Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal led a review meeting on Startup India Fund of Funds 1.0 and 2.0 to discuss strategies for boosting India’s startup and innovation sector. The focus was on supporting deep-tech, innovation-driven, and manufacturing startups, improving access to capital, increasing private sector involvement, and fostering growth in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
Goyal highlighted the need to strengthen the startup ecosystem through better institutional mechanisms, increased industry engagement, long-term capital infusion, and a sharper focus on critical sectors vital for India’s technological and economic progress. The government recently announced the recognition of over 55,200 startups in the financial year 2025-26, the highest in a single year since the inception of the Startup India initiative.
As of March 31, 2026, India has recognized a total of more than 2.23 lakh startups, which have collectively generated over 23.36 lakh direct jobs. Notably, around 48% of these startups have at least one woman director or partner. The government has been supporting startups through various schemes like the Fund of Funds for Startups, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups, providing financial aid at different startup stages.
The Fund of Funds for Startups has disbursed over Rs 7,000 crore to more than 135 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) by the end of FY26. These funds have further invested more than Rs 26,900 crore in over 1,420 startups. To build on this progress, the government has introduced Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore.
