A DECADE OF STARTUP INDIA: SCALING INNOVATION, SHAPING INDIA’S GROWTH STORY

As Startup India completes a decade, India’s startups have become key drivers of innovation, jobs, and inclusive growth under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

- RUCHIRA TALAPATRA

PM Modi visits an exhibition as he attends a programme marking a decade of Startup India at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi.

National Startup Day on 16 January 2026 marks a landmark decade of the Startup India Initiative. What began in 2016 as a policy push to energise entrepreneurship has evolved into one of the world’s largest and most diverse startup ecosystems.

Anchored by “Startup India” this movement has had a transformative impact on India’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. It is firmly aligned with India’s march toward achievement of Viksit Bharat 2047, combining economic modernization with inclusive regional uplift, reflecting its.

Startups have emerged as a vital pillar of India’s economic transformation, driving innovation, job creation, and inclusive development. Over the past decade, India has rapidly evolved into one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, with more than 2 lakh startups as of December 2025 . Major hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR have been at the forefront of this transformation. At the same time, smaller cities are also steadily contributing to the momentum with around 50% of the startups emerging from Tier II/ III cities. , reflecting the democratisation of entrepreneurship.

Startups are increasingly bridging India's rural-urban divide by deploying solutions across agri-tech, telemedicine, microfinance, tourism, and ed-tech, directly addressing developmental gaps and supporting rural livelihoods. Within this landscape, women-led startups are emerging as a key driver of inclusive and regionally balanced growth, with more than 45% of recognised startups having at least one-woman Director/ Partner as of December 2025. This reflects the emergence of innovation not only as an economic engine but also as a driver of social equity and balanced regional development.

STARTUP INDIA INITIATIVE: A DECADE OF BUILDING INDIA'S INNOVATION BACKBONE