FM Sitharaman inaugurates IICA Conclave 2025,visits Startups

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the IICA North-East Conclave 2025 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong on Friday, July 11. The two-day conclave, themed “From Ideation to Incorporation,” aims to catalyse the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem across the North-Eastern region. During her visit, Sitharaman interacted with budding entrepreneurs and visited the Startup Exhibition showcasing 39 startups, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), financial institutions, and incubators from across the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman said, “Youngsters today are quickly catching up with what the world wants them to do and if the policy support also comes in parallelly, it marks a very good stage for entrepreneurship development.”She laid the foundation stone for the IICA North-East Regional Campus in Shillong, marking a significant step toward strengthening institutional infrastructure for advanced corporate governance, policy education, and entrepreneurship in the region. The Finance Minister also took part in the signing of seven strategic Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and leading academic and administrative institutions, including IIM Shillong and the Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute (MATI).

Youngsters today are quickly catching up with what the world wants them to do and if the policy support also comes in parallelly, it marks a very good stage for entrepreneurship development.

- Smt @nsitharaman at #IICANorthEastConclave2025 in Shillong, Meghalaya. pic.twitter.com/qqpAun0D3P

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) July 11, 2025

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma joined the Finance Minister at the inaugural ceremony, which was also attended by Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs;Donald Phillips Wahlang, Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya;and Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General & CEO, IICA.Organised by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the conclave is being held on July 11–12, 2025, at IIM Shillong and is envisioned as a strategic forum to advance innovation, incubation, and enterprise development across the North-East. The event includes senior representatives from leading institutions such as STPI, NSIC VC Fund Ltd., SIDBI, NABARD, DFS, PNB, SBICAPS, BSE, NSE, ICAI, ICSI, and ICMAI.

•Foundation Stone Laying: The IICA North-East Campus in Shillong will serve as a regional hub for capacity building, policy innovation, corporate training, and entrepreneurship support tailored to the specific needs and potential of the North-Eastern states.

•MoU Signing Ceremony: Seven institutional MoUs were signed with IIM Shillong, STPI, ICAI, ICSI, ICMAI, MATI, and the National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam, to bolster regional collaboration on incubation, compliance, capacity building, and knowledge exchange.

•Startup and Innovation Exhibition: The exhibition features 39 startups and ecosystem enablers from across the eight North-Eastern states, offering a vibrant platform for innovators to connect with investors, financial institutions, and policy-makers.

•Thematic Sessions: A range of discussions and engagements are being hosted around:

o Startup incorporation and regulatory guidance

o Incubation and innovation frameworks

o Seed to early-stage funding access

o Policy incentives for startups

o Women-led ventures and MSME growth

o Entrepreneurial skilling and employment strategies

o Fireside chats with successful founders and investors

IIM Shillong serves as the Knowledge Partner for the conclave, while several other organisations, including PRIME Meghalaya, SIDBI, SBI, PNB, NEC, STPI, BSE, NSE, and professional institutes such as ICAI, ICSI, and ICMAI, are partnering in the initiative.