India needs more startups in agriculture space, says CEO of Deshpande Startups
Karthik Sankaran, CEO of Hubali-based startup incubator Deshpande Startups. The startup ecosystem has a great future but the success rate seen in the agriculture space has been comparatively lower, he says. Sankaran, a semiconductor technologist, laments that India doesn’t have a single unicorn in the agriculture space.
During an interaction with ET, Sankaran explains how Deshpande Startups aims to enable startups that solve problems for semi-urban and rural India. Edited excerpts:
The Economic Times (ET): How is it to head a startup incubator that mainly aims to help companies which focus on rural areas?
Karthik Sankaran (KS): It is an honour and privilege to be a part of Deshpande Startups, which has supported over 400 startups since 2017. Most of the startups have been founded by entrepreneurs from tier-2 and -3 cities or have addressed problems of rural India.
ET: Please take us through the aspects of entrepreneurship, startup growth and ESG initiatives at Deshpande Startups.
KS: Deshpande Startups aims to enable startups that solve problems for semi-urban and rural India. We offer incubation programmes in the proof-of-concept stage and acceleration programmes for startups in the early revenue phase. We offer mentorship and market connect to make startups investment-ready. We also connect them with investors when they are ready.
In our incubation programme, we aim to foster an entrepreneurial mindset. Deshpande Startups also works with universities to offer
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