Startups In India

PM Modi meets AI startup CEOs, discusses use of tech in agri, education

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday discussed the potential of harnessing artificial intelligence technology in various sectors like agriculture, environmental protection, and promoting higher education in mother tongue, among others, with CEOs of AI and deeptech startups. CEOs and founders of 16 AI and deeptech startups presented their ideas and work at a roundtable meeting with the prime minister. Modi underscored the need for strong data governance, cautioned against misinformation, and urged the development of solutions tailored to India's needs, said a statement from Prime Minister's Office. Referring to UPI as a model of simple and scalable digital innovation, he expressed confidence in Indian companies and encouraged trust in domestic products. He also spoke about expanding private participation in the space sector and noted strong investor interest in Indian startups. Modi discussed the potential of harnessing AI technology in various sectors like in agriculture and ...

Serge Raffa of Allianz India praises ethical, inclusive AI at India summit

Raffa said the scale of the event exceeded expectations, noting strong participation from companies and startups showcasing innovations across sectors

Regulatory sandboxes necessary to foster AI innovations: IFSCA official

Regulatory sandboxes are necessary to ensure that startups and other players can build things in a controlled environment within the guardrails without stifling innovation, a senior official at the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) said on Monday. Speaking at a session at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital, IFSCA's Chief Technology Officer Joseph Joshy also said he would look at the things through the regulatory lens. The five-day summit -- which will see a host of heads of state and government, overseas representatives and industry players, among others -- commenced on Monday. "We need to ensure that there are regulatory sandboxes among regulators so that there are guardrails... (so that) before regulations come startups and others can build things in a controlled environment so that you don't stifle innovation and that you encourage it within the guardrails," Joshy said. Joshy is also the Chief General Manager as well as Head of FinTe

AI-powered Cloud service provider Neysa to raise $1.2 bn via equity, debt

Blackstone and co-investors infuse $600mn in equity; Neysa to raise additional $600mn via debt

Startups driving innovation, job creation, says former President Kovind

India has emerged as the world's third-largest startup ecosystem, with over 2 lakh recognised startups driving innovation and job creation across the country, former President Ram Nath Kovind said on Sunday. At the same time, more than 100 startups have achieved the unicorn status, he said at an event hosted by Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO). With global leaders and technology voices converging for the AI Impact Summit, he said this impressive global ranking and the sheer number of high-value startups reflect the innovation, job creation, and world-class enterprises emerging from every corner of India. Speaking to investors and mentors at ILLUMIN8, JITO's national startup initiative, Kovind said, "Business and values are not opposites, but partners. Profit and purpose must move forward together". Jain principles reflect a deep understanding that a society that focuses only on profits but neglects values may advance for some time, but it will gradually lose its way, he

What businesses should track closely at the India AI Impact Summit 2026

As India hosts the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, businesses are watching closely for signals on compute access, policy direction, security frameworks and deployable AI use cases

Olyv raises $23 mn in Series B led by Nandan Nilekani's Fundamentum

Online lending marketplace Olyv has raised $23 million in a Series B round led by Nandan Nilekani's Fundamentum to expand products across insurance, UPI and business loans

Pet care startup Supertails raises $30 million in Series C funding round

The Bengaluru-based pet care platform will use the funds to expand technology capabilities, strengthen healthcare services and scale up its offline clinics and quick-delivery network

ElevenLabs raises $500 million in Series D, valuation jumps to $11 bn

Sequoia-led funding round triples voice-AI startup's valuation as it expands beyond speech into full audio stack

Investor needs to know AI is transformative: Fractal CEO Velamakanni

Enterprise AI firm Fractal Analytics sets ₹857-900 IPO price band as cofounder Srikanth Velamakanni bets on long-term growth, R&D and India's AI future

Loop AI raises $14 mn in Series A funding round led by Nyca Partners

Enterprise AI platform Loop AI has raised $14 million in a Series A round led by Nyca Partners to expand its product suite and scale teams across the US and India

Too Young to Follow the Rules: How a 23-Year-Old Is Rethinking Indian Rug Design

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Why over 100 Indian AI startup founders are moving operations to the US

Around 100 Indian AI startup founders are heading to the US as demand, funding and decision-making for AI products remain stronger in the American market

India-EU trade deal to back innovation hubs, startups and emerging tech

India and the EU adopt a Joint Strategic Agenda to deepen cooperation on technology, innovation and startups, spanning AI, semiconductors and clean tech

SpotDraft raises $8 mn from Qualcomm Ventures in Series B extension round

Funds to deepen AI capabilities and expand enterprise presence across key global markets

Budget 2026: Nasscom urges cloud tax clarity, ESOP deferment for startups

Industry body Nasscom hopes that the Union Budget will extend Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) tax deferment to more startups and bring suitable clarifications to address concerns around the tax treatment of foreign cloud use of Indian data centres. The association - whose members include IT companies and tech players across-the-spectrum, of varying size and scale - wants the Budget to clarify that procuring hosting or co-location services from an Indian data centre operator would not create a business connection or permanent establishment for the foreign cloud service provider, as the arm's length payments to the Indian player fully cover India-based functions. ESOP tax deferral for more start-ups is another proposal highlighted by Nasscom in its Budget push, as is the extension of the carry-forward and set-off of accumulated losses and unabsorbed depreciation benefits in case of amalgamation or merger to all companies (irrespective of their business nature). Other suggestions ...

India's most funded young founders: Who raised the biggest cheques-and why

The U40 List features 51 of the youngest entrepreneurs, all aged 36, representing a diverse range of industries, including SaaS, FinTech, Healthcare, Energy, Aerospace, Logistics and Automobiles.

India's top 20 startups dominated valuations, fundraising in 2025

While the average valuation of the top 20 startups was $1.78 billion, the remaining 80 had an average valuation of just $0.42 billion, nearly one-fourth of the top cohort

Guj, Arunachal, Goa top states in ecosystem for startups: DPIIT ranking

Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa ranked as the 'best performers' in developing a startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade released on Friday. Gujarat has been ranked as the best performer for the fifth time in a row. Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh are categorised as the top performers. The ranking is a yearly exercise under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) that evaluates all states and Union territories on their efforts to build an ecosystem conducive to startup growth. A total of 34 states and Union territories (UTs) participated in the exercise. They are ranked under five categories -- best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging startup ecosystems. The states and Union Territories were broadly divided into two sections based on their population size -- those

PM to attend Startup Day event, interact with members of startup ecosystem

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a programme marking a decade of the Startup India initiative on Friday and interact with members of India's vibrant startup ecosystem. Startup India was launched on January 16, 2016, as a transformative national programme to nurture innovation, promote entrepreneurship and enable investment-driven growth, with the objective of making India a nation of job creators rather than job seekers. On the occasion of National Startup Day, Prime Minister Modi will interact with members of India's vibrant startup ecosystem, an official statement said. Select startup representatives will share insights from their entrepreneurial journey. The prime minister will also address the gathering on this occasion. Over the past decade, Startup India has emerged as a cornerstone of India's economic and innovation architecture. It has strengthened institutional mechanisms, expanded access to capital and mentorship, and fostered an enabling environment for .