'Govt committed to address Gen Z aspirations'

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Dec 21: Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel has said that the government is committed to fulfill the aspiration of Gen-Z. 

Minister Kharel said that the current government formed on the strength of Gen-Z movement so has onus to listen to their aspiration.  

While speaking on the “Startup Summit Nepal 2025” on Saturday, the Minister said that the government’s commitment is intact to digital transformation, innovation, and startup-led economic growth.

On the occasion, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Kulman Ghising, through a video message shared perspectives on innovation, infrastructure, and human capital development. 

Acting Ambassador of Australia to Nepal, Greg Klemm reflected on the importance of global partnerships in strengthening Nepal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, also the Chair of India–Nepal Centre, emphasized the critical role of India–Nepal collaboration for scaling startups and fostering economic growth.

Envoy Puri urged to be active in your relationship with India and assure partner with India is always there. 

President, Confederation of Nepalese Industries, Birendra Raj Pandey, highlighted the importance of aligning startups, investors, and policymakers to drive innovation-led industrial growth.

The Summit conducted the Startup Pitching Competition, judged by Kanishka Dasgupta, Former Partner Director, Meta @ Aleph Group; Anil Keshary Shah, Former CEO, Nabil Bank Limited; Hoda Alkhzaimi, Co-Chair, Global Future Council for Cyber Security, World Economic Forum; andAmit Agrawal, Co-founder & Director, Khalti by IME Limited.

Team Dragon Warriors team received a growth-oriented prize package including NPR 50,000 in cash, on behalf of Himalayan Times, and 5,000 on behalf of Sparrow SMS, supporting early-stage visibility and customer outreach among others two teams- Meme Patra and Team Sodhera.

Sachindra Dhungana, Deputy CEO, NIMB Ace Capital Limited, and Umesh Kumar Gupta, Executive Director, IEDI, Government of Nepal, highlighting investment opportunities, incubation pathways, and policy frameworks to support startups.

Aditya Jha, COO of TSN, underscored the Summit as a catalyst for long-term ecosystem impact, reaffirming TSN’s commitment to translating dialogue into execution. Outcomes from the Summit are expected to feed into incubation and acceleration programs, investor engagement pipelines, cross-border partnerships, and policy advocacy, ensuring Nepali startups are locally relevant and globally competitive.