POKHARA, Nov 4: Starting a business often comes with uncertainty. Aspiring entrepreneurs face questions about whether their ventures will succeed, how to sustain them, where to secure loans and whether banks will provide financing. Such uncertainties discourage many young people from taking the first step towards entrepreneurship.
With the aim of encouraging young people to start businesses, produce goods and create jobs in Nepal, the ‘Start-Up Nepal Summit 2026’ was organised in Pokhara on Wednesday under the theme ‘Stay in Nepal, Produce in Nepal and Create Jobs’.
Organised by Policy Research Institute, the summit brought together discussions on new investment opportunities, challenges, funding sources, potential investment sectors and investment security for start-ups.
Participants suggested developing business plans that would enable entrepreneurs to produce goods domestically and generate economic returns. Speakers also discussed ways to identify necessary resources and partnerships to expand investment, highlighting the role of start-ups in nation-building.
Addressing the programme, Policy Research Institute Chairperson Shobha Gyawali said the initiative aimed to encourage young people to become job creators rather than job seekers.
She said the summit was organised to inspire young people to contribute to nation-building and create opportunities at home through entrepreneurship. The programme will encourage them to develop innovative business ideas, prepare and implement business plans, and connect with global markets through the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
“The main objective of this summit is not to look for jobs, but to create jobs, build entrepreneurs, generate employment opportunities within the country and utilise the knowledge and skills of skilled human resources who are considering migrating abroad,” Gyawali said.
Drawing on her experience working in women’s entrepreneurship, including during her tenure as president of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal, Gyawali said the initiative now sought to attract young people to start-ups. She stressed the need to provide platforms and opportunities for young people to turn their innovative ideas and plans into reality.
Gyawali also emphasised the government’s role in promoting domestic products. She said government agencies should lead efforts to use and promote locally made goods, while giving due attention to product quality, labelling, packaging and branding.
She said the summit also aimed to inform aspiring entrepreneurs about support and facilities available from the government, private sector and banks. This would help connect entrepreneurs and investors with potential business opportunities.
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“The new generation wants to start businesses, but many hesitate because they do not receive proper guidance. They do not know what kind of businesses they can start or who can support them,” she said. “Through this programme, investors and young people interested in starting businesses will learn about different sectors and opportunities.”
Gyawali said such initiatives could help retain young people in Nepal and attract investment by supporting them to become entrepreneurs. She added that the first phase of the programme, held at the provincial level in Pokhara, would be organised in six other provinces before a concluding summit in Kathmandu, incorporating recommendations from all seven provinces.
“Each province has different opportunities. The potential of one province may not match that of another. That is why we are trying to incorporate the distinct experiences and business sectors of every province,” she said, citing tourism potential in Gandaki Province as an example of an opportunity that may differ from those in other provinces.
The organisers plan to select four to five promising start-up ideas from each province for the final event in Kathmandu. The event will also seek to connect Nepali start-ups with domestic and foreign investors and create an environment conducive to seed funding and banking partnerships.
Gyawali said the summit aimed to foster a culture in which young people dream, think creatively and build businesses while promoting domestic production and entrepreneurship.
“Simply telling young people to move forward is not enough; we must also create the opportunities they need,” she said. “It is not that women lack capabilities. Their abilities, willingness to work, enthusiasm and managerial skills must be translated into opportunities.”
She said young people had plenty of innovative ideas and the capacity to implement them, but needed support ranging from guidance and proposal development to business operations.
“Empowered young people make empowered families, and empowered families ultimately make a prosperous nation,” she said.
Gyawali also called on the government to simplify business registration and operating procedures, make concessional loans more accessible to start-ups, increase loan limits and introduce provisions for collateral-free lending. She stressed that the government should give special priority to the use and promotion of Nepali products.
Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey said grants provided in the past had not been utilised as effectively as expected. He said the provincial government had introduced both production-based grants and matching grants.
Pandey said the government was working to create an environment of coordination and cooperation between industries and farmers. Although the Start-up Gandaki programme had introduced grants for those wishing to launch new ventures, the results had fallen short of expectations, he noted.
“Some start-ups did not even participate in the programme, while others who did participate could not deliver as expected,” he said, urging young people to step forward and prove their capabilities rather than simply criticising those who came before them.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said start-ups were essential for the country, noting that their main purpose was to combine innovative thinking and creativity with entrepreneurship to generate employment.
He said a start-up was not merely a means for its founder to find a job but a process of developing an enterprise that could provide employment to others.
Acharya said the metropolitan city had been running various programmes to promote start-ups and entrepreneurship through its Business Promotion Centre. It provides training and seed money to aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as consultation and facilitation through a business clinic when they encounter difficulties while operating their ventures.
He urged students not to make going abroad after completing their studies their only goal, but to consider doing something in Nepal and becoming entrepreneurs.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Nepal, Mohammad Amir Khan, said young people held the future of start-ups. He said Nepal had considerable opportunities to transform innovative thinking and creative ideas into businesses by combining them with technology.
Referring to Pakistan’s experience in start-up development, Khan emphasised prioritising technology and innovation to help young people create businesses and employment opportunities in their own country. He said the Pakistani Embassy had also supported the organisation of the summit with the aim of promoting such initiatives.
Gandaki Province Chief Secretary Abha Shrestha Karn said Nepal had immense potential and a promising future for start-ups and entrepreneurship. She urged young people to make proper use of the country’s abundant natural resources and available human capital by pursuing ventures based on innovation and creativity.
She stressed the need to identify and utilise resources and opportunities available within the country to boost production and generate employment.
Representatives of participating banks said they could provide collateral-free loans to start-ups that presented strong business concepts, effective proposals and clear business plans. However, they said banks would assess a venture’s future prospects, business plan and repayment capacity before disbursing loans.
Hari Dhakal, Gandaki Province chief of Nabil Bank, and Narayan KC, Gandaki Province chief of Machhapuchchhre Bank, presented the support the banking sector had been providing to promote start-ups. They briefed participants on financial services, loan facilities and the role of banks in enterprise development.
Students attending the programme raised questions about loan accessibility, business risks and the responsibilities of banks. Student John Shrestha asked how banks and parents could be convinced to support young people who wanted to start businesses in Nepal, even though loans were readily available for those planning to go abroad.
He also questioned who would bear the losses if a start-up failed despite securing a loan based on an innovative idea and business plan, and who would be responsible for the associated business risks.
Similarly, student Ismi Shrestha asked why parents were willing to provide financial support for their children’s plans to go abroad but reluctant to support them when they wanted to start a business in Nepal. She also questioned whether banks could provide collateral-free loans when parents refused to offer collateral.
Speaking at the event, engineer Umesh Kumar Gupta said such programmes could help bridge the gap between banks, financial institutions and investors. He noted that investors sometimes struggled to find suitable opportunities and that initiatives like the summit could help connect the two sides amid uncertainty and a lack of information.
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