Latest news with #Bolpu


Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MP launches initiative to nurture startups
1 2 Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta on Saturday launched 'Bolpu – A Dawn of Opportunities', a flagship initiative aimed at nurturing startups, empowering budding entrepreneurs, and accelerating early-stage ventures in the region. The initiative is designed to offer a comprehensive support ecosystem, including funding, mentorship, market access, and continuous advisory on govt schemes to help founders build, launch, and scale innovative businesses rooted in local strengths but with national and global potential. Ten promising enterprises will be shortlisted each year. Through eight-week sprints, startups will receive expert guidance to ideate, build, test, and launch. Aligned with PM Narendra Modi's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat by 2047, Capt Chowta said the initiative draws inspiration from his election manifesto task sheet titled 'Nava Yuga Nava Patha', aimed at reigniting the spirit of entrepreneurship in coastal Karnataka. "After returning from the Army, I wanted to contribute to India's transformative journey. Many second-generation entrepreneurs in this region end up in tech jobs in Bengaluru and metros due to lack of support here. Bolpu hopes to change that," he said. The MP stressed that Bolpu will lay special focus on women entrepreneurs and aims to create at least 50 success stories in the next five years. "At a time when Mangaluru is often in the headlines for the wrong reasons, we need to present models of success that reflect our true potential," he said. 92% Mangalureans open to returning home: MP About 92% of Mangalureans working outside the region and around the globe expressed a strong desire to return home and work in the region if suitable opportunities are available, Chowta said, citing findings from the recent 'Come Home Tiger' survey conducted by Rohith Bhat, founder of TiE Mangaluru, as part of the Silicon Beach programme. The survey aimed to gauge interest among professionals from the region who are currently employed outside the region in relocating back to their hometowns. Johnson Tellis, Co-founder and CEO of Inunity, said, "When companies are built and nurtured by the people of Mangaluru, they carry with them a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to give back. The initiative to support at least 10 ideas or ventures every year is not just about startups, but about leadership. Each of those ventures represents a seed of leadership that will shape future cohorts." He said that the focus is on bringing together key entities: ecosystem enablers, thought leaders who reshape business thinking, and the globally spread Mangaluru diaspora.


Deccan Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Deccan Herald
30,000 coffee saplings to be planted in Dakshina Kannada: Brijesh Chowta
The MP said the Bolpu initiative aimed at empowering startups, budding entrepreneurs, and early-stage ventures in the district.


The Hindu
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
About 30,000 coffee saplings to be planted this month in DK
In continuation of his efforts to introduce crops alternative to arecanut in the district, Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta on Saturday said, at least 30,000 coffee saplings would be planted in Sullia and Kadaba taluks by this month-end. Speaking at the launch of Bolpu, an initiative to support aspiring entrepreneurs here, the MP said he was consulting various stakeholders on introducing coffee in the district after arecanut plantations were destroyed by the yellow leaf disease in many parts. While a few people were already growing coffee, recent soil tests by agencies concerned have said coffee could be grown in the region. One has to look at different alternatives instead of following stereotyped practices, the MP said. He further questioned that while Andhra Pradesh could grow coffee at the Araku valley, why can Dakshina Kannada not grow coffee. Capt. Chowta also said he has held discussions with the Coffee Board and local cooperative societies in Sullia and Kadaba. A few farmers were undergoing training in established coffee-growing regions.

The Hindu
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Bolpu seeks to support ventures, ideas and thoughts of aspiring entrepreneurs, Capt. Chowta
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta said the Bolpu initiative launched on Saturday, July 12, seeks to bring out at least 10 success stories of aspiring entrepreneurs every year, 50 in all for the next five years. Speaking at the launch of Bolpu, meaning light or dawn, here, Capt. Chowta said the initiative seeks not just to find new ideas, but also to support ventures, ideas and thoughts which need support from policy, legal, regulatory, finance, and banking perspectives, and link it to government programmes. Capt. Chowta said the Bolpu team would pick up around 10 ventures every year and over a period of five years, there would be at least 50 success stories from the region. Over a period of time, he wants Bolpu to be a community-driven programme wherein every resident of Dakshina Kannada finds a reason to support entrepreneurs. Trade and industry bodies, including the Kanara Chamber of Industry and Commerce (KCCI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Kanara Industries Association (KIA), different government departments and others would hand-hold aspiring entrepreneurs to launch their projects, the MP said. Capt. Chowta said Dakshina Kannada has several success stories of entrepreneurs; but not many stories were told to the world. Even temple management in the coast, right from performing poojas to distribution of anna prasada, was a model that could be followed by entrepreneurs. Though the region had been the cradle for many start-ups in banking, hospitality, education, healthcare, and many more long back, when the word start-up was coined, the younger generation began moving towards the IT field. Now it was time to encourage young entrepreneurs to set up successful business models and implement the 'Back to Ooru' (back to native) initiative. Dakshina Kannada thus could be the start-up capital of many enterprises. Instead of attempting to bring in entities, namely, Infosys or TCS to Mangaluru, youngsters here should build the region's own Infosys or TCS, he said. On the occasion, the website of Bolpu along with QR code was launched to guide the aspiring entrepreneurs. TiE Mangaluru president Rohith Bhat, KCCI vice-president P.B. Ahmed Mudassar, CII Mangaluru president K.N. Nataraj Hegde and Karnataka Digital Economy Mission's Beyond Bengaluru vice-president Chetan Dixit announced support of their organisations to the Bolpu initiative. Later, they exchanged a memorandum of understanding with Capt. Chowta. Mangaluru City South MLA D, Vedavyasa Kamath, former Minister B. Nagaraja Shetty, former MLC Ganesh Karnik and others were present.