After the success of the first-ever SCO Startup Forum launched in 2020. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Startup India hosted the second edition of the SCO Startup Forum. Som Parkash, Minister of State, Commerce and Industry, Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary-General, and Anurag Jain, Secretary, DPIIT, were among the dignitaries present during the launch of the SCO Startup Forum 2021. The two-day Forum was held virtually through a customized platform representing the Indian culture in augmented reality. The Forum saw participation from 5,600+ startup ecosystem stakeholders from over 28+ countries and 169 Startups from 5 SCO member states showcased their innovations on SCO Startup Showcase. Discussions on topics pertinent to the development of the startup ecosystem such as Multilateral Incubator Programs and Procuring Social Innovation were undertaken by 16 subject-matter-experts from all the 8 SCO Member States. Further, a knowledge sharing workshop was organized to build capacity among the SCO founders. SCO Startup Forum 2021 launched two impactful initiatives to foster the SCO Startup Ecosystem. 

1.    SCO Startup Hub, a single point of contact for the SCO startup ecosystem that provides insights into the startup ecosystems of the 8 Member States. The microsite serves as an active engagement platform and a thorough digital handbook leading to the entrepreneurial world of the SCO Member States. 
2.    Startup Open Innovation Challenge, an engagement to enable the identification of solutions that can be implemented in the SCO Member States. The challenge is in partnership with 5 leading corporate with incentives worth $ 50,000. The challenge aims to enable the startups to work with experienced players and get access to resources and scale-up support.