November to 25th November 2022, covering Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Jaipur and Bikaner. 

The team encapsulated how the digital wave has transformed the lives of the citizens of Rajasthan and automated government processes for seamless and streamlined operations, bringing 20 endearing stories of grit and eagerness to learn.

These stories tell how technology has reached the remote corners of the state, further helping its citizens scale their businesses, learn new skills and broaden their scope for better job opportunities, thus, creating a larger social impact.

Rajasthan Startups In The Goldilocks Zone

The Rajasthan government’s efforts to push the state towards digitalisation have so far resulted in the birth of around 3,000 registered startups. According to the government, startup registrations in the state grew 89% in 2022 to 641 from 339 startups a year ago.

It’s worth noting that the istartup-registered (incubator programme started by the state government) startups saw a 260% jump in funding in 2022 to INR 12.32 Cr from INR 3.39 Cr in 2021, hinting at how the state has captured investors’ interest.

The most active venture capitalists in Rajasthan are Sequoia, Hillhouse Capital, IFC, and Warburg Pincus, as per Inc42’s startup funding report.

CarDekho, an automobile marketplace, became Rajasthan’s first unicorn after it raised $250 Mn from Sequoia at a $1.2 Bn valuation in October 2021. 

Since then, the state has churned out many innovative startups such as agritech startup FreshoKartz, telemedicine MedCords, edtech startup Culture Alley, and online furniture marketplace Wooden Street, just to name a few.