By Fiza Masoodi

At a recent entrepreneurship event in Srinagar, a senior government official made a comment that silenced the room for a few seconds.

He said Kashmir is still twenty years behind in building a real start-up culture.

It sounded casual, almost like a passing remark, but it hit the audience hard.

Many young founders, mentors, and incubators sat there wondering what this gap truly means and why it still exists despite the noise around innovation.

The remark pushed everyone to think beyond the buzzwords.

Over the last few years, Kashmir has seen hackathons, pitch days, workshops, and a growing list of incubation centres. They speak about disruption, hustle, innovation, and the future. They push young people to dream bigger, work faster, and think globally.

This is important. These efforts matter. They create energy and hope.

But the event in Srinagar showed that hope alone cannot build an ecosystem. Something deeper is missing.

The panel of experts and officials pointed to a simple truth: Jammu and Kashmir still does not have a brand of its own that can stand on a national stage.

There is no single product or start-up that represents the region the way Punjab owns agro-processing, or Bengaluru owns tech.

Everyone is waiting for that one breakout story that can act as the face of this place.

Until that happens, the ecosystem remains scattered, enthusiastic in pockets but unsure of its long-term direction.

The discussion on apples made this gap painfully clear.

Kashmir produces more than 70 percent of India's apples. Every child here grows up hearing that this land is the home of the best fruit in the country. But there is no large, modern juice factory in the valley.

Farmers sell raw apples to outside companies. Those companies crush the fruit, pack it into shiny boxes, and send it right back to Kashmir as branded apple juice. People buy it because there is no local option with the same scale or quality.

This single example summed up what the official meant when he said we are twenty years behind.

The problem is not talent. Young people in Kashmir are skilled, ambitious, and eager to build something of their own. The problem is not funding either.

In the last few years, many grants, credit schemes, and angel networks have come into the region. The government now talks about start-up policies. Incubators promise guidance and market links. Many young founders receive seed money.

So the pipeline exists. The excitement exists. And the market exists too.

What does not exist is intellectual property, long-term thinking, and strong brand-building.

Most start-ups here work on ideas that look good in competitions but do not survive in real markets. Many products stay in pilot stages and never reach a shelf.

Some young founders rely too heavily on grants and not enough on building something people truly need. Others focus on temporary buzz instead of durable value.

As a result, the ecosystem keeps producing activity but not outcomes.

This is why the Srinagar event felt like a necessary diagnosis.

People finally said what many already sensed: the ecosystem looks busy, but the ground reality is still thin.

Too many players are active, but not many are effective.

Some organisations host events, create noise, and chase visibility without addressing deep problems.

Beyond seminars and social media posts, a real ecosystem needs factories, patents, working models, and businesses that can scale beyond districts and divisions.

The conversation also made it clear that intellectual property is the backbone of a real start-up culture. Without patents, trademarks, and original products, no region can build a strong identity.

Kashmir's start-ups have to move beyond local labels and develop assets that cannot be copied overnight. Only then will investors take long-term interest.

At the same time, the event reminded everyone that possibility still exists.

The room had young founders who are working on robotics, AI, agri-tech, climate solutions, and modern retail.

Some are trying to build Kashmir's first big brand in food processing. Others are developing technology that can leave the valley and compete in national markets.

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