From Agniveers to Resilient Entrepreneurs: What India Can Learn from Israel - News18

India and Israel, two nations with vastly different demographics, geographical sizes, and cultural contexts, have both emerged as vibrant hubs for startup innovation. Israel’s startup success can be attributed, in part, to its strong focus on nurturing young talent through specialised education, mentorship programmes, and support systems that encourage risk-taking and an entrepreneurial mindset from an early age. India’s vast land area poses challenges in creating similar levels of proximity and networking, but concerted efforts to build startup clusters and technology hubs can help bridge this gap and create synergies among startups. Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset India’s “Agnipath” scheme was launched on 14 June 2022, a year ago which allows aspiring youth termed as “Agniveers” to serve four years in the military. As quoted by Acharya Chanakya, “No one can defeat a powerful mind.” While India does not have mandatory military service, it can explore avenues to leverage its vast defence forces through youth-focused schemes like Agnipath for instilling an entrepreneurial mindset and skills to further fuel India’s startup growth.