Around 60 emerging entrepreneurs from India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan participated in the two-day TechCamp at Chennai that began on July 20.

Hosted by the U.S. Department of State and Global India Fund, USA, TechCamps are interactive workshops funded by the U.S. Department of State that connect technology experts from around the globe with local individuals and groups seeking to apply technology to tackle specific challenges. The program is run by the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP).

Addressing the gathering, U.S. Consulate General Chennai’s Acting Consul-General David Ballard said the camp would provide an opportunity to everyone to move towards a great future. “This interaction and collaboration is an opportunity you pursued and another option you gave yourself for the future,” he said.

Lakshmi Narayanan, former CEO of Cognizant Technology Solutions, in his address, said there were plenty of opportunities available in India. “We have a good ecosystem in the country for the development of startups. Plenty of opportunities are available. Investors are attracted to ideas that deal with social causes.When everything fails, it is the passion that will help you,” he added.

Alexis Wolff, Acting Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, Piyush Bhandari, Founder, IMC (Intuit Management Consultancy) Group, K. Mahalingam (MALI), Partner/Director, TSM Group of Companies and Padma Chandrasekaran, Angel Investor, Member, The Chennai Angels also spoke.

Aayush, Muthumanigandan,Megha Sharma, Ahmed Naaif, Suchi Gaur, and Vishwarath Reddy as a team presented an idea for using technology to improve access or government services and bagged the first prize.