 "National Startup Day 2025: Govt launches Bharat Startup Grand Challenge")
Celebrating National Startup Day 2025, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal launched the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge for entrepreneurs in collaboration with 20 large corporations.
The government aims to launch 75 similar challenges by the 2026 anniversary of the Startup India initiative. The challenge will enable startups to address issues in sectors including renewable energy, agritech, healthcare, robotics, blockchain, semiconductors, and more, offering cash prizes, funding, mentoring support, and capacity-building opportunities.
"From the ideation to the execution stage, the government will work shoulder to shoulder with startups, provide policy support, and deliver on the commitment to making India the global leader in innovation and tech-driven growth," Goyal said.
While delivering the keynote address at the event, he noted that earlier there was limited tech support available for startups, but the system now spans digi-tech, health-tech, fin-tech, and artificial intelligence (AI) startups.
He added that over the past decade, the number of startups in India has grown from 400 in 2016 to over 157,000 in 2024.
The government also shared data insights from the latest PRABHAAV (Powering a Resilient & Agile Bharat for the Advancement of Visionary BHAA Startups) factsheet. The report highlighted that startups created 17.28 lakh jobs, and 51 per cent of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-registered startups are based in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
The celebration also marked a curtain-raiser event for the upcoming Startup Mahakumbh, scheduled to be held from April 3–5, 2025.
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Sanjiv Singh, joint secretary at DPIIT, stated that while India has achieved nearly 100 per cent district coverage, the aim is to bring every district under the startup fold.
Reflecting on the evolving nature of India's startup ecosystem, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, a member of the National Startup Advisory Council, said entrepreneurship is becoming a mainstream career option among young people. "Companies like HCL and Infosys were startups at one point. Therefore, the startups of today will be the giants of tomorrow," he added.
Amardeep Singh Bhatia, secretary of DPIIT, outlined three government initiatives—the Fund of Funds Scheme, the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, and the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups—that have facilitated startup progress. He noted that while many startups are working in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) domain, the government hopes to see more startups in the deep-tech space going forward.
“National Startup Day has been a momentous occasion dedicated to celebrating the entrepreneurs and innovators who have played a pivotal role in transforming India's economy and society. It is a huge achievement for India. The government's focus on the national deep-tech startup policy, global partnerships, and support for manufacturing startups ensures that India remains at the forefront of innovation and growth," said Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner at Rukam Capital.
India now has over 110 unicorns and is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.