Nepal Communitere graduates Chitwan Startups!

After a year of working with Chitwan entrepreneurs, Nepal Communitere is extremely proud to announce that seven startups will be successfully graduating from the I-Cube business incubation program in Chitwan!

The dream team behind implementing the I-Cube business incubation program in Chitwan.

Following the successful Demo Day pitches and graduation of our first cohort of startups incubated through the I-Cube program in Dec 2018, many of our community members has been calling on Nepal Communitere to expand its incubation work. In particular, Nepal Communitere was hearing a lot of buzz of the emerging startup scenes in urban hubs outside of Kathmandu. Yet, we were not completely sure whether Nepal Communitere was ready to expand. 

Part of the success of Kathmandu-based cohort was because of the NC teams on the ground presence and ability to iterate the program to be more in line with entrepreneurial needs. Replicating this, would require local buy-in and a team of coaches and mentors on the ground to help mold the program according to the local context.

Meeting with local stakeholders to bring the I-Cube Program to Chitwan.

With these concerns in mind, Nepal Communitere approached the Antarprerana team about collaborating to bring a version of the I-Cube Program to a city outside of the Valley. Through Antarprerana’s own work with entrepreneurs throughout Nepal, their team believed Chitwan was ready to take a bold direction to support local startups. In January 2019 with the support of the Nepal Communitere team, Antarprerana began a scoping project to understand how a version of the I-Cube business incubation program that could be brought to Chitwan. The scoping team set out to first establish a steering committee of local stakeholders representing members from Chitwan’s local government, business chambers and academia.

In March 2019, the I-Cube Program in Chitwan was officially launched, with the Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI) providing a space to house the incubation center and  Presidency College of Management acting as a knowledge partner. A local Chitwan incubation team was also brought in to manage the Chitwan-based program.

I-Cube Chitwan business coaches make site visits to do one-on-one coaching sessions with the Chitwan startups.

The seven startups completed a rigorous 6 month version of the I-Cube Program adapted for Chitwan, at the incubation center set up in the Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industries. These startups include Book Kinbech, Hamro Electronics, Ujjyalo Bijuli, Smart Home Solutions, Malpot.com, Swastik Uniform and Niure Pashu Bikash Farm. All of the startups and their founding members are based in Chitwan. Similar to the Kathmandu-based cohort, each of the Chitwan startups have outlined milestones they would like to achieve by the end of 2020. Moving forward, the teams will be preparing a more detailed business plan as well to provide potential investors. 

List of Startups graduating from the I-Cube Program in Chitwan.

Name of CompanyDescription
Book KinbechA company that sells new and used books, with an office in Hakkim Chown, Chitwan.
Malpot.comA real estate service platform linking buyers, sellers and renters. The venture is housed under tech company IO Melody.
Hamro ElectronicsResell and maintenance of mobiles and watches.
Smart Home SolutionsEquips homes with secure, automated and efficient safety systems.
Ujjyalo BijuliOffers 24 hours on call electrical service by certified electricians.
Niure Pashu Bikash FarmsA cow farm that sells hormone-free dairy products.
Swastik UniformManufacture and design of school uniforms, T-shirts, bags.

If you are interested in learning more about the I-Cube business  incubation program in Chitwan or any of the startups graduating from the program, please reach out to [email protected].