Gurgaon: After two 'formal inaugurations' and missing a number of deadlines, the ambitious startup warehouse, which was proposed around two years ago to support entrepreneurs, is likely to open its doors by the end of this month, officials claimed.
The facility, conceived in association with Nasscom in July 2015, was slated to be launched by the end of the same year. However, it missed the first deadline and the launch was rescheduled for August 2016. The project was delayed further, but chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the under-construction facility, coming up on a 16-acre campus in Udyog Vihar, virtually from Chandigarh at the end of 2016.
A warehouse is nothing but a co-working facility, where startups get access to dedicated desks, meeting rooms, event space, etc. Also, startups get the opportunity to connect with investors, mentors, corporates and be a part of training and workshops conducted by various industry leaders. But, even after the 2016 launch, the warehouse failed to host any startup, undermining the objective.
In August, the chief minister inaugurated the centre again, along with the state startup policy, at Digital Haryana Summit, though the facility was not ready.
"The prolonged delay has mainly been due to the delay in release of funds from the government's end and other bureaucratic hurdles," said a source in the know of the matter. Nevertheless, government officials working on the project refuted the allegation. "The warehouse has been delayed as we changed and improved the project plan in between a couple of times. Finally, the centre is being launched with more capacity than decided earlier," said an official at the state IT department.
He added that the warehouse was now in the last leg of completion and around eight startups would start working from the centre by the end of this month. Nasscom officials confirmed it and said that the screening committee was already in the process of finalising the list of entrepreneurs, who would be working from the centre. "The screening committee is currently interviewing entrepreneurs and assessing their applications. A few have already been finalised and will start operations out of the campus from this month," said a Nasscom official.
The facility, conceived in association with Nasscom in July 2015, was slated to be launched by the end of the same year. However, it missed the first deadline and the launch was rescheduled for August 2016. The project was delayed further, but chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the under-construction facility, coming up on a 16-acre campus in Udyog Vihar, virtually from Chandigarh at the end of 2016.
A warehouse is nothing but a co-working facility, where startups get access to dedicated desks, meeting rooms, event space, etc. Also, startups get the opportunity to connect with investors, mentors, corporates and be a part of training and workshops conducted by various industry leaders. But, even after the 2016 launch, the warehouse failed to host any startup, undermining the objective.
In August, the chief minister inaugurated the centre again, along with the state startup policy, at Digital Haryana Summit, though the facility was not ready.
"The prolonged delay has mainly been due to the delay in release of funds from the government's end and other bureaucratic hurdles," said a source in the know of the matter. Nevertheless, government officials working on the project refuted the allegation. "The warehouse has been delayed as we changed and improved the project plan in between a couple of times. Finally, the centre is being launched with more capacity than decided earlier," said an official at the state IT department.
He added that the warehouse was now in the last leg of completion and around eight startups would start working from the centre by the end of this month. Nasscom officials confirmed it and said that the screening committee was already in the process of finalising the list of entrepreneurs, who would be working from the centre. "The screening committee is currently interviewing entrepreneurs and assessing their applications. A few have already been finalised and will start operations out of the campus from this month," said a Nasscom official.
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