Govt of Delhi Announces Startup Policy With ₹325 Crore Outlay Over 5 Years to Support 5,000 Startups by 2035

The Government of NCT of Delhi successfully hosted the Campus to Market: Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026 marking a significant milestone in the city’s journey towards becoming India’s leading hub for youth-led entrepreneurship. Organized by the Department of Training & Technical Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, the festival has been conceived as a flagship platform to strengthen the campus-to-market pipeline. It brought together student innovators, startup founders, investors, incubators, academia and senior policymakers on a single, high-impact platform. This collaboration between the Government of Delhi and TiE Delhi-NCR is more than a partnership, it is a pact to redefine what’s possible for India’s next generation of student entrepreneurs.

Graced by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India; Smt. Rekha Gupta, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi and Shri Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Minister for Education, Higher Education, Home, Power, Urban Development and Training & Technical Education, the festival reinforced the Government of Delhi’s strategic emphasis on fostering an inclusive and sustainable startup ecosystem anchored in youth innovation.

Highlighting the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in shaping India’s future workforce and startup ecosystem, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, stated, “India has a huge demographic dividend. As a young country, our working capacity is naturally higher. But the real benefit of this demographic dividend will only be realized when we empower our youth with the necessary capabilities, recognize their potential, and provide them with the right opportunities to develop their skills.”

He further added, “Previously, the prevailing mindset in India's education system was that the doors of schools were closed to those outside the formal framework. Even in universities, the main focus was limited to academics. The entire education system was based on the notion that we should only focus on formalized education. But today, the vision of the country's Prime Minister, and the efforts made to translate it into practice through the National Education Policy, have a key pillar: that we must focus not only on qualifications but also on building competencies. This is only possible when we provide children with skill-based opportunities, connect them with experiential learning, and give them the opportunity to understand and learn from the external environment.”

Emphasising the pivotal role of students and young innovators in driving Delhi’s entrepreneurial momentum, Smt. Rekha Gupta, Hon’ble Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi, emphasized that Delhi’s young innovators possess both the ideas and ambition to build globally competitive enterprises, and that the Startup Yuva Festival is designed to guide them from classrooms to real-world markets. She said, “Through the Campus-to-Market : Delhi Startup Yuva Festival, our government will help provide mentorship, guidance, and resources to nurture innovation & talent. In 2014, India had only 500 startups and 4 unicorns; today, the country is home to more than 2,10,000 startups and over 120 unicorns. With over 750 students actively participating across the city, this festival celebrates the creativity, grit, and ambition of our youth and strengthens Delhi’s position as a leading hub for student-led entrepreneurship.”

The formal inauguration of the festival took place with a lamp lighting ceremony, followed by an address by Shri Pandurang K. Pole, IAS, Secretary, Department of Training and Technical Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, who underscored the importance of institutional support, policy alignment and execution excellence in nurturing student entrepreneurship. Ms. Anjali Sehrawat, IAS, Director, Deptt. of Training & Technical Education, Govt of NCT of Delhi asserted the department’s commitment to nurturing skilled technical manpower and driving innovation has laid the foundation for a thriving student startup ecosystem across the city.

The day began with a vibrant startup showcase featuring student-led innovations across technology, sustainability, health, education, skill development, social impact, and ITI-led solutions. The morning featured inspiring sessions by Dr. Apurva Chamaria, Global Head – VC & Startup Partnerships, Google, on the AI opportunity for founders; Swati Bhargava, Co-Founder, CashKaro & EarnKaro, on building trusted brands; and Ankur Warikoo, Founder, WebVeda, on personal leadership as the foundation of entrepreneurship.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Minister for Education, announced the Top 100 shortlisted student startups, selected from over 750 applications received from universities, colleges and ITIs across Delhi. He reiterated the Government’s focus on making entrepreneurship a viable and aspirational career pathway for the city’s youth. Outlining the Government of Delhi’s integrated approach to building a strong campus-to-market startup pipeline, Shri Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Minister for Home, Power and Education, Govt of NCT Delhi, said, “The Delhi Startup Yuva Festival brings together universities, 12 colleges, 19 ITIs and school innovators on one Campus-to-Market platform. With government-backed incubation and mentorship, over 470 startups are currently being incubated, generating ₹500–600 crore in revenue and creating 4–5 jobs per startup. Selected ventures will receive equity-free seed grants of up to ₹10 lakh, while 100 startups are supported with ₹1 lakh each. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta, and aligned with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Vision 2047, the Government is planning a new Startup Policy with a ₹325 crore outlay over five years to support 5,000 startups by 2035. ”

