King’s College Launches Fifth Otharo Incubation Cohort

King’s College on Tuesday launched the fifth cohort of its Otharo Incubation Programme, starting a six-month initiative to support early-stage startups in Nepal.

Twelve startups were selected from more than 31 applicants across sectors including hospitality and information technology. The kick-off event brought together selected founders, mentors, ecosystem leaders and other stakeholders.

The cohort includes Mr Waffles, Tumlet Games Private Limited, Aether Social Lab, Studio Britanta, Paramendo Nepal, Lexana, The Nepal Newsletter, Yarsa Agro Research Private Limited Company, Sano Engineer, Samparka Digital Loyalty, Knowledge App and eSahara.

The 10 selected startups presented their businesses and outlined their goals for the incubation period.

The college has run the programme since 2013 and says it has supported more than 50 ventures, contributing to Nepal’s growing startup ecosystem.

The Otharo Incubation Programme targets founders with developed prototypes as well as startups generating initial sales but seeking clearer strategy, stronger organisational structures and sustainable growth. The programme offers structured mentorship, milestone-based progress tracking and hands-on guidance to help refine business models and prepare ventures for the next phase.

“Early support and the right environment can significantly shape a startup’s trajectory. Through Otharo, we aim to create a space where emerging founders receive the guidance, accountability and community they need to grow sustainably,” the college said.

Yomoo Bajracharya, incubation officer at the Otharo Incubation Programme, told New Business Age that this year’s kick-off was designed to be more interactive.

“The event was more interactive. In the past, we organised it as a formal programme. This time, we focused more on the startups so that attendees could engage directly with them,” Bajracharya said. “We created an open setting, with stall-style spaces where people could walk around, talk and interact. This gave startups an opportunity to understand how different audiences perceive them. Overall, it went very well.”