FNCCI's forum leaders urge faster public-private collaboration

KATHMANDU: Leaders of the Start up & Innovation Forum under the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on Tuesday urged faster public‑private collaboration. They called for policy reforms, an investment‑friendly environment and expanded entrepreneurship development to boost startups and innovation in Nepal.

FNCCI Senior Vice President Anjan Shrestha said the startup ecosystem cannot be strengthened without innovation‑friendly policies and wider financial access, and he highlighted the need for increased cooperation between the private sector and the government. He said FNCCI will remain active in providing market access, mentorship and regulatory clarity to startups, and stressed that training, technical support and incubation services for innovative enterprises must be made more effective.

Vice President Hem Raj Dhakal said policy facilitation on taxes and investment was necessary to encourage startup and innovation enterprises.

Vice President Jyotsna Shrestha urged that women and youth entrepreneurship be placed at the centre of startup policy and called for expanded capacity‑building and networking programmes to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial environment.

Treasurer Bharat Raj Acharya emphasised the need to transform the Start up and Innovation Forum into a formal committee within FNCCI, noting that developing institutional standards was necessary for the forum’s growth.

From the government side, Engineer Umesh Kumar Gupta, Executive Director of the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute, said policy reforms had been made in the field of startups and innovation and that government entrepreneurship development programmes would be carried forward in collaboration with the private sector.

Forum Chairperson Juna Mathema outlined the forum’s recent activities, including partnership expansion, startup showcases and policy dialogue programmes, and stressed the importance of strengthening the entrepreneur‑investor platform in the coming days.