Key Initiatives
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) through the Startup India initiative has executed various projects & undertaken recurring models to propel the Indian Startup Ecosystem.
- States Startup Ranking
- National Startup Awards
- Seed Fund Scheme
- MAARG
- SCO
- STARTUP INDIA INVESTOR CONNECT
States Startup Ranking
The States’ Startup Ranking is an annual capacity building exercise which has been developed with the objective to build a conducive startup ecosystem across the country, through sustained efforts of States and Union Territories.
National Startup Awards
The National Startup Award is a marquee initiative by Startup India, DPIIT, in recognizing exceptional startups across India, creating economic impact and larger societal impact. The National Startup Awards have been pivotal in providing support to some of the most well-known startups in the Indian ecosystem currently, including unicorns, soonicorns and other high impact startups.
The winners and finalists of the awards are provided extensive support in their growth journey. The National Startup Awards have become a key recognition of the impactful work being done by startups in the Indian startup ecosystem.
Seed Fund Scheme
The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry & commercialization.
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MAARG
The MAARG mentorship platform aims at facilitating intelligent matchmaking between mentors & startups across varied sectors at scale.
SCO
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China. It comprises over 25 nations from Asia and Europe. Recognizing the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in driving and diversifying economies, all Member States agreed to create a Special Working Group for Startups and Innovation (SWG), with India as its permanent chair. As the Chair of the SWG, headed by India, DPIIT holds the annual meetings of the SWG, along with conducting specialized activities like the SCO Startup Forum, to provide the necessary assistance for the development and sustainable growth of the startup ecosystem in the SCO Member States.
Startup India Investor Connect
Startup India Investor Connect was launched in the sixth meeting of National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC), convened on 11th March 2023 to serve as a dedicated platform that connects startups to investors, and promote entrepreneurship and accelerate engagements across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and backgrounds, which is also the need of the ecosystem.
Schemes & Policies
An insight into the schemes and policies landscape of the Indian Startup Ecosystem, including steps taken by Startup India to ease the regulatory burden.
Notifications
Stay on top of all policy and regulatory updates that are important for your next startup move.
Central Government Schemes
An aggregation of all Startup focused schemes and policies by the Central Government of India.
Funding
Explore the Funding landscape with Startup India and tap into some of the models most relevant for your startup to grow.
Seed Fund Scheme
Financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialisation.
Funding Guide for Startups
Your virtual guide to startup funding. A startup might require funding for one, a few, or all of the following purposes. Click to know more.
Startup India Investor Connect
Startup India Investor Connect is a platform that connects startups with investors to facilitate investment opportunities.
Fund of Funds
A corpus for contribution to various AIFs registered with SEBI for funding of startups. Click to know more.
Startup Ecosystem
Bringing together the entire Indian and Global Startup community through virtual connects, mentorship and showcase opportunities.
MAARG Mentorship
Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience and Growth Portal for startups is a one-stop platform for facilitation and guidance across all sectors, functions, stages, and geographies.
Showcase
Startup India Showcase is an online discovery platform for the most promising startups of the country chosen through various DPIIT and Startup India programs exhibited in a form of virtual profiles.
Social Media
Startup Toolkits & Facilities
A plethora of resources and information guides for you to propel in your entrepreneurial journey, basis your current stage. For some of these resources, you may be asked to register on the Startup India portal.
IDEATION
Where the entrepreneur has an interesting idea and is working on bringing it to life.
VALIDATION
Where the startup has been established and it is time to enter market to grasp the first ever set of customers.
Early Traction
Where the startup has established a mark with the first wave of customers and KPIs take an important place in the growth model.
SCALING
Where the startup has successfully achieved the product-market-fit and crossed the valley of death; for the startup to expand/raise capital.
DPIIT Recognition
Under the Startup India initiative, eligible companies can get recognised as Startups by DPIIT, in order to access a host of tax benefits, easier compliance, IPR fast-tracking & more. Learn more about eligibility and benefits below.
Check Your Eligibility
A startup must meet certain criteria to be considered eligible for DPIIT Recognition.
Get Recognised
Click here to know more about the recognition process and apply as a Startup.
Validate Certificate
Click here to verify your Recognition/Tax Exemption certificates.
Key Initiatives
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) through the Startup India initiative has executed various projects and undertaken recurring models to propel the Indian Startup Ecosystem.
- State Ranking Framework
- National Startup Awards
- Seed Fund Scheme
- MAARG
- SCO
- Startup India Investor Connect
State Ranking Framework
Startup Ranking Framework, an annual evaluation, has been developed as a more robust and outcome- oriented exercise, and aims to achieve large scale progress across each State and UT.
National Startup Awards
Each year, the awards seek to recognize and reward outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers building innovative products or solutions and scalable enterprises.
Seed Fund Scheme
The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization.
MAARG
The MAARG mentorship platform aims at facilitating intelligent matchmaking between mentors and startups across varied sectors at scale.
SC0
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China). It comprises of 20+ nations from Asia and Europe. All Member States agreed to create a Special Working Group for Startups and Innovation (SWG) at the Summit of SCO Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 16th September 2022. This initiative was proposed by India in 2020 to create a new pillar of cooperation between the SCO Member States.
Startup India Investor Connect
Startup India Investor Connect was launched in the sixth meeting of National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC), convened on 11th March 2023 to serve as a dedicated platform that connects startups to investors, and promote entrepreneurship and accelerate engagements across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and backgrounds, which is also the need of the ecosystem.
Schemes and Policies
An insight into the Schemes and Policies landscape of the Indian Startup Ecosystem, including steps taken by Startup India to ease the regulatory burden.
Notifications
Stay on top of all policy and regulatory updates that are important for your next startup move.
Central Government Schemes
An aggregation of all Startup focused schemes and policies by the Central Government of India.
Funding
Explore the Funding landscape with Startup India and tap into some of the models most relevant for your startup to grow.
Seed Fund Scheme
Financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialisation.
Funding Guide for Startups
Your virtual guide to startup funding. A startup might require funding for one, a few, or all of the following purposes. Click to know more
Startup India Investor Connect
Startup India Investor Connect is a platform that connects startups with investors to facilitate investment opportunities.
Fund of Funds
A corpus for contribution to various AIFs registered with SEBI for funding of startups. Click to know more.
Startup Ecosystem
Bringing together the entire Indian and Global Startup community through virtual connects, mentorship and showcase opportunities.
MAARG Mentorship
Mentorship, Advisory, assistance, Resilience and Growth Portal for startups is a one-stop platform to facilitation and guidance across all sectors, functions, stages, and geographies.
Showcase
Startup India Showcase is an online discovery platform for the most promising startups of the country chosen through various DPIIT and Startup India programs exhibited in a form of virtual profiles.
Network
A startup community that is registered with self-certified information and is 600K strong. Explore and connect!
Explore Startups Ecosystem
Social Media
Startup Toolkits & Facilities
A plethora of resources and information guides for you to propel in your entrepreneurial journey, basis your current stage. For some of these resources, you may be asked to register on the Startup India portal.
- IDEATION
- VALIDATION
- EARLY TRACTION
- SCALING
IDEATION
Where the entrepreneur has an interesting idea and is working on bringing it to life.
VALIDATION
Where the startup has been established and it is time to enter market to grasp the first ever set of customers.
Early Traction
Where the startup has established a mark with the first wave of customers and KPIs take an important place in the growth model.
SCALING
Where the startup has successfully achieved the product-market-fit and crossed the valley of death; for the startup to expand/raise capital.
