Nagaland: Top startups honoured at Digital Entrepreneurship & Startup Fest

The Nagaland Digital Startup Awards 2025 were presented during the Nagaland Digital Entrepreneurship & Startup Fest, jointly organised by the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Kohima and the Department of Information Technology & Communication, held at NIELIT Kohima on December 8, 2025.
According to DIPR report, special guest, secretary of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), S. Krishnan, gave away the prizes to the winners. Ahibi won the Best Seed Stage Startup award for its event-tech platform connecting artists, venues and audiences, with strong early adoption and a growing user base. Kikonik Tech bagged the Most Innovative Early Stage Product award for Pikonik, a business-operations app designed for small retailers and service providers. JoldiPabo received the Outstanding Bootstrapped Success award for its rental and property-management platform, which has gained substantial traction even before full-scale tech deployment. In the Innovative Startup (Non-Tech) category, 87T Entertainment emerged as the winner for its growing influence in curating live experiences and managing artists across major cultural platforms regionally and internationally.
Sharing impressions from his first visit to Nagaland, Krishnan recalled witnessing the Hornbill Festival, visiting the World War II Museum at Kisama, and paying homage at the Kohima War Cemetery. He reflected on Kohima’s historic significance and the state’s potential in the digital era. Highlighting the rapid growth of India’s digital economy, Krishnan noted that it has expanded at twice the pace of the overall economy—rising from 6–7% before 2010 to nearly 20% by 2023. He lauded the creativity and English proficiency of Naga youth and emphasised the role of institutions like NIELIT in nurturing talent. Out of 55 NIELIT centres in India, he said, 20 are located in the Northeast. On cyber security, Krishnan stressed that India must not depend on foreign technologies in this critical area. He described the Cyber Security Lab at NIELIT Kohima as state-of-the-art and among the best in the country, contributing significantly to cyber policing. He also appreciated the strong impression made by NIELIT Kohima and NIELIT Mokokchung at a recent AI event in New Delhi.
Underlining the importance of entrepreneurship, Krishnan said startups play a vital role in job creation and expressed hope that more collaborations would emerge from the region. He highlighted the role of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in mobilising private equity and appreciated the functioning of STPI Kohima, while suggesting exploration of a new Software Park due to space constraints.
During the programme, Krishnan launched the Digital Learning and Simulation Hub, the Digital Delivery of Statutory Services initiative, and the Pulse App—an AI-powered news platform. The Conference Report of NCCDFI 2025 was also released.
Commissioner & Secretary, P&AR and Power, Mohammed Ali Shihab, in his address, appreciated Krishnan’s visit and noted the important role of NIELIT as Nagaland advances through a developmental phase.
Earlier, Director of NIELIT Kohima, L. Lanuwabang, delivered the welcome address, while Director of IT&C, Sabou Yashu, proposed the vote of thanks. The programme was attended by Chairman of the Job Reservation Commission, R. Ramakrishnan, (Retd.); Director General & Vice Chancellor of NIELIT, Prof. (Dr.) Madan Mohan Tripathi; government officials and students.
In the technical session, Prof. Tripathi delivered a special address, followed by mentor talks on scaling, fundraising and market access for digital startups. The “Been There, Done That” segment featured speakers from Kikonik Tech, JoldiPabo and Unimestudio.