- Collaboration to provide MSMEs and startups in Gujarat with technology, mentorship, and skilling support — building a hyperlocal ecosystem for Viksit Gujarat and Viksit Bharat @ 2047
- The MoU was signed in the presence of Bhupendrabhai R Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference – North Gujarat, recently held at Ganpat University, Mehsana
- The Commissioner of Industries will list open entry-level roles on the Foundation’s platform, enabling smooth placement support for Gujarat’s youth.
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MEHSANA, GUJARAT, OCT 24
The Government of Gujarat’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) and the Wadhwani Foundation, a global not-for-profit dedicated to accelerating job creation through entrepreneurship, skilling, and innovation announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the accelerated growth of MSMEs and startups in Gujarat. The MoU was signed in the presence of Bhupendrabhai R Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference – North Gujarat, recently held at Ganpat University, Mehsana.
Through this strategic partnership, CED and Wadhwani Foundation will work together to provide Gujarat’s MSMEs and startups with AI-powered platforms and structured programs to drive growth from emerging local and global opportunities. The collaboration will focus on the following key pillars:
AI-Powered Growth Platform for MSMEs
CED will publish all its content on Wadhwani Foundation’s AI-powered “Virtual Growth Accelerator”, providing MSMEs across Gujarat with access to an expansive knowledge and resource base that can support them through their growth journey.
Support for Award-Winning Startups and MSMEs
The Foundation will provide winners and other participants of MSME and Startup awards recognized by the Industries Commission during Vibrant Gujarat 2025–26 with access to structured programs to help ventures prepare for and progress through traction and scaling stages.
Vendor Development in Priority Sectors
The Foundation will assist CED with vendor development through structured capability development and assisted growth programs to prepare businesses to meet the needs of upstream buyers in high-growth sectors such as defence, medical devices, clean energy, and others
Industry-Aligned Skilling and Job Creation
The Foundation will strengthen CED’s skilling initiatives by providing students in ITIs, VTIs, and Polytechnics with relevant career counselling and soft skills training, and by connecting this talent to MSMEs and startups. The Commissioner of Industries will list open entry-level roles on the Foundation’s platform, enabling smooth placement support for Gujarat’s youth.
Speaking on the occasion, Swaroop P, IAS, Industries Commissioner, Gandhinagar said: “CED is proud to partner with Wadhwani Foundation at this pivotal moment for Gujarat’s MSMEs and startups. By integrating technology, mentorship, and skilling into our programs, this partnership will strengthen Gujarat’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and unlock new opportunities for growth, competitiveness, and jobs.”
Meetul Patel, President – Wadhwani Entrepreneurship at Wadhwani Foundation, said: “Gujarat has always been a land of bold ideas and fearless enterprise. We are committed to helping unlock the full potential this presents for a Viksit Gujarat by deepening our engagement with government, academia, and industry in the State, starting with Mehsana and North Gujarat. Our goal is to democratize access to the coaching, skilling, expertise, information, and tools needed for business and talent growth. To be of value, these resources need to have local relevance, and we will partner closely with local ecosystems to curate what is valuable and provide access through our always-on self-serve AI-powered growth enablement platform and structured entrepreneurial capability development, assisted venture growth, and employee talent development programs.”
The Wadhwani Foundation is already actively engaged in supporting Gujarat’s growth journey by enabling a powerful job creation and job fulfilment engine though its portfolio of platforms and programs spanning Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Skilling which
- Ignite is preparing 1,000+ students to pursue entrepreneurial ventures
- Liftoff and Accelerate are supporting 500+ startups and SMEs with mentors, resources, and expertise to gain traction and scale ventures.
- Job Ready is helping thousands of students understand local career opportunities and developing the soft skills needed by growing businesses,
- Job Connect is partnering with local businesses and training programs to access the talent they need for growth.
In addition, the Foundation is partnering closely with the government on other key innovation-centred initiatives to drive growth
- Partnering with AICTE to support Indovation Centres in Gujarat to advance research and democratize innovation
- Providing programs to help government officers understand emerging technologies like AI and apply them to help improve the efficiency and impact of services, programs and schemes
And, we will soon launch new programs in Gujarat to help develop smaller ventures and help them grow
- MicroBiz FPO is a new program just launched to support the growth of Farmer income through the development of entrepreneurship capabilities of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
- Soon launching additional programs to help in the formation and growth of other micro businesses
The MoU with CED marks the next step in building local ecosystems in Gujarat that bring together expertise and resources to accelerate business growth and create jobs, fulfilling the aspirations of Enterprises and Youth and contributing to the achievement of Viksit Gujarat and Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
