One to Watch’s milestone events to connect stakeholders in Nepal and the UK

One to Watch is organizing two milestone events which mark the conclusion of its fifth cohort of acceleration: the Enterprise Demo Day, in Kathmandu on 18 February, and the Nepal Development Conference: Investment Opportunities in Nepal, in London on 22 February. The conference, which is co-organized by One to Watch in collaboration with the Embassy of Nepal in London, will bring together national and international investors, Government representatives of Nepal and the UK, and entrepreneurial ecosystem builders; all of whom need to collaborate in order to support the change makers of Nepal’s society – its entrepreneurs!

Creating a pipeline of companies ready to grow and receive investments, via acceleration and business support activities, is one of the key focus areas of One to Watch. “Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) are the bedrock of innovations and new discoveries. Thus, for Nepal to move to the next stage of development, we need more investments in SGBs.” shares Amod Rajbhandari, Director of Accelerator and Entrepreneurship Development.

One to Watch and the Embassy of Nepal in London are organizing the Nepal Development Conference with the objective to showcase investment opportunities in Nepal and promote Nepal as an investment destination among the European investors and the Nepali diaspora based in the UK. The conference is expected to also lay the framework to strengthen international business relationships for Nepal. During the conference, the audience will be addressed by representatives from both Nepali and UK Governments and will hear from investors currently investing in Nepal. The conference also includes pitches from the ten SGB’s accelerated by the Enterprise program.

During the pitching session, the audience can expect to hear from companies that have the potential for both immediate as well as future investments. This current cohort of Enterprise is carefully curated to ensure a diverse group of companies that are in different sectors and stages. Some, like Hajuri Khadya Udhyog and Seedland Nepal, have been in operation for more than two decades, while some, like Green Road Waste Management, are figuring out their minimum viable products. These companies are in different stages of ‘Investment Readiness’, but ‘Growth’ is the keyword for them all. “These companies showcase the possibilities of investment in Nepal,” shares Amod.

With its accelerator programs, business development activities and active participation in the ecosystem, collaborating with various stakeholders, as illustrated by the Enterprise program and the Nepal Development Conference, One to Watch continues to support unlocking the unrecognized investment potential in Nepal and the bedrock of this frontier market.