KATHMANDU, Jan 11: The Kathmandu chapter of the Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum (NYEF) hosted the NYEF Startup Awards on Friday at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. In the prestigious competition and boot camp for emerging entrepreneurs, seven finalists competed for three top honors.
The finalists included eKagajpatra, Gyan Bazzar, Khetipati Organics, Mach 24 Orbitals, SmartPalika, Melt Down, and DL Upload. At the event, top executives of the seven startups presented a seven-minutes long pitch about their organizations and were grilled by a panel of judges for another seven minutes. The panel included Chief Investment Officer of Mercantile Group Amod Rajbhandari, Managing Director of Toyota Nepal Ritu Vaidya and Director of Golchha Organization Sanjay Golchha.
NYEF Kathmandu Startup Awards for Nepali startups
DL Upload, a search engine for exclusive content from publishers and brands, emerged as the winner, securing the first prize while Melt Down, a wellness system designed to improve workplace health, took the runner-up position. Similarly, Khetipati Organics, a social enterprise which exports ethically sourced organic products, was awarded the People’s Choice Award.
Over 170 companies nationwide applied for the awards, with 20 advancing to the next stage and seven reaching the final round. NYEF aims to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and promote collaboration among young entrepreneurs across the country. Since its inception in Kathmandu, the forum has expanded to ten cities, covering all seven provinces, with more chapters in development.
The event was chaired by the vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission Professor Dr Shiva Raj Adhikari. Similarly, the program was attended by Chandra Prasad Dhakal, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
