New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday chaired a review meeting on Startup India Fund of Funds 1.0 and 2.0 to discuss strategies for strengthening India’s startup and innovation landscape.

Deliberations focused on enhancing support for deep-tech, innovation-driven and manufacturing startups, expanding access to capital, encouraging greater private sector participation and promoting inclusive growth across Tier 2 and 3 cities, said the minister on X.

“Also, discussed measures to strengthen the startup ecosystem through improved institutional mechanisms, enhanced industry participation, long-term capital and greater focus on strategic sectors critical for India’s technological and economic growth,” Goyal said.

Meanwhile, the government last month announced that it has recognised more than 55,200 startups during the financial year 2025-26, marking the highest number in a single year since the launch of the Startup India initiative.

Since its inception, the total number of recognised startups in India has crossed 2.23 lakh as of March 31, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said. These startups have together created more than 23.36 lakh direct jobs, as per the ministry. Notably, over 1.07 lakh recognised startups have at least one woman director or partner, accounting for nearly 48 per cent of the total.

The government has continued to back startups through key schemes such as the Fund of Funds for Startups, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme and the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups, which provide financial assistance at different stages of a startup’s lifecycle.

Under the Fund of Funds for Startups, more than Rs 7,000 crore has been disbursed to over 135 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) by the end of FY26. These funds have further invested over Rs 26,900 crore in more than 1,420 startups.

Building on this momentum, the government has also launched Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore.

—IANS

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