Delhi, April 17: The Government has recognized more than 55,200 startups during Financial Year 2025-26, marking the highest number of startups recognized in a single year since the launch of the Startup India initiative.
The Startup India initiative was launched on 16th January 2016 with an Action Plan comprising schemes and incentives aimed at creating a robust ecosystem for nurturing innovation, encouraging private investments, and supporting startups across the country. Various programmes are being implemented to recognize, develop and empower startups.
Since inception, the number of recognized startups has crossed 2.23 lakh as on 31st March 2026, generating more than 23.36 lakh direct jobs. More than 1.07 lakh recognized startups have at least one woman director or partner, accounting for approximately 48% of total recognized startups.
The number of startups recognized increased by 51.6% year-on-year in FY 2025-26 compared to FY 2024-25, while direct jobs created rose by 36.1% during the same period.
Startups are now present across all States and Union Territories. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat have emerged as leading regions in terms of the number of recognized startups and direct employment generation as on 31st March 2026.
The Government continues to support startups through flagship schemes including the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS), providing financial support at various stages of the startup lifecycle.
Under FFS, more than Rs. 7,000 crore has been disbursed to over 135 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) by the end of FY 2025-26, which have further invested more than Rs. 26,900 crore in over 1,420 startups. Building on this, the Government has notified Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore.
The Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups has been expanded in FY 2025-26 to enhance capital mobilization by increasing the guarantee cover per borrower from Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 20 crore, enhancing the extent of guarantee cover, and reducing the annual guarantee fee for lenders in identified sectors. By the end of FY 2025-26, more than 410 loans amounting to over Rs. 1,250 crore have been guaranteed.
Under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, 219 incubators have been selected and the entire corpus of Rs. 945 crore has been committed. These incubators have approved funding of over Rs. 605 crore to more than 3,400 startups. The scheme has been extended to enable continued disbursement and completion of approved activities.
Startup-led innovation has also strengthened intellectual property generation, with more than 19,400 patent applications filed by startups. Patent filings increased from over 2,850 in FY 2024-25 to more than 4,480 in FY 2025-26.
