A Few Hundred In 2016 To 2 Lakh In 2025: Tracking India's Startup Journey

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France, a flagship innovation showcase that brought together 120 deep-tech startups, investors and research institutions as part of the India-France Year of Innovation. Addressing the event, PM Modi described innovation as a defining strength of India and said the country was emerging as a global hub for technology-driven solutions.

Space and Defence emerged as the largest category among the selected startups, followed by Healthcare and MedTech, Energy, and Advanced Computing. Biotechnology, Manufacturing and Semiconductors also featured prominently. Together, these sectors account for a large share of the startups showcased at the event.

Bharat Innovates 2026 received around 4,000 applications from deep-tech startups linked to higher education and technical institutions across India. The selection process involved multiple stages, beginning with eligibility screening to assess technological readiness and institutional affiliation, followed by expert evaluation of innovation, scalability, commercial potential, and social impact. 

Startups were then shortlisted across 13 technology themes before 137 ventures advanced to the pre-summit at IIT Bombay for mentoring, exhibitions, and investor interactions. From this pool, the final 120 startups were selected to represent India at the Bharat Innovates 2026 showcase in Nice, where they pitched their innovations to global investors, industry leaders, and policymakers.

Startup Growth in India

Over the past decade, India's recognised startup ecosystem has expanded rapidly. The number of DPIIT-recognised startups has grown from just a few hundred in 2016 to more than two lakh in 2025.  

The startup boom has also translated into employment generation. Jobs created by recognised startups increased from just 308 in 2016 to nearly 4.9 lakh in 2020. By 2025, startups had generated around 21.9 lakh jobs across the country.

However, the sectors driving India's startup growth are very different from those showcased at Bharat Innovates. IT Services alone account for about one-fifth of recognised startups. Healthcare and Life Sciences is the second-largest segment, while Education, Agriculture, Construction and Food & Beverages also account for significant shares.

In contrast, sectors such as Space, Defence and Semiconductors do not figure among the country's largest startup segments.