Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India’s youth are focused on solving real problems and that their courage, confidence and innovation are shaping the country’s future, as he addressed a programme marking a decade of the Startup India initiative at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital.
Speaking on the occasion of National Startup Day, the Prime Minister said that what began as a government initiative ten years ago has now turned into a nationwide movement. “In just 10 years, the Startup India Mission has become a revolution. Today, India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem,” he said.
The Prime Minister noted that the number of startups in the country has grown from fewer than 500 a decade ago to over two lakh today. He added that India had only four unicorns in 2014, while the number has now risen to nearly 125 active unicorns. In 2025 alone, around 44,000 new startups were registered, the highest annual addition since the launch of Startup India, he said.
Highlighting the changing mindset in the country, PM Modi said that risk-taking, which was once discouraged, has now become mainstream. “Today, those who think beyond monthly salaries are accepted and respected,” he remarked, adding that ideas once considered unconventional are now gaining wide acceptance.
The Prime Minister said Startup India is not merely a scheme but a “rainbow vision” connecting diverse sectors with new opportunities. He pointed out that youth from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and even villages, are now launching startups to address grassroots challenges, reflecting a shift towards inclusive entrepreneurship.
He also highlighted the growing participation of women, noting that over 45 per cent of recognised startups have at least one woman director or partner. He added that India has emerged as the world’s second-largest ecosystem for women-led startup funding.
PM Modi said the government has worked over the past decade to build a strong innovation ecosystem by promoting initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs in schools, hackathons to solve national challenges, and incubation centres to support early-stage ideas. He added that regulatory reforms, including decriminalisation of over 180 provisions under the Jan Vishwas Act, have reduced compliance burdens and encouraged innovation.
The Prime Minister said access to capital has been strengthened through the Fund of Funds for Startups, which has supported investments worth over ₹25,000 crore, along with schemes such as the Startup India Seed Fund and credit guarantee mechanisms to support entrepreneurs without collateral.
Emphasising the importance of emerging technologies, PM Modi said startups will play a key role in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, green hydrogen and space technology. He noted that India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 and said the India AI Mission is helping startups by providing access to computing resources, including over 38,000 GPUs.
Calling upon startups to focus more on manufacturing, the Prime Minister said India must move beyond services and digital platforms to develop world-class products and technologies. “India’s ambition should not be limited to participation. It must aim for global leadership,” he said.
He assured startups of continued government support and expressed confidence that the next decade would see India leading global trends in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal and other dignitaries were present at the event.
Startup India was launched on January 16, 2016, with the objective of promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and investment-led growth, and transforming India into a nation of job creators.
