The startup ecosystem in Assam is showing robust entrepreneurial participation across sectors, with half of such enterprises being run by women founders, a recent survey has found.

The 'Assam Startup Ecosystem Report' of the IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) covered 116 startups across the northeastern state and examined its emerging startup landscape, maturity of its ventures, opportunities and challenges faced by entrepreneurs and interventions required to build a stronger and more connected ecosystem.

The startups surveyed were from a diverse range of sectors, including agriculture and food, IT and technology, handloom and handicrafts, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, education, tourism and hospitality, and construction and real estate.

The survey found strong participation of women, with 52.6% of the startups covered having women founders.

A major challenge revealed in the survey was lack of access to institutional capital.

A total of 67.9% of the startups surveyed identified a dearth of institutional funding as a major systemic challenge, pointing to the need to broaden funding pathways and improve connections between startups and sources of capital.

At the individual level, 60.3% of entrepreneurs cited a lack of business knowledge, 58.6% highlighted limited awareness and exposure to the startup ecosystem, and 43.1% pointed to a lack of technical know-how.

The report recommended addressing these areas through entrepreneurship education, stronger mentor and professional service networks, industry-academia collaboration, B2B networking and exposure platforms, improved technology infrastructure and local tech support, while strengthening market linkages for emerging ventures.

IIMCIP chairman Ajay Jain said, "Assam's entrepreneurial ecosystem has gained tremendous momentum, and its future is very promising.

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