The Startup Sherpa of Kashmir University

Breaking down silos and incubation rivalry, she creates networks where Kashmir's young entrepreneurs support and learn from each other.

- Aashiq Hussain Andrabi

On a bright morning at the University of Kashmir, a nervous first-year student walked into the NewGen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre clutching an idea: a solar-powered irrigation device.

Within minutes, Dr. Irfana Rashid, the centre's new coordinator, was already mapping out his path forward: mentoring, prototype funding, and connecting him with alumni who could help.

"For years, I taught entrepreneurship in classrooms," she says. "Now, I finally get to bring those lessons to life."

Her background is impressive: UGC-NET/JRF/SRF awardee, an MBA from the University of Kashmir, a Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University, and training at IIM Ahmedabad.

With over 30 research publications and 50 lakh in funding, she's guided more than a thousand students and faculty across the country.

Dr. Irfana's vision for NewGen IEDC is clear: to blend Kashmir's rich heritage with new opportunities. She points to saffron, apples, walnut wood, and trout farms as sectors where innovation can thrive globally while preserving the valley's identity.

She's focusing on agritech, arts and crafts, medicinal plants, tourism, and sustainability. And she's pushing a bold idea called "coopetition", getting rival incubators to share resources and work together to build a stronger startup ecosystem.

The biggest challenge is to change mindsets in a place where comfort and caution have long held sway. "We offer support, but we also expect accountability. Nothing truly valuable comes free."

Her long-term dream is a self-sustaining culture of innovation, where student-led entrepreneurship cells and pre-incubation courses nurture ideas from the ground up.

Back in her office, she's sketching out partners and timelines for that irrigation device. "Where there's a will, there's a way," she says. "Show us your will, and we'll help you find the way."