Here - Start-up Kashmir!

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of Kashmiri companies will create badly needed private sector jobs. As in other economies,
opportunity-driven entrepreneurs in Kashmir tend to be higher-impact. In light of the escalating
unemployment rate and the need to strengthen the Kashmiri private sector, there is
great urgency and real potential value in identifying, supporting and investing in potential
high-impact youth entrepreneurs.
Given the acute lack of employment opportunities in Kashmir, necessity is obviously one
of the drivers for youth entrepreneurship. Many young people are pained by the lack of options
to earn a living. As one young Kashmiri related to us during a Focus Group Discussion
(FGD): “Youth in Kashmir are talented, full of potential and have fertile brains. Kashmir
is a land of opportunities that needs to be explored. But we feel helpless and find no doors
open to us.” Like other societies that have been affected by conflict, Kashmir’s economic
environment has limited options for earning a living and necessity is a part of life. The
weakness of the private sector further limits avenues for investment and the opportunities
for youth to gain experience and exposure to business. There is no reason why necessity
cannot be turned into an opportunity for Kashmiri youth entrepreneurs – as the proverb goes
“necessity is the mother
of invention.” For thousands
of unemployed
youth in Kashmir, entrepreneurshippotentially
represents a noble
and rewarding path out
of idleness and despair.
Ultimately, every Kashmiri
youth entrepreneur
in action focuses on
identifying and seizing
business opportunities.
What these youth startup
entrepreneurs need is
a supportive ecosystem
that can help them unleash their potential and create value.
Motivations for Young Kashmiri Entrepreneurs
Personal attitudes, preferences, income levels, educational levels, personal interests, networks,
are all factors which guide and motivate young Kashmiri entrepreneurs. Recognizing
these motivations and their interplay is crucial for understanding and stimulating youth
entrepreneurship in Kashmir. Our interaction with and study of dozens of young entrepreneurs
in Kashmir revealed a plethora of reasons that personally motivated them towards
self-employment. Some of them being: to be one’s own boss, to earn a livelihood, identification
of an exciting market opportunity, to take on a challenge, passion, to innovate, to
contribute to Kashmir’s economic rebirth, to give life to an idea, as a last resort or compulsion
(majboori), to become rich, to serve society, to add value, for adventure, to survive, to
support their parents and family, and to continue family traditions. We have observed that
many youth in Kashmir were inspired to become entrepreneurs by family members and/
or friends who were already engaged in business. A young person’s unique skills or talent
also seem to have served as a motivator for starting a business in Kashmir. For example, we
have interviewed many Kashmiri youth who had technical skills in IT, web and/or graphic
design who started-up companies that now offer these services.
Youth Entrepreneurship in Kashmir: Challenges and Opportunities