New Delhi, Aug 30 (KNN) Before hosting the mega Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) in January 2019, Gujarat government is organizing a Vibrant Gujarat Start-up & Technology Summit 2018 on 11- 13 October, 2018 to ignite the spark of innovation and entrepreneurship among people.

The objective of the Summit is to showcase the forces driving India's and Gujarat's Start-up revolution and to strengthen the start-up ecosystem.

The program would comprise of talks by inspirational speakers, networking with business leaders/experts, interaction with Global Accelerators, display of Proof of Ideas, Mentoring/Evaluation, Funding options, validate and understand Next Generation changes, Grand Challenges, an Exhibition, etc.

The three days event will provide an excellent opportunity to start-ups and stakeholders to connect with the best and brightest minds to explore how to fuel their business growth.

Also to encourage innovation by startups, the Vibrant Gujarat Startup and Technology Summit will host a Grand Challenge with total prize money of Rs 3 Cr up for grabs.

The competition will seek innovative solutions that address India’s pressing problems under eight themes that includes Agritech, Fintech, Smart and Shared Mobility, Women-Centric Solutions, Manufacturing 4.0, Governance 2030, Maritime and Military Intelligence, and Healthtech. 

Also, for entries falling outside the ambit of these eight themes, there is a category called ‘other’ under which people can apply.

The Gujarat government wants to use the event as an opportunity to drive home the point that India is facing some very serious threats like pollution, water scarcity, lack of adequate healthcare etc. 

The challenge is open to applicants of all nationalities, age groups, and qualifications, but only startups registered/incubated in India are eligible to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Grand Challenge.

The last date of application for the Vibrant Gujarat Grand Challenge is September 10, 2018.

A Tech Exhibition will also be organized as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Startup and Technology Summit to showcase the “best in the next” in areas of digital solutions, ideas, innovations, new products, and visions

This will unite companies and countries, investors and innovators, projects and decision-makers.

The event will be paperless and the exhibition will feature theme pavilions, seminars within stalls, B2B and B2G meetings, innovative zones and product launches, and virtual stalls and real-time talking.