1. Turning Ideas into Action
The Bihar Idea Festival is a ground-breaking initiative designed to bring entrepreneurial dreams out of the shadows—from classrooms, villages, artisan clusters, and campuses—and turn them into impactful ventures.
2. A First-of-Its-Kind Digital Platform
Launched on July 14, 2025, by Industries Minister Nitish Mishra, the portal (accessible at startupbihar.in) enables students, innovators, farmers, artisans, and youth across 38 districts to submit their startup ideas easily, even from remote locations.
3. Mission: 10,000 Ideas, Countless Possibilities
The goal is ambitious: to collect over 10,000 innovative ideas, offering selected participants resources like seed funding (up to ₹10 lakh), mentorship, and technical support under the Startup Bihar Policy.
4. Spotlight on Grassroots
This initiative is all about inclusivity—especially uplifting women, rural youth, self-help groups, artisans, and first-generation entrepreneurs. Aspiring ‘Startup Didis’ are encouraged to step forward.
5. A Statewide Bus Yatra to Discover Ideas
A 45-day Startup Discovery Bus Yatra will tour all districts, targeting over 1 lakh raw ideas, reaching students, artisans, micro-entrepreneurs, and beyond.
6. Mentorship, Masterclasses, & More
From pitch deck workshops, go-to-market strategy sessions, to storytelling support by mentors like Shradha Sharma (YourStory CEO)—participants will receive holistic guidance.
7. Exposure & Market Access
Top 100 ideas will pitch to investors during the grand finale in Patna. Plus, 50 promising startups will enjoy national media exposure via YourStory’s “Changemaker Spotlight Series.
8. Economic Empowerment for Artisans
The GI Entrepreneurship Mission aims to promote GI-worthy products, establish 50,000+ digital storefronts (Flipkart Samarth, Amazon Karigar, ONDC), and drive local pride through identity-based innovation.
9. Early Successes & Local Impact
At Madhubani Engineering College, students embraced the startup ecosystem, with promising ideas receiving ₹10 lakh in seed funding, plus interest-free loans and acceleration support.
In Buxar’s Government Engineering College, notable student ventures in waste management and agri-tech received similar seed funding recognition.
10. Transforming Bihar’s Entrepreneurial Landscape
Bihar’s registered startup ecosystem has nearly tripled in a year—from 586 in 2024 to 1,522 in 2025. This initiative reinforces the state’s commitment to decentralized, grassroots innovation.
Summary at a Glance
| Step | Action | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launch platform & Bus Yatra | Engage all 38 districts |
| 2 | Collect 10,000 ideas | Enable rural inclusivity |
| 3 | Empower top ideas | Funding, mentorship |
| 4 | Spotlight winning innovation | Media & market access |
| 5 | Build long-term startup ecosystem | Sustainable growth, employment |
Why This Matters
- Inclusivity: Every township, every artisan, every student—anyone can innovate.
- Resource Access Without Migration: Local ideas get local opportunities.
- Skill Building: Workshops, mentorship, storytelling, pitching.
- Market Integration: GI products, online platforms, investor visibility.
- Women-Led Growth: ‘Startup Didis’ front and center.
Sources:
- Bihar Say – Bihar Idea Festival Portal Launched for Startups & Students biharsay.com
- YourStory – Bihar Idea Festival portal goes live: A new dawn for Bihar startups YourStory.com
- Times of India – Govt launches portal to collect 10k startup ideas The Times of India
- Economic Times – Bihar launches Startup Portal to gather 10,000 innovative ideas EconomictimesB2B.com
- Economic Times Government – Empowering 10,000 Entrepreneurs Across 38 Districts ETGovernment.com
- DevDiscourse – A New Era for Startups Devdiscourse
- CuriousCats/StartUpsUnion – 10,000 startup ideas sought in 45-day drive curiouscats.ai
- TOI News – Ideas Yatra to identify 1L startup concepts across state The Times of India
- Times of India – Bihar Startup Idea Festival at Madhubani Engineering College The Times of India
- News – Buxar Engineering College hosts Bihar Idea Festival The Times of India
