80% of India's startups are AI-led: India's IT Minister

New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): On National Startup Day, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Friday, highlighted the expansion of India's deep-tech startup ecosystem driven by focused policy and funding support.

In an X post, he wrote, "Today, 80% of our startups are AI-led. DLI scheme under India Semiconductor Mission has supported 23 startups so far."

"For institutional funding, $1 billion India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) was announced at Semicon India 2025. The Research Development & Innovation Fund, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore, is also strengthening innovation capabilities," he said.

He also mentioned that 80% of Indian startups today are driven by artificial intelligence. Talking about funding, he said, Rs 1 lakh crore startups are RDI-funded, boosting deeptech innovation.

Earlier today, PM Narendra Modi also spoke about the Indian startup ecosystem at an event to celebrate National Startup Day. He said that the Startup India programme is not just a scheme but a 'Rainbow Vision' that aims to connect different sectors with new opportunities.

Addressing entrepreneurs and stakeholders of India's startup ecosystem, the Prime Minister, on the occasion of National Startup Day, said that for him, the confidence and impression of startups matter more than numbers alone.

He also lauded the risk appetite of India's startups.

"I have consistently emphasised risk-taking, because it has also been my long-standing habit. Tasks that no one was ready to take up, tasks that previous governments avoided for decades because they feared losing elections or power -- I have always considered it my responsibility to take them on. Like you, I too believe that whatever work is necessary for the country must be done by someone. Someone has to take the risk," he said.

India's startup ecosystem has experienced unprecedented growth over this period, with more than 2,00,000 startups recognised across the country. These enterprises have become significant drivers of employment generation, innovation-led economic growth and the strengthening of domestic value chains in diverse sectors. (ANI)

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