Jagriti And Zoho Join Hands To Build Digital Innovation Ecosystem In Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal)

Jagriti, a non-profit that nurtures and promotes entrepreneurship in small towns and non-urban areas, announced today that it has partnered with Zoho Corp., a global technology company headquartered in Chennai, to set up a Digital Centre of Excellence (CoE) at its upcoming campus at Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. The Digital CoE will aim to incubate 3500 local SMEs, and provide technology support to 20,000 other companies, thereby promoting decentralised development and creation of local intellectual property.

The centre is one among the six CoEs being set-up in the new 6-acre campus of Jagriti Enterprise Centre-Purvanchal (JECP) in Deoria. The six CoEs will cater to SMEs in Deoria and 15 surrounding districts, and focus on different areas, namely: Agro-processing, Healthcare, Digital, Women, Rurbanization, and Handicraft & Apparel.

As a key partner for JECP’s Digital CoE, Zoho aims to create an innovation sandbox in Purvanchal by bringing its knowledge, expertise, and resources to the entrepreneurs in the region. This includes support in the form of technology, training, mentorship, and more.

Sridhar Vembu, CEO and Co-founder, Zoho Corp. said: "We are invested in creating knowledge hubs, and promoting R&D and entrepreneurship, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas. Only by decentralising development and tapping into the talent pool that exists in villages and small towns will we be able to develop technological capabilities and know-how necessary for a resilient economy. While we have been undertaking such initiatives in southern India, this partnership enables us to expand them to the north as well."

Speaking on behalf of Jagriti, Shashank Mani, Founder of JECP said, “Zoho’s values and vision are very similar to Jagriti. They seek to impact the small towns and districts of India with a deliberate long-term approach. The Jagriti Enterprise Centre-Purvanchal, and this partnership for the Digital CoE exemplifies these values, and will accelerate inclusive growth in Purvanchal that creates employment in this region.”

Shoaib Ahmed, Chair of JECP Digital CoE said, “Jagriti is a pioneer in focusing on enterprises in Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts. This journey started a decade back with our flagship programme Jagriti Yatra, which has produced 6,000 leaders. JECP and Digital CoE are the culmination of that effort, providing those in Purvanchal a world-class centre in 'Middle India'.”

Praval Singh, VP - Marketing & Customer Experience, Zoho Corp. said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has proven that digital transformation is the key enabler for SMEs, providing them the agility to pivot and adapt to changing market conditions and seize emerging opportunities. The Digital CoE will enable local enterprises to capitalize on this trend by utilising Zoho's resources and expertise."

Building India through Enterprise

Jagriti, a renowned non-profit organization that has been positively influencing the country's youth through its various initiatives for over two decades, believes that entrepreneurial energy in Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts in "Middle India" has to be mobilized for revival and growth of the region, and of the country. According to a Nesta report, Jagriti is “one of the few incubators beyond metros focused on small towns and districts, particularly Uttar Pradesh where employment and entrepreneurship is most needed”.

About Jagriti

Jagriti, a non-profit organization works on the core belief that well supported leaders can create local enterprise and employment to foster inclusive growth. Jagriti has demonstrated the impact of their work by inspiring leaders, creating networks, establishing enterprise templates with multiplier effect. It has worked on a 3 x I framework for its activities that link Inspiration, Incubation and Innovation in Tier 2, Tier 3 districts. Through its flagship program Jagriti Yatra it has created an alumni network of 6,000 young leaders, with 40% women participation and 28% rate of enterprise creation, catalyzing economic momentum in their regions. A visionary incubation and innovation centre, Jagriti Enterprise Centre-Purvanchal (JECP) being set-up in Deoria in eastern Uttar Pradesh has a 6-acre campus next to an inspiring Banyan tree which has been promoting small and medium enterprises in the 15 districts surrounding Deoria. It will have six Centres of Excellence (CoE), focusing on local innovation in Agro-processing, Healthcare, Digital, Women, Rurbanization, and Handicraft & Apparel.

About Zoho

With 50+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho is one of the world's most prolific software companies. Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 9,000 employees. Zoho is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in the United States, India, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates. Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. More than 60 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself.