Secretary of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology S Krishnan addresses the Nagaland Digital Entrepreneurship & Startup Fest at NIELIT, Kohima on December 8. (DIPR Photo)
Nagaland Digital Entrepreneurship & Startup Fest at NIELIT spotlights avenues
Kohima, December 8 (MExN): The digital economy is expanding at twice the pace of the overall economy, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), S Krishnan, stated today.
Gracing the inaugural function of the Nagaland Digital Entrepreneurship & Startup Fest as the Special Guest on December 8 at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Kohima, he noted that India’s digital economy has doubled in recent years.
Citing a MeitY study, Krishnan highlighted that India’s digital economy accounted for about 6–7% of the economy before 2010, doubled by 2014, and is estimated to have reached around 20% by 2023.
He highlighted the abundant talent among Naga youth, particularly their creativity and English proficiency, and emphasised the role of institutions like NIELIT in nurturing these potential. Out of 55 NIELIT centres in India, he said, 20 are located in the North-East.
Dwelling on cyber security, he stressed that India cannot depend on foreign technologies in this critical area. He described the Cyber Security Lab at NIELIT Kohima as state-of-the-art and among the best in the country, contributing significantly to cyber policing, as per the State DIPR. He also appreciated the strong impression made by NIELIT Kohima and NIELIT Mokokchung at a recent AI event in New Delhi, it added.
Underlining the importance of entrepreneurship, Krishnan said startups play a vital role in job creation. He expressed hope that more startups and collaborations would emerge from the region. He also highlighted the importance of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in mobilising private equity and appreciated the functioning of STPI Kohima.
He suggested exploring the possibility of setting up a Software Park due to space constraints at STPI Kohima and urged the State to capitalise on its service-sector potential.
Krishnan also launched the Digital Learning and Simulation Hub, the Digital Delivery of Statutory Services initiative, and the Pulse App, an AI-powered news platform. The Conference Report of NCCDFI 2025 was also released.
The MeitY Secretary later interacted with participants at the event.
Meanwhile, Commissioner & Secretary, P&AR and Power, Mohammed Ali Shihab, noted that as Nagaland advances through a developmental phase with increasing engagement from development agencies, institutions like NIELIT hold an important role.
Earlier, Director of NIELIT Kohima, L Lanuwabang, welcomed the gathering.
In the technical session, Prof (Dr) Madan Mohan Tripathi delivered a special address, followed by mentor talks on scaling, fundraising and market access for digital startups. The “Been There, Done That: Honest Musings of Entrepreneurship” segment featured speakers from Kikonik Tech, JoldiPabo and Unimestudio.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on Nagaland’s Digital Opportunity – From Labs to Scalable Startups.
Startups honoured
Jointly organised by NIELIT Kohima and the Department of Information Technology & Communication, the programme also featured the presentation of the Nagaland Digital Startup Awards 2025.
Ahibi won the Best Seed Stage Startup award for its event-tech platform connecting artists, venues and audiences, with strong early adoption and a growing user base.
Kikonik Tech bagged the Most Innovative Early Stage Product award for Pikonik, a business operations app designed for small retailers and service providers.
JoldiPabo received the Outstanding Bootstrapped Success award for its rental and property-management platform, which has gained substantial traction even before full-scale tech deployment.
In the Innovative Startup (Non-Tech) category, 87T Entertainment emerged as the winner for its growing influence in curating live experiences and managing artists across major cultural platforms regionally and internationally.
Nagaland Digital Startup Awards 2025 winners
• Best Seed Stage Startup -Ahibi
• Most Innovative Early Stage Product: Kikonik Tech
• Outstanding Bootstrapped Success: JoldiPabo
• Innovative Startup (Non-Tech) category: 87T Entertainment
