Naveen launches world class start-up hub ‘O-Hub'

Bhubaneswar, Dec 18: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated O-Hub, a flagship initiative of Government of Odisha, to support start-up formation and subsequent scale-up. The state-supported incubation hub is located in the Special Economic Zone, Patia Bhubaneswar and offers 1,50,000 square feet area with state-of-the art facility, plug-n-play infrastructure to support start-up activities within the state. This initiative would provide a platform for Innovators and Entrepreneurs to develop products or services establish formal businesses and interact with stakeholders of the ecosystem. Inaugurating this world class incubation centre, the Chief Minister said that O-Hub will be the first point to identify the best in the industry for co-creation and development of business with their new ideas and it will be a conglomerate for business houses and innovation. The CM said that now the innovators, mentors, corporate partners, ecosystem enablers and facilitators-- all of them will work under one roof. Start-ups being the agents of economic freedom, ideas and innovation, the CM added that O-hub will facilitate 200 start-ups every year in diverse sectors like healthcare, renewable energy, ICT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality/virtual reality, internet of things, handlooms and handicrafts, agri-tech and many more. Expressing happiness over creation of more than 1200 start-ups so far under Odisha Start-up Policy 2016 that have generated 10 thousand employments in the state, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that the State will achieve the goal of 5000 start-ups by 2025.  O-hub will be a propellant to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship by providing end-to-end assistance to a start-up during their start up journey, he added. Patnaik said that start-up movement in Odisha is growing every day and start-up Odisha has been a catalyst to this movement, driving them by energy, enterprise and innovation. The State has proposed in the new draft policy 2021 to reach out to the young minds in school by adding entrepreneurship as a part of the school curriculum, the CM announced. He said that the narrative of Odisha is changing and progressing towards a new world of ideas, innovations & a budding entrepreneurial community. We are on a path of resurgent Odisha scripting new stories of success in all fields. He wished success to the budding entrepreneurs.