National Capital incubates 566 startups under Atal Innovation Mission
Delhi has emerged as a startup hub with 566 startups incubated across eight Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) in the national capital, according to information shared in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Parliament session.
Replying to a question in the Upper House, Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) said the incubation support forms part of the government’s Atal Innovation Mission, which aims to build a nationwide innovation and startup ecosystem.
According to the data presented in Parliament, 6,782 startups have been incubated across 83 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) and 20 Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs) across the country. Of these, more than 2,000 are women-led and socially inclusive startups, reflecting the mission’s focus on inclusive entrepreneurship.
With 566 incubated startups, Delhi ranks sixth among all states and union territories under the programme. The highest number of startups has been incubated in Uttar Pradesh with 945, followed by Tamil Nadu with 694, Telangana with 658, Maharashtra with 625 and Karnataka with 605 startups.
Despite being a union territory with a relatively smaller geographical area, Delhi accounts for around 8.3 per cent of the total startups incubated nationally, highlighting its strong institutional and academic ecosystem.
Delhi’s incubation network is hosted by a mix of universities, private organisations and social innovation platforms. Key institutions hosting these centres include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University Delhi, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Netaji Subhas University of Technology.
Other incubation centres are operated by organisations such as 91 Springboard Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Sangam Innovation Foundation, EMPI Incubation and Foundation for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, which provide mentorship, infrastructure and support for early-stage startups.
The government also informed Parliament that two additional incubation centres are proposed in Delhi. One will be established by the AssisTech Foundation, focusing on assistive technology innovations for persons with disabilities. The other, proposed by the Indigram Labs Foundation, will support grassroots and community-driven innovation.
Overall, the Atal Innovation Mission has established 103 incubation centres across 28 states and union territories, and 48 additional AICs and ACICs are currently pending establishment, indicating further expansion of the programme in the coming years.
