Startup Summit Nepal 2025 highlights AI policy, cross‑border collaboration; Dragon Warriors crowned pitching winners

KATHMANDU: The Startup Network Nepal (TSN) organised the Startup Summit Nepal 2025, a national innovation and entrepreneurship conference, in Kathmandu on Saturday. The summit brought together founders, investors, policymakers and international partners to discuss ways to accelerate Nepal’s startup ecosystem.

Held in collaboration with PHDCCI (India‑Nepal Centre) and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), the event ran under the theme “Fostering global collaboration, building beyond borders” and addressed rising entrepreneurial ambition, increased digital adoption and a youth‑led innovation movement.

At the inauguration, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel said the government had enacted the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy within three months and is working to lay the foundation for Digital Nepal. He urged organisers to form a team to collaborate with the government on entrepreneurship, IT and innovation and asked them to submit a proposal. “We are eager to work together and create opportunities,” he said.

Former Indian ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri praised Gen Z for driving startup ideas and global change, saying tech, AI and startups are attracting major investment and that Nepal has high potential for future unicorns. Charu Chada, Editor of Media Nine, mentioned that companies such as Fusemachines reach global prominence after achieving success and praised early media coverage that identifies talent.

CNI President Birendra Raj Pandey stressed the need for practical policies, mentorship and incubation, noting CNIYEF has launched an incubation centre in Koshi Province and is in talks with the government to establish a national centre.

The summit featured two high‑level panels on India‑Nepal collaboration and the role of AI and data infrastructure, where panellists discussed cross‑border collaboration, investment readiness, regional market access, AI adoption, data governance and cybersecurity, and highlighted opportunities in data centres and renewable energy.

A Startup Pitching Competition saw Team Dragon Warriors take first place, followed by Team Meme Patra and Team Sodhera. Dragon Warriors received Rs 50,000, a featured advertisement in The Himalayan Times and 5,000 SMS credits from Sparrow SMS.

Organisers said the summit served as a convergence platform to accelerate Nepal’s startup ecosystem through collaboration, investment and global connectivity. Leading partners included NIMB Ace Capital, CG Holdings, Suzuki, Mahalaxmi Bikas Bank, CG Cement and NMB Bank, with media and incubation support from outlets such as Business 360 Magazine, WOW Magazine and Embark College.