Startup India Has Evolved into a Defining Movement of New India

Calling the ten-year journey of Startup India a revolution shaped by millions of dreams and youthful imagination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the initiative has gone far beyond being a government scheme to become a defining movement of new India, while addressing startup founders, innovators, and young entrepreneurs at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on National Startup Day, today.

Highlighting that India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem in just ten years, he noted that the number of startups has grown from fewer than 500 in 2014 to over two lakh today, while the count of unicorns has risen from four to nearly 125, with Indian startups increasingly launching IPOs, creating jobs, and attracting global attention.

The Prime Minister said that nearly 44,000 startups were registered in 2025 alone—the highest in any single year—underscoring the accelerating momentum of the ecosystem. Recalling interactions with young innovators from sectors such as agriculture, fintech, mobility, health, and sustainability, he said their ideas, confidence, and ambition reflected a new India focused on solving real-world problems. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction at meeting the youth and praised their courage to dream big, stating that Startup India has given them an open sky to innovate and that many of the young entrepreneurs present today would themselves become future case studies in India’s startup success story.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, while addressing the event said that ten years ago today, the Prime Minister of India presented a new line of thought to the nation, calling upon the youth to transform themselves from job seekers into job generators. He stated that the country is proud to witness this transformation clearly taking shape under the Prime Minister’s leadership.(updated on 16th january 2026)