GeM Startup Workshops

Author: Nishant Malhotra
 

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and the Startup India team at Invest India conducted six workshops in Delhi, Gurgaon and Haryana to help startups register on the GeM platform. These workshops specifically focused on helping startups know about the benefits of being a DPIIT recognized startup on GeM and how this can make the Government departments their prime customer and get all their queries resolved. More than 120 startups registered on the portal during these workshops. On 19 Feb 2019, Hon’ble Ex-Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu, launched the GeM Startup Runway. This runway hosts the following benefit for startups: 

• Exemptions on Prior Experience, Prior Turnover and Earnest Money Deposits requirements.
• An opportunity for startups to work on a trial order with the Government on a voluntary basis. These trial orders give the buyer an option to test waters and be sure while procuring unprecedented products.
• Feedback mechanism for the buyers to rate the startup products and help the startup finetune their innovations.
• Removal of category issues on GeM for startups, enabling innovative products and services to be published on a Government platform.

The GeM Startup Runway is a great success for startups who are looking forward to working with Government Departments. Many startups have got trial orders and have received more than 3 positive feedbacks from different departments. Following are a few success stories:

• DPIIT Recognized Startup Kritsnam Technologies is a startup working in the field of water management to tackle the extremes of both flood and drought situations. The startup has received three trial orders from IIT Kanpur, Ganga Flood Control Commission in Patna and Central Water Commission through the GeM Startup Runway.
• Troika Trans Solutions has worked with 12 Government departments and is providing their mPOS devices, LED Lamps and Biometric Identification equipment to enhance daily activities in these departments. Police Department and Transport Department in Chandigarh are also implementing their devices for e-challan. The startup has sold goods worth INR 28 lakhs through GeM.
• H2O Mantra, a water-purification startup has worked with 4 Government departments to provide clean water and has received orders worth INR 1.3 Crores through GeM. The startup is working on the banks of Narmada River near Bhopal to purify river water an provide clean water at a district level.

Since the integration between GeM and Startup India, more than 2500 startups have availed this opportunity and registered on GeM. They have sold products and services worth more than INR 400 Crores! Startup India and GeM are making efforts to bridge this gap between government departments and startups, thus, enabling innovations to meet opportunities.