Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, inaugurated the Startup Conclave 2025 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel and several dignitaries were present on the occasion In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the conclave will deliberate on all aspects of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s mission to establish India’s identity in the startup world and find solutions to challenges. The conclave is organized on the theme of three mantras: innovate, elevate, and accelerate. He mentioned that over two days, discussions will be held in seven sessions on various topics, providing a significant platform to connect emerging startups with investors and realize Prime Minister Modi’s mantra of “mind to market.”
Shri Shah highlighted that the compilation of the Indian Knowledge System was also launched during the event. He said that this system encompasses the finest knowledge from around the world in fields such as Ayurveda, classical arts, architecture, mathematics, philosophy, science, space, and the environment. Shri Shah added that Prime Minister Modi, through the New Education Policy, has created a vertical for research and study on the Indian Knowledge System, opening this treasure trove for India’s youth. By leveraging this knowledge, young Indians can conduct world-class research.
Prime Minister Modi launched Startup India in 2016, and today, India has become the fastest-growing country in building a world-class startup ecosystem. Shri Shah said that through Startup India, PM Modi has fulfilled the dream of transforming Indian youth from job seekers to job creators. He has elevated startups beyond mere profit-making entities, making them a significant tool for self-reliance. The startup ecosystem has become a platform to address many of the country’s challenges, accelerate innovation, and provide opportunities for youth creativity.
Shri Amit Shah said that in the eight years from 2016 to 2024, India has become the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Furthermore, over the past ten years, India has also emerged as the third-largest digital ecosystem, empowering the startup ecosystem. The digital ecosystem rapidly brings the ideas, vision, and courage of the youth to the forefront of the nation and the world. He said that in 2015, India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index was 91st, and today it has reached 38th. The Home Minister expressed confidence that within the next three years, India will rank among the top ten countries in the Global Innovation Index and, in the coming years, will lead global innovation.
He highlighted that the number of startups has grown from 500 in 2014 to 1.92 lakh today, a 380-fold increase. Similarly, the number of unicorn startups has risen from just 4 in 2014 to over 120 today, with a total valuation exceeding $350 billion. Shri Shah emphasized that this demonstrates how, by leveraging the ecosystem created by Prime Minister Modi, talent can be harnessed to create unicorn startups. He urged industry stakeholders to collaborate with startups to expand in every dimension.
Shri Amit Shah said that India currently has 21,000 startups in the IT sector and 17,000 in healthcare. Moreover, there are 11,000 startups each in agriculture, the service sector, and education. He added that startups have expanded their reach to 770 districts in India, showcasing the strength of India’s startup ecosystem. Furthermore, 48% of startups are founded by women, and 900 startups in the Northeast are led by women. Shri Shah stated that the startup ecosystem has provided sustainable employment to 17.9 lakh people so far.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that since 2014, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has created a supporting environment for startups and provided financial, policy, infrastructure, banking, and industry support for their growth. He said that a Fund of Funds of Rs 10,000 crore has been established, a Startup India Seed Fund with a corpus of Rs 945 crore has been launched, the maximum loan limit has been increased from Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore, support of up to Rs 20 lakh has been approved for Proof of Concept, and funding of up to Rs 50 lakh has been approved for prototype development. He further said that Prime Minister Modi launched Make in India, introduced PLI schemes in 14 key sectors, removed over 40,000 compliances, and removed more than 3400 laws from the category of criminal laws.
Union Home Minister said that Gujarat has consistently ranked first in the country for startups for the past four years. He praised Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel for effectively implementing Prime Minister Modi’s vision on the ground, turning Gujarat into the center of the startup revolution. With 16,000 startups, Gujarat is among the top five states in the country, and with 6,650 startups, Ahmedabad is among the top four cities. Shri Shah noted that startups are the leading sector among emerging industries in India, and that Prime Minister Modi had envisioned enhancing the speed, size, scope, and scale of this sector a vision now being realized. He emphasized that where there is the capability to harness talent, the Government of India under Prime Minister Modi and the Government of Gujarat under Shri Bhupendra Patel stand firmly with the youth like a rock. He added that both leaders are providing every possible support to turn the dreams of young people into reality. Shri Shah concluded that the backbone of Prime Minister Modi’s vision of New India is the youth and the startup ecosystem.
