Piyush Goyal Highlights India’s Growing Startup Ecosystem at India–Japan Startup Roundtable in Tokyo

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal today highlighted India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, with nearly 250,000 startups established over the last decade, at the India–Japan Startup Roundtable held in Tokyo. He said India’s large domestic market, deep STEM talent pool, digital public infrastructure and rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem make it an attractive destination for Japanese technology, investment and innovation partnerships.

The Roundtable brought together senior government representatives, investors, industry leaders and startups from both countries, reaffirming the shared commitment of India and Japan to deepen cooperation in startups, deep technology, innovation and MSMEs. Discussions focused on strengthening technology partnerships, promoting investment and fostering the next phase of innovation-led economic collaboration between the two countries.

Welcoming the participants, Ambassador Nagma Mohamed Mallick highlighted the growing startup engagement between the two countries. The India–Japan Pitching Series has already connected 65 Indian startups with around 100 Japanese corporations and facilitated more than 30 business tie-ups. She noted that the participation of a 222-member Indian business delegation provides an opportunity to forge new and enduring partnerships between the two innovation ecosystems.

Japanese stakeholders welcomed the growing maturity of India’s startup ecosystem. JICA Senior Vice President Shohei Hara emphasised the importance of a two-way partnership, noting that Japan can contribute its technological capabilities while learning from India’s ability to convert social and developmental challenges into scalable business opportunities. JICA also expressed its intention to showcase opportunities in the Indian market to a larger number of Japanese startups.