Speaking on the collaborative role of the ecosystem in nurturing student founders, Ms. Geetika Dayal, Director General, TiE Delhi-NCR, said, “Campus-to-Market marks a defining moment in Delhi’s entrepreneurial journey - where classroom ideas are transformed into market-ready ventures, and student ambition is matched with real opportunity. This platform reflects the Government of Delhi’s strong commitment to nurturing skilled, innovation-driven youth, and we are deeply grateful to the Department of Training & Technical Education for its leadership and trust in building this ecosystem. Together with TiE Delhi-NCR’s global entrepreneurship network, mentorship depth, and market access, this partnership creates a powerful launchpad for student entrepreneurs to learn, build, and scale. This is more than a festival, it is Delhi’s promise to its next generation of founders.”

A key highlight of the festival was the announcement of the Top 6 startups, namely Biocare Ventures LLP (FlushSHE), ⁠AllSecureX, ⁠HeliousAI, Heuronics Pvt Ltd, Logify360 and ⁠Arista Vaulti, followed by grant cheque distribution by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The top-performing startups received seed grants of up to ₹10 lakh each, while 100 shortlisted startups were awarded encouragement grants of ₹1 lakh each, reinforcing the Government of Delhi’s commitment to early-stage capital support. In his address, Shri Jayant Chaudhary highlighted the critical role of startups in job creation, skill development and India’s broader growth story, particularly among the youth.

The post-lunch sessions featured candid and experience-driven conversations with leading founders. Mr. Aloke Bajpai, Co-Founder and Group CEO, ixigo, shared insights in a session titled “From Idea to IPO – What I Wish I Knew Before”, while Mr. Satya Narayanan R, Founder & Chairman, CL Educate, spoke on “This Wasn’t in the Curriculum! Startup Secrets They Don’t Teach”, offering practical lessons rarely found in textbooks. The festival concluded with prize distribution to the Top 100 institutions and incubators, with venture capitalists presenting awards to incubator heads in recognition of their role in strengthening Delhi’s startup pipeline.

In parallel, a high-level policy roundtable, chaired by Shri Ashish Sood, was held with senior industry leaders and ecosystem stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening Delhi’s startup ecosystem, the implementation of new startup policies, and collaborative approaches to address challenges faced by startups at various stages of growth. The discussion reinforced the Government’s intent to keep Delhi’s startup policies founder-friendly, growth-oriented and globally competitive.

The Campus to Market: Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026 reflects the city’s strong grassroots foundation, with over 75,000 students engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation programmes, more than 550 startups incubated through public institutions, and 15,000+ DPIIT-recognised startups contributing to Delhi’s position as one of India’s most dynamic startup hubs. Aligned with national priorities such as Viksit Bharat @2047, NEP 2020, Startup India and Skill India, the festival has been institutionalised as an annual flagship programme under the Department Training & Technical Education.
About Campus to Yuva: Delhi Startup Yuva Festival & DTTE

The Campus to Yuva: Delhi Startup Yuva Festival is the Government of Delhi’s flagship platform dedicated to strengthening the Campus-to-Market pipeline. The programme fosters early-stage ideas into investment-ready ventures through structured collaboration between government, academic institutions, industry leaders and investors, reinforcing Delhi’s innovation economy for the long term.