Sansad TV

Perspective: 10 years of Startup India | 22 January, 2026

Sansad Tv

On the programme today, we focus on a transformation that has quietly, but powerfully, added new strength to India’s economic story. Ten years ago, Startup India began as an idea: to give innovators the confidence to dream, the policy backing to build, and an ecosystem strong enough to help them scale. A decade later, that idea has grown into one of the world’s most dynamic startup movements. In just ten years, India has become the third-largest startup ecosystem globally, with over two lakh DPIIT-recognised startups and 125 unicorns. To put that journey in perspective—back in 2014, India had barely 500 startups and just four unicorns. But Startup India is about far more than valuations or billion-dollar headlines. It’s about building a complete, end-to-end ecosystem – from ideation and incubation to funding, mentorship, and scaling-up. It’s about entrepreneurship no longer being confined to big metros, as nearly half of all recognised startups are now emerging from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, reflecting a real democratisation of opportunity. It’s also a journey of inclusion and depth. Rural and grassroots programmes such as SVEP, ASPIRE, and PMEGP are enabling micro-enterprises, women-led ventures, and local jobs. As of December 2025, more than 45% of recognised startups had at least one-woman Director/Partner. In this edition of Perspective, we reflect on a decade of Startup India—celebrating how far the ecosystem has come, and what this momentum means for India’s next generation of innovators.

Anchor: – Teena Jha

Producer: – Sagheer Ahmad

Guest Coordinator:- Deepti Vashisht, Vinod Kumar Singh, Paras Kandpal

Guests:- 1. Prashant Tandon, Co-founder and CEO of TATA 1mg (India’s largest digital health platform)