Kathmandu | 14 July 2026
Nepal’s startup ecosystem has reached an important stage in its evolution. As entrepreneurship gains momentum across the country, the need has shifted from isolated initiatives to coordinated institutions capable of generating knowledge, fostering collaboration, and creating long-term impact.
Responding to this need, the IN-SPAN Center of Excellence (IN-SPAN CoE) and the Asian Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) have entered into a strategic partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 July 2026 in Kathmandu.
The agreement, signed by Mr. Asim Shrestha, President of IN-SPAN Center of Excellence, and Ms. Sajina Rai, Program Director of AIDIA, establishes a three-year framework for collaboration focused on strengthening Nepal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through research, dialogue, policy engagement, and regional cooperation.
More than a formal agreement, the partnership represents a shared conviction that innovation ecosystems are built not only by startups themselves, but by the institutions that enable them.
Building Institutions, Not Just Events
The collaboration brings together two organizations with complementary strengths. While IN-SPAN Center of Excellence works to accelerate entrepreneurship, venture development, and innovation-led economic growth, AIDIA contributes its expertise in public policy, strategic research, and regional diplomacy.
Together, the institutions aim to build platforms that connect founders, investors, policymakers, researchers, universities, development partners, and industry leaders into a more cohesive innovation ecosystem.
Rather than pursuing one-off programmes, the partnership is designed around institution-building—creating mechanisms that continuously generate dialogue, research, partnerships, and opportunities for entrepreneurs across Nepal.
A National Platform for Entrepreneurship
Under the MoU, the two organizations will jointly develop a portfolio of initiatives intended to strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem at both national and provincial levels.
These include recurring Startup Town Hall Meetings that bring together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, and policymakers for practical conversations around emerging challenges and opportunities. An Emerging Entrepreneurs Forum will provide structured mentorship, peer learning, investment readiness, and founder support for startups at different stages of growth.
The partnership will also expand beyond Kathmandu through Provincial Startup Conferences, engaging provincial governments, universities, local businesses, incubators, and entrepreneurial communities across Nepal. By recognising that innovation is increasingly emerging from every region of the country, these conferences aim to connect local talent with national and international opportunities.
At the centre of the collaboration will be Nepal Startup Sambad, envisioned as a flagship national platform bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, government leaders, diplomats, researchers, development partners, and ecosystem stakeholders to discuss the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in Nepal.
Complementing these initiatives will be a comprehensive programme of research, including the development of a Nepal Startup Scenario Report that will provide evidence-based insights into the country’s evolving startup landscape. Through ecosystem mapping, policy analysis, founder surveys, investment research, and regional studies, the report seeks to contribute to informed policymaking and more effective ecosystem development.
The partnership also provides flexibility for additional collaborative initiatives, including incubation support, founder development programmes, bilateral market-access initiatives, university engagement, delegation exchanges, investor roundtables, and digital knowledge platforms as new opportunities emerge.
Strengthening Regional Collaboration
An important dimension of the partnership is its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation between Nepal and India.
Building upon the momentum of the India–Nepal Startup Partnership Network (IN-SPAN), the collaboration seeks to facilitate greater exchange of ideas, expertise, investment opportunities, and institutional partnerships between the two countries while positioning Nepal as an increasingly connected participant within South Asia’s innovation economy.
This regional perspective recognises that today’s entrepreneurs operate within interconnected markets where collaboration often creates greater value than competition.
Looking Ahead
The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of a long-term institutional partnership founded on a shared vision: that entrepreneurship, innovation, and research can become powerful drivers of inclusive economic growth.
As implementation begins, both organizations will work closely with government agencies, academia, the private sector, development partners, investors, and startup communities to deliver programmes that create measurable impact and strengthen Nepal’s innovation ecosystem from the ground up.
For IN-SPAN Center of Excellence, this partnership reflects a broader commitment to building enduring institutions that support founders not only through access to opportunity, but through stronger networks, better research, informed policy dialogue, and meaningful regional collaboration.
The future of Nepal’s startup ecosystem will depend not simply on the success of individual ventures, but on the strength of the institutions that stand behind them. This partnership is a step toward building those institutions.