Lucknow: Divyanshu Shukla worked in the corporate sector for several years. He was part of several teams and worked with several people in the mall industry. However, it was just work and Divyanshu could not seek satisfaction from it. He wished to work with the government and the public. He wanted to inform people about the government policies and schemes and came up with various ideas to make his dream come true. 

Facing rejections

In order to launch his startup, he sent his proposals to several government ministries through emails. His proposal would get rejected each time due to lack of innovation. However, he preserved and got recognition from Startup India and Startup UP.

Raising awareness

With the help of these government programmes, he formed his company and began with the work. The projects involved raising an awareness among people regarding government policies and schemes. He named his company ‘Papswap’. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the government of Uttar Pradesh as ‘Policy Engagement Partner’. Presently, his company works to educate people about the UP-Startup Policy and also trains budding entrepreneurs. 

 Divyanshu further explains that they are engaged in a civic tech initiative focused on a startup related to public policy. Their aim is to assist local startups in enhancing their skills and abilities related to business. Moreover, they also connect new entrepreneurs with individuals who have relevant business connections to help them in their business growth. Permission has been received from the UP government to establish incubators i.e., startup schools, to support the entrepreneurs. 

Connecting bridges

Divyanshu is working to fill the gap between experienced businessmen with new startups. To achieve this goal, two programmes are organized every month. Furthermore, they have recently established collaborations with Meghalaya and Hyderabad to provide support to entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh. As part of this initiate, they even facilitated a visit by a team from the Taiwan Embassy to Uttar Pradesh. 

Divyanshu shares the one does not require a formal degree or diploma to become an entrepreneur. He mentions that one can become successful through practical training as well. During his work, he observed that individuals can develop entrepreneurial qualities after being provided with the right training and guidance.

Working with the government

At present, almost 15 people are working for the company. Divyanshu’s inspiration for working in public policy came from his experiences with the opening teams of Delhi and NCR malls. During his jobs, he realized that he could make a more significant impact by working with the government. His ultimate goal is to empower over 9 lakh children to become entrepreneurs. 

Signing an MoU

Divyanshu explains that initially, their collaboration with the UP government was informal. They provided suggestions to government advisors, and then a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was officially signed in September 2022. Their journey began with the Investor Summit, Uttar Pradesh. 

In the initial stages, their efforts were confined to Lucknow, but they have since expanded their operations to cover the entire state of UP. Before this expansion, they travelled across UP to engage with people to understand their startup-related challenges and expectations. At that time, a significant issue was that many startups were registering in Delhi-NCR instead of UP.

The rising numbers

Divyanshu shares that in the beginning, there were about 8000 startups in Uttar Pradesh. In just under 8 months, the numbers have increased up to 10,000 startups. Divyanshu’s target is to launch 14,000 startups by the end of 2024. He wishes to bring UP to second place instead of its current fourth place in the country’s startup numbers. There are 60 startup schools in UP. The numbers will be increased to 150 soon. 

The challenges

Divyanshu shares that many people criticize their policies while only a few understand the matter deeply. The purpose of his company was the emphasize the importance of policies. He shares that many YouTube channels impart information about these policies, but Divyanshu’s primary aims lies in the practical implementation of these policies. 

The process

To begin a project, an MoU is signed with the relevant department of government. Then, they receive, and review proposals related to policies from the department. They also submit proposals for areas where they believe work needs to be initiated. They collaborate with stakeholders and experts to address these policy matters. Once approvals are received, they proceed with the implementation of the initiatives. 

Policy Capital of India

Divyanshu shares that there is plenty of hidden talent in the state. Raising an awareness regarding the policies encourages startups to act responsibly. He further shares that Varanasi is already popular among tourists as a cultural hub. Divyanshu wishes to promote it as the Policy Capital of India. They are currently working on a research and report for Varanasi, focusing on the principles of ‘Sanatan and Administration’ to support this endeavour.