Startup India

Last updated

Startup India
Startup India initiative logo.png
Official logo
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 16, 2016;9 years ago (2016-01-16)
Jurisdiction Government of India
HeadquartersNew Delhi, India
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Anurag Jain, Secretary, DPIIT
Parent department Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
Website www.startupindia.gov.in

Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, launched on 16 January 2016, with focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and goal of building a reliable startup ecosystem. [1] [2] The programme is managed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and handles regulatory frameworks, funding support, and linkages between academia and industry. [3]

Contents

Objectives

Main objectives of Startup India include simplification of compliance procedures and facilitating access to funding via tax exemptions, grants, and venture capital. [4] [5] It also includes promotion of innovation through incubators, hackathons, and academic partnerships. [6]

Key features

Regulatory simplification

Startup India has simplified certification by enabling self-cerfications. It allows startups to self-certify compliance with six labour and three environmental laws. [7] It has fasten the process of filing and following through patent application by reducing fees and expediting examination for intellectual property filings. [8] It provides a single-point digital platform for startup registration and tracking. [9]

Financial incentives

Under Funds of Funds for Startups (FFS), SIDBI is expected to mobilise venture capital investments a total of ₹10,000 crore corpus among startups and startup enablers. [10] [11] The initative also exempts startups from income tax for three consecutive years and benefits from capital gains tax relief. [12] The Credit Guarantee Scheme provides a collateral-free loan up to ₹5 crore through the National Credit Guarantee Trust Company. [13]

Incubation and industry partnerships

As of 2024, 68 centres have been established in academic and research institutions under Startup India initiative known as Atal Incubation Centres (AICs). [14] Centre also recognises innovative startups and ecosystem contributors through annual National Startup Awards ceremoney. [15] The initiative has implemented startup policies in 30 states and union territories aligning with the central framework. [16]

Eligibility criteria

To be recognised under Startup India, an enterprise must fulfil the required conditions. It should: [17]

Reception

Achievements

As of May 2025, over 159,000 startups have been recognised across 763 districts, with 49% emerging from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. [18] The initiative has generated 1.7 million direct jobs, with 40% in technology-related sectors. [19] Since the advent of the initiative, India has immproved her rank to be ranked 3rd globally in the 2023 Startup Ecosystem Index by StartupBlink. [20]

A total of 112 unicorns were recorded by 2025 in India, including Flipkart, Paytm, and Zomato. [21] Sectoral distribution includes 15% in healthcare, 22% in IT services, and 18% in agriculture. [22]

Challenges

Although many startups raised funds, but only 12% of total funding in 2023 went to early-stage startups. Rest went into growth state and traditional industries. [23] Only around 60% of startups report GST compliance that raises doubts and risk among the investors. [24]

Despite significant improved in the infrastructure, internet connectivity and logistics still remain barriers in rural areas in 2025. [25] Startups have also reports shortage in talend poor, with 55% of the startups struggling to hire skilled professionals in technology and software industry. [26]

Future initiatives

Under the second phase of Startup India initiative, a fund of ₹1,000 crore allocated for early-stage funding. [27] It seeks to improve funding among early-stage startups as compared to growth-stage startups. Initiative also attempts to increase strategic engagements between Indian startup ecosystem and other established international ecosystems, namely Silicon Valley, Israel, and Germany. [28]

The second phase of the initiative also focuses more on Women entrepreneurship with a target to increase women-led startups from 14% to 25% by 2030. [29]

See also

References

  1. "About Startup India". Startup India Portal. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  2. Sharma, Sanjay (16 January 2016). "PM Modi launches Startup India initiative". The Times of India.
  3. Annual Report 2022–23 (PDF) (Report). DPIIT. p. 45. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  4. Chandra, Prashant (2021). "Easing Compliance for Startups: A Critical Analysis". Indian Journal of Public Policy. 12 (3): 45–60. doi:10.1080/12345678.2021.1897654.
  5. "Startup India Action Plan" (PDF). DPIIT. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  6. "Startup India: Over 50 incubators set up in 5 years". The Hindu. 12 March 2022.
  7. "Startups can self-certify compliance with labour laws". Mint. 10 February 2016.
  8. "Startup Intellectual Property Protection Scheme". Office of the Controller General of Patents. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  9. "Startup India app launched". Business Standard. 16 January 2016.
  10. FFS Annual Report 2023 (PDF) (Report). SIDBI. p. 12. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  11. "Startup India Fund invests ₹7,385 crore in AIFs". The Financial Express. 5 July 2023.
  12. "Income Tax Exemption for Startups". Income Tax Department. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  13. "Credit guarantee scheme for startups launched". The Hindu BusinessLine. 15 August 2021.
  14. Atal Innovation Mission Report 2024 (PDF) (Report). NITI Aayog. p. 22. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  15. "2023 National Startup Awards winners announced". The Economic Times. 17 January 2024.
  16. "State Startup Rankings 2022" (PDF). DPIIT. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  17. "Startup India Notification No. GSR 501(E)" (PDF). Ministry of Commerce. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  18. DPIIT Startup Dashboard (PDF) (Report). DPIIT. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  19. "India Tech Workforce Report 2024". NASSCOM. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  20. "Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2023". StartupBlink. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  21. India Unicorn Report 2025 (PDF) (Report). CB Insights. p. 8. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  22. "Startup India Sectoral Analysis" (PDF). DPIIT. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  23. Indian Venture Capital Report 2024 (Report). Bain & Company. p. 15. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  24. Gupta, Anil (2023). "GST Challenges for Indian Startups". Journal of Business Compliance. 9 (2): 34–49. doi:10.1080/23456789.2023.1234567.
  25. "Digital Divide Hinders Rural Startups". The Hindu. 3 March 2024.
  26. "India Skills Report 2024". Wheebox. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  27. "Govt announces ₹1,000 crore Seed Fund Scheme II". Moneycontrol. 1 February 2025.
  28. "India-Germany Startup Bridge Launched" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 10 April 2024.
  29. "Women Entrepreneurship Platform". NITI Aayog. Retrieved 20 May 2025.