The Tamil Nadu government is holding discussions with various industry bodies to frame a start-up policy, Industry Secretary CV Sankar has said.

Other States such as Karnataka and Kerala have a start-up policy. “We are looking at those but won’t try to replicate them. The policy should be unique to our State,” he told newspersons on the sidelines of Startupreneurs, an exposition and conference for start-up companies and budding entrepreneurs organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Link with IT policy During discussions, there was a suggestion that start-ups could be linked with IT and ITeS policy. However, not all start-ups are in the IT sector. There was also a suggestion that it could be brought under MSME policy, which the State government plans to announce.

“We are discussing all such possibilities. It will take some time to frame the policy,” he said.

Such a policy will give clarity on the kind of support the start-ups require from the government. It could be on issues like plug-and-play infrastructure and certification, he said.

Arun Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Intellect Design Arena Ltd, said entrepreneurship is a journey of nearly 15 years. It is a long, persistence and sustained journey. Many entrepreneurs can see success in the first two or three years. However, one should not be happy with such short-term success.

Jain highlighted seven capitals that entrepreneurs should focus on. Financial should be the last element of entrepreneurship. The other six that should be given priority are purpose or vision of starting the firm; what products you are selling; customer; leadership or talent; execution and brand, he said.

Have good business Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Capital Funds, said, “Whatever business a person may be in, don’t worry about the scale or becoming big or about valuation. Don’t worry about failure either. There is no one model for success. Be good at what you do.” If you have a good business, somebody with funds will chase you with offers, he said.

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