You Start NE was a groundbreaking collaboration between Bosco Institute, Child Aid Network, and Dhriiti that pioneered entrepreneurship development in Northeast India. The initiative combined the words “Youth” and “Startup” to create a program specifically designed to identify and nurture entrepreneurial talent in the region.

Dhriiti conceptualized this program to discover and support the diverse enterprises young people were building across the Northeast. Operating in three key locations – Guwahati, Shillong, and Kohima – You Start NE provided structured incubation and acceleration support to approximately 15 youth-led enterprises in each location, totaling 45 ventures.

The program was intentionally sector-agnostic, embracing the region’s diverse entrepreneurial landscape. Participants represented an impressive range of industries – from music album producers and filmmakers to specialists in augmented and virtual reality, tourism operators, and agroecology ventures. This diversity highlighted the inherent entrepreneurial spirit already present among Northeast youth.

Each enterprise received structured incubation support with a strong mentoring component focused on business plan development. Participants frequently noted that You Start NE was the first youth-focused startup initiative in the region, filling a critical gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Of the 45 participating ventures, 10 were selected for advanced support, with three receiving direct financial assistance. Perhaps more importantly, these entrepreneurs became a pipeline for subsequent entrepreneurship programs in the Northeast. Having engaged with them in their initial phases, You Start NE prepared these ventures for integration into the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The program’s legacy extends far beyond its direct participants. You Start NE introduced formal incubation and acceleration models to the Northeast, laying the foundation for entrepreneurship conversations in the region. By the time Dhriiti implemented the Her&Now program, many You Start NE graduates had become significant figures in the regional ecosystem, returning as mentors, speakers, and community builders.

These entrepreneurs embodied the program’s multiplier effect—not content with just growing their own ventures, they took up the mantle of supporting other emerging entrepreneurs, creating a self-sustaining cycle of entrepreneurial development in Northeast India.