The Next Big Leap

6 | The Next Big Leap [ EXPERT’S VIEW ] growth of the Start-ups and want to become a reliable partner in their journey from Idea to Unicorns and till they become corporate. To give more focus on this, we have launched state of the art Start-up branches starting with Bangalore last year. These branches exclusively cate all the financial & non-financial banking needs of the start-ups and deliver the great user experience. What are the key challenges faced by start-ups in India and how can SBI contribute to overcoming these challenges. Over the years Start-ups have been finding it difficult to fins a right banking partner who can provide all kind of services and support their entire journey till they public and beyond. We as a bank offer all kind of banking services under Ine roof through Start- up branch. With the kind of reach our bank has in India and abroad, we can help them in going global and we are capable to provide the services in 30 countries and in IFSC Gift city. What programs or initiative has the SBI undertaken in the past to encourage start-ups and entrepreneurship? SBI has launched Start-up branches in Bangalore, Chennai, Gurugram, Mumbai and in Hyderabad to support the ecosystem. Bank has also opened the dedicated Start-up desks in Tier-II & III cities to provide one stop services to the start-ups. These branches unleash the power of one “The Brand SBI” and here all our Group companies, foreign offices, SBI branches work together to deliver end to end solutions to Start-ups. Bank has launched its own Start-up Policy to fund the eligible start-ups based on certain criteria and merits. Bank has launched various products and services exclusively for Start-ups. In your opinion, what are the promising sectors for start-ups in India? How is SBI contributing to the growth of these sector start-ups? As a bank we are sector agnostic and work with all the start-ups. We are very much bullish on few sectors like consumer brands, Agritech, Electric mobility space, Healthtech etc. We are working with many of these companies to offer their services through our YONO platforms to SBI customers. What is your vision for the future of the start-up ecosystem in India and how do you see SBI contributing to this vision? India has one of the best ecosystems in the world and we have seen lot of traction from government side and from the VCs and other stakeholders. We see that India has great potential to be become world’s best start-up ecosystem in coming years. As a bank we will keep on extending our support to the ecosystem by way of improving our products and services for the Start-ups and other stakeholders. How has start-up ecosystem in India evolved over the past decade, and what role do you see SBI playing in its growth? India has emerged as the 3rd largest ecosystem for start-ups globally with over 99380 DPIIT-recognized start-ups across 653 districts of the country as of 31st May 2023. India ranks #2nd in innovation quality with top positions in the quality of scientific publications and the quality of its universities among middle-income economies. The innovation in India is not just limited to certain sectors. According to a report released by policy advisory and research firmStart- up Genome, Bengaluru has moved up to 20th from 22nd last year in the Global Start-up Ecosystem ranking. Government is focusing to provide all the required support & infrastructure to the start-ups in Bengaluru and beyond Bengaluru. Start-ups not only bring cutting age technology but also work to solve the most complex challenges. SBI plays a very important role in nation bui lding and supports al l kind of businesses including Start-up ecosystem. We are committed to the Pawan Kumar General Manager State Bank of India Dun & Bradstreet