Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha launched the Digital Startup Acceleration Program for North East (Digi SAPNE) 3.0 on October 1, 2026 at Women's College, Agartala — distributing Rs 80 lakh in grants to eight Northeastern startups at the launch event.
The launch drew Tripura's Finance and IT Minister Pranajit Singha Roy alongside MeitY officials from the Government of India, including Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar, Director of the Software Industry Promotion Division — a signal that the Centre is backing the Northeast push. The programme runs under the Directorate of IT, Government of Tripura, with AIC-SMUTBI as ecosystem partner, and is being positioned as a milestone for the Northeast's tech startup ecosystem.
The same event also rolled out the Tripura edition of the Seva First Innovation Challenge and the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana, stacking grants, challenges and digital-empowerment schemes into a single ecosystem push. For founders in the Northeast — historically the most underserved region in India's startup map — the message is that state and central machinery are finally building local rails instead of asking founders to relocate to Bengaluru.
Why it matters for founders
If you're building in the Northeast, Digi SAPNE 3.0 is your most direct route to non-dilutive capital and government backing without leaving the region. And for investors, the Northeast pipeline is one of the few still-undiscovered arbitrage plays in Indian startup geography — early movers there get first look at ventures that will eventually compete nationally.