In a significant boost to its innovation economy, the Goa government has approved seed funding for eight promising startups and provided grants to ten student-led projects. The decisions were made during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Empowered Committee Selects Top Innovators
The meeting of the empowered committee reviewed applications for the state's Seed Capital Scheme. Officials from the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication revealed that the Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SITPC) had initially received 27 applications from startups seeking financial support.
After a detailed initial evaluation, the list was shortlisted to 16 startups for further scrutiny by the committee. From this competitive pool, the committee, led by CM Sawant, gave the final nod to eight startups to receive the seed capital.
Funding Diverse Tech Sectors
The selected startups represent a wide spectrum of modern technology sectors, showcasing the diversity of innovation emerging from Goa. During the meeting, these startups presented solutions developed within the state across fields including IT, artificial intelligence, health tech, tourism tech, OTT media service, media tech, edtech, e-commerce, and fintech.
The Seed Capital Scheme is a cornerstone of the Goa Startup Policy 2025. It offers a one-time financial assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh to early-stage startups that have developed a viable product or prototype.
Student Innovation Gets a Financial Boost
Beyond supporting registered startups, the committee also incentivized innovation at the campus level. Under the Campus Innovation Scheme, ten student projects were awarded Rs 50,000 each.
The funded projects from various engineering colleges include:
- Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology: A next-generation femur implant using optimized 3D-printed scaffolds for better biocompatibility, and an industrial safety system using real-time computer vision.
- Goa College of Engineering: An analysis tool built using a Konkani large language model, and an agriculture bot designed for smart farming.
- Padre Conceicao College of Engineering: Colony One, a residential management platform, and Aerovision, an autonomous drone for predictive intrusion defence.
- Don Bosco College of Engineering: Synapse-Connect, a framework integrating neuro-muscular signals, and a project exploring recyclable materials for 3D printing.
- Agnel Institute of Technology and Design: Smart Wear and Wingman, an assistive wearable device that translates sign language into text in real-time.
Goa's Rising Startup Profile
Commenting on the quality of applications, Rohan Khaunte, the Minister for IT, Electronics and Communications, expressed strong optimism. He stated that the level of innovation witnessed reaffirms that Goa is rapidly emerging as a serious contender in India's startup landscape.
This concerted push through financial grants for both established startups and student projects underscores the state government's strategy to foster a robust, homegrown ecosystem of technology and innovation, moving beyond its traditional economic pillars.
