Sikh American Chamber inks MoU with UP Global

Sunday, 04/05/2014

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=102154&boxid=60168&uid=&dat=2014-05-04

Chandigarh :In order to promote entrepreneurship in the northern region, the India Centre of Sikh American Chamber of Commerce (SACC) has partnered with Seattle-based UP Global, known for its ‘Startup Weekend’ programmes.

Marc Nager, CEO along with Adam Stelle, COO of UP Global, USA, and Manipal Dhariwal, president, SACC India, signed a memorandum of understanding here, on Saturday to use the synergy of both the organisations with similar mission reaching out to more and more aspiring entrepreneurs in Punjab and Chandigarh.

UP Global is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, which is critical to driving a strong global economy and creating a better world, Marc said.

Punjab has always remained a hub of innovative enterprise and this partnership with UP Global would help SACC India to provide them a structured pathway of converting their ideas into workable profitable enterprises, said Manipal Dhariwal, president of SACC India.

Punjabis have succeeded all over the world and it would be an exciting opportunity to help inspire the new generation of entrepreneurs from this region, said Marc Nager, CEO of UP Global.

“We are looking at developing next rung of entrepreneurial champions to develop socially relevant products, improve the lives of the people, and drive economic growth,” Adam Stelle added.

The Startup Weekend, which is the flagship programme of UP Global and is supported by Google for Entrepreneurs, would be organised by SACC India in various parts of northern region, the first one to be organised in Mohali in the second week of July, Manipal Dhariwal informed.

As a part of SACC’s mission to develop entrepreneurship, SACC India is also setting up a social incubation centre in Mohali, where the successful ideas identified at the Startup Weekend would get ready space to transform them into successful enterprises, Manipal said.

The incubator would also be launched in July, he informed.

Sikh American Chamber of Commerce (SACC) is a community-based organisation having been founded three years back in New Jersey, USA, which has chapters at New York, Seattle, California and Kentucky, besides the India Centre, which is also the Global Secretariat of SACC’s operation worldwide.

The mission of SACC is to network the successful Punjabi community settled in USA with their roots back home in Punjab, empower the professionals and youth through entrepreneurship skills, and network them to the global opportunities. India Centre of SACC was opened in January this year.

UP Global, based out of Seattle USA, is world’s leading partner of Google for Entrepreneurship, engaged in fostering entrepreneurship, developing leaders and innovators, and creating a global community to empower each other.