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The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Singapore Chapter, is working to empower early-stage startups with the Capital, mentorship, networks and global platforms they need to scale, chairperson Anuradha Shroff has said.\u00a0 \u201cAs we are working in a global business community, we are promoting India-Singapore startup community for long-term prosperity of the youth-led innovative businesses,\u201d Shroff told on Saturday after hosting a demo-day innovation demonstration and investor pitching sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year is special for more reasons than one as Singapore celebrated its 60 years of independence and 60 years of diplomatic relations with India,\u201d said the veteran of managing international businesses for over three decades. \u201cWhen two nations innovate together, innovation doubles,\u201d underlined Shroff, adding that the cross-border programme connected startups from both countries. India has over 100,000 startups, while Singapore has a growing community, currently estimated to be closer to 50,000 startups.<\/p>\n
The evening also featured a keynote address by Former Union Minister CA Suresh Prabhu. A cohort of twenty startups participated in \u201cThe NEXTLEAP Accelerator Program\u201d, an initiative by the ICAI Singapore Chapter in collaboration with BeyondSeed, an Indian-origin investor group based in Singapore, supporting early-stage innovations with support from the Committee on MSME & Start-ups of ICAI.<\/p>\n
These startups went through an intensive eight-week journey of masterclasses, one-on-one mentorship and a rigorous, multi-layer evaluation by external juries with top 10 startups pitching directly to an investor panel on Demo Day. Kuldeep Mirani, Founder & CEO of BeyondSeed, highlighted the India\u2013Singapore opportunity, reinforcing the purpose behind The NEXTLEAP collaboration.<\/p>\n
Speakers at the sessions, held on November 20, highlighted India\u2019s thriving startup ecosystem and shared insights on unlocking collaborative pathways. Gyan Chandra Misra, Chairman, Committee on MSME & Start-ups of ICAI, elaborated on India\u2019s dynamic economic, digital, and startup landscape. Ignatius Rasiah, Program Director at the National University of Singapore (NUS), spoke about innovation, leadership and the evolving startup landscape of Singapore.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n