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The Foundation for Technology and Business Incubation (FTBI), NIT Rourkela, celebrated World Entrepreneurship Day 2026 on 21 August, bringing together successful entrepreneurs, alumni and aspiring startup founders to share their experiences and insights on innovation, taking risks and building sustainable ventures.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Subrat Kumar Panda highlighted the importance of resilience, patience, and the courage to take risks in entrepreneurship. He encouraged young innovators to learn from experienced entrepreneurs and remain committed to solving real-world problems.
The event also featured inspiring journeys of entrepreneurs from the FTBI ecosystem, including Amiya Kumar Samantaray, Founder & CEO of DATOMS, who joined virtually, Mr. Ashutosh Nayak, Founder & CEO, KOEL FRESH; Dr. Shitarashmi Sahu, Founder, BIOTEZ Agrinovation; Mr. Anurag Mishra, CMO & CFO, Yoshino Energy Pvt. Ltd.; and Mr. Abhijeet Sahoo, Co-founder of FASTECH and MYORG360. The speakers shared their experiences of building enterprises across sectors such as sustainability, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, technology and apparel, highlighting the challenges, setbacks and lessons that shaped their entrepreneurial journeys.
The discussions also underlined the growing importance of entrepreneurship in creating employment, driving innovation and contributing to India's economic growth. A key message from the event was that entrepreneurship is not only about building successful businesses but also about creating value and generating opportunities for society. The event highlighted the growing impact of the FTBI ecosystem, which currently supports 115 startups and has contributed to generating around 1,000 jobs.
The programme was coordinated by Mr. Chiranjibi Samal, Chief Executive Officer, FTBI, NIT Rourkela, with the support of the FTBI team, bringing together entrepreneurs, startup founders, students and members of the innovation ecosystem for the celebration.
The event concluded with the felicitation of the participating entrepreneurs, inspiring young innovators and students to transform challenges into opportunities and ideas into impactful ventures.