Sikkim Government Partners with IIMCIP to Support 250 Startups

The Commerce & Industries Department, Government of Sikkim, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP). Under the agreement, IIMCIP has been appointed as the Lead Incubation Partner for the state’s startup ecosystem through the Sikkim Innovation Hub. The agreement was signed on September 27, 2026, at Manan Kendra in Gangtok by Karma D. Youtso, Secretary, Commerce & Industries Department and Gaurav Kapoor, Chief Business Officer, IIMCIP.

The 36-month partnership will support the implementation of the Sikkim Startup Policy 2025 under the Sikkim INSPIRES programme. It aims to create pathways for entrepreneurs from idea validation to incubation, market access and investment. The Sikkim Innovation Hub in Gangtok will serve as the central platform for the state, coordinating incubation, mentoring, prototyping support, market linkages, investor connections and regulatory guidance.

Incubation Opportunities to Expand for Students and Young Entrepreneurs

Under the programme, a hub-and-spoke model will be adopted. District-level incubation centres will be established, including existing centres at ATTC, Bardang and CCCT, Chisopani, along with new centres. This will extend support to entrepreneurs beyond the state capital. Dedicated Incubation Managers will work directly with local entrepreneurs and provide support through outreach, pre-incubation and early-stage handholding.

IIMCIP will design and implement pre-incubation, incubation and acceleration programmes. These will cover business model development, market validation, prototyping, financial planning and enterprise formalisation. Supported ventures will get opportunities to connect with domain mentors, investors and industry partners. They will also receive support related to compliance, intellectual property and business documentation.

The partnership will also organise district-level bootcamps, ideathons and startup-academia engagements. In addition, Entrepreneurship Promotion Cells are planned across higher education institutions to identify entrepreneurial talent among students and young people and connect them with the startup ecosystem.

Startup and Entrepreneurship Network to Expand Across Higher Education Institutions

Over three years, the programme aims to provide incubation support to 250 startups and enterprises, operationalise four district incubation centres and contribute to more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. At least 40% of the supported ventures are targeted to be women-led. Progress will be tracked through indicators such as venture creation, revenue generation, employment, investment mobilisation and market access.