8th edition of Next Big Idea 2021 begins

Hyderabad: Zone Startups India, part of BIL-Ryerson Technology Startup Incubator Foundation (BRTSIF), has announced the 8th edition of its Next BIG Idea (NBI) programme in partnership with the Government of Ontario, Canada, and Invest in Canada.

The programme was launched virtually in presence of speakers including, Andrew Smith,

Minister (Commercial), High Commission of Canada; Chris Begley, Consul and Senior Economic Officer, Government of Ontario (Mumbai); and Hemant Gupta, MD, (BRTSIF).

The launch was followed by a panel discussion on the topic: "Canada: Your Startup Gateway to North America and the World", with eminent panelists from diverse spheres who shared their experience and words of advice with the audience.

The panel comprised Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director, DMZ, and CEO of DMZ Ventures; Elaine D'Souza, Trade Commissioner- Investment (Acting), Consulate General of Canada (Mumbai); Zohra Jaffer, Senior Manager, KPMG Law- Canada, and Sandeep Todi, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Truly Financial and Remitr.

Saurabh Bhatia, Associate Director, IBI Group/Chairperson, ICBC (North Region India Council) moderated the panel discussion.

The event was attended by hundreds of startups and entrepreneurs from across India.

Established in 2013, as a joint initiative with the Government of Ontario, Canada, in the past 7 editions, NBI has received support from multiple stakeholders from both Canada and India - such as Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta; Industry Partners such as RBC, IBM, Amazon Web Services, HDFC Bank, Google, and TCS.

The NBI WebTalks – A series of in-depth talks on Canada's technology and innovation ecosystem as well as social and cultural contextwill be conducted from April 23 to May 21.

The applicationsfor NBI Pre-Landing Programme – A 3-month market readiness programme will be available from April 23 to May 23.

The winner will be announced on June 9, after a thorough evaluation and selection process.