India’s start-up ecosystem grows 600-fold in a decade: Jitendra Singh

DELHI: India’s start-up story appears to be shifting into a higher gear, with the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem expanding from just a few hundred ventures a decade ago to nearly 2.3 lakh start-ups today, according to Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.

Addressing the RISE Conclave 2026 in Bengaluru, Singh said the start-up ecosystem has generated close to 24-25 lakh jobs over the last decade, underscoring its growing role in employment creation and economic development. He noted that India is now the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem, reflecting its evolution into an innovation-led economy.

Innovation, it seems, is no longer just a metro affair. Singh highlighted that more than half of India’s start-ups now originate from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, signalling a broadening of entrepreneurial activity beyond traditional technology hubs.

Linking the growth to policy reforms, the minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launch of Startup India in 2015 for transforming innovation into a nationwide movement. He said the initiative helped create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs while opening strategic sectors to greater private participation.

The conclave, organised around the theme “Innovation & Entrepreneurship Driven Growth for Viksit Bharat 2047”, sought to bring together research institutions, industry, start-ups and entrepreneurs under one roof. According to Singh, collaboration between these stakeholders will be crucial in building a self-reliant and technology-driven economy.

A key focus area was deep technology, particularly aerospace innovation. Singh highlighted the achievements of mach33.aero, India’s first public-private aerospace incubation centre established by CSIR-NAL and its partners. The facility has completed five years of operations and incubated 34 start-ups.

More than 125 start-ups participated in the conclave, many operating in advanced technology sectors such as aerospace, artificial intelligence and agri-food innovation. The strong turnout reflected growing investor and industry confidence in India’s deep-tech ecosystem.

Singh also pointed to the government’s push into emerging technology domains, including space, biotechnology, deep ocean exploration and nuclear energy. He said reforms enabling private sector participation have accelerated innovation and opened new commercial opportunities across these sectors.

The minister highlighted progress under the National Quantum Mission and the IndiaAI Mission, noting that both programmes are creating opportunities in advanced research, computing infrastructure, data ecosystems and future-ready skills.

Beyond headline numbers, Singh argued that the success of innovation initiatives should ultimately be measured through tangible outcomes such as technologies commercialised, investments attracted, start-ups incubated and jobs created.

As discussions at RISE 2026 centred on artificial intelligence, aerospace technologies and food innovation, the broader message was clear: India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047 will depend not only on policy support and capital, but also on the ambitions of a rapidly growing generation of entrepreneurs turning ideas into enterprises.