Innovation Mission Punjab Appoints Somveer Anand As New Director

* As Director, Anand to lead and scale the Mission which has been setup to spur entrepreneurship and innovation in Punjab and establish it amongst the top startup hubs in the country

* The Mission will be a one-stop shop for Startups and will bring the best investors and advisors to the State. 

Innovation Mission Punjab, a unique public-private initiative launched earlier this year to catalyse entrepreneurship in Punjab, has appointed Somveer Anand, a banker turned 2x entrepreneur, as the Director of the Mission.

Excited and geared up to contribute towards the growth of Startup ecosystem in the country and Punjab in particular, Mr Somveer Anand said, “Innovation Mission Punjab will create the right environment for Startups to thrive by providing curated mentorship and support for Startups through customised programs delivered virtually and physically. We will establish Punjab as a startup powerhouse through this Mission.”

Innovation Mission Punjab will look to harness the experience of its Board of Directors and leverage their connection to bring together the best mentors and create the ideal environment for Startups to thrive, thereby unleashing Punjab’s potential for economic growth.

In his capacity as Mission Director cum CEO, Mr Anand will lead the Mission to be a one-stop destination for all Startups in the region by bringing in the best of global investors and advisors, creating a virtual network of incubators and launching the Mission’s accelerator. The Mission will work with universities, schools, incubators, investors and industry towards the common objective of making Punjab a startup hotbed. “We will especially focus on promoting entrepreneurship amongst women.” added Mr Anand.

Mr Pramod Bhasin, Chairperson of Innovation Mission Punjab said that the Mission would build and scale Startups by leveraging the strengths of all those enterprising Punjabis who have made a mark with their entrepreneurial acumen and risk-taking capabilities. “The mission and the associated Startups will hugely benefit from Somveer’s remarkable execution and networking skills to meet our ultimate aim of establishing Punjab among India’s top three innovation hubs and putting it on the global startup map,” said Mr Bhasin while expressing his delight at Mr Somveer Anand’s appointment. “We will especially invest in sectors which are strengths for the State, like food and agriculture, biotechnology, manufacturing, sports, and media and entertainment,” he added.

Congratulating Mr Anand on assuming charge as the Mission Director, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Mr Tejveer Singh commented, “The Mission, under him, will bolster the current efforts of the State to encourage entrepreneurs and will help retain and bring talent to the State.”

An alumnus of the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and Indian School of Business, Somveer Anand was the founder and CEO of Pindfresh, a leading Agritech startup that is striving to bring about an urban farming revolution in India. He has also held senior roles at Avendus Capital, US and where he served as a banker for large, well-known Indian clients based out of the US and at The Indian School of Business, where, as an Associate Director, he was driving major initiatives aimed at strengthening alumni connectivity.