New Delhi, Jan 17 (AHN) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Startup India’ vision has been a game changer in transforming the country from a nation of job seekers into a nation of job creators, according to startup founders.

Srikanth Iyer, co-founder and CEO of HomeLane, said the impact of ‘Startup India’ can be seen in funding support, improved infrastructure and a significant boost in ease of doing business.

“Startup India has been a game-changer in three ways. One, it has enabled a large number of startups through funding support. Second, Prime Minister Modi’s vision has created infrastructure and schemes that support innovation. And third, most importantly, ease of doing business and compliance have improved significantly. These changes have encouraged people to become job givers rather than job seekers,” he told AHN.

He said that programmes like Startup India, Digital India and Make in India have helped startups build, innovate and scale within the country.

“Startup India has supported early-stage innovation and encouraged knowledge-sharing across founders. Initiatives like Make in India and production-linked incentives have motivated startups to source and build within India. This has strengthened domestic capabilities,” Iyer noted.

According to PM Modi, nearly 44,000 startups were registered in 2025 alone — the highest in any single year. Highlighting that India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem in just 10 years, he noted that the number of startups has grown from fewer than 500 in 2014 to over 2 lakh today.

Chocko Valliappa, Vice Chairman, Sona College of Technology said that India’s aspiration to become Viksit Bharat can be realised by unlocking the immense talent that lies in rural India and in the nation’s small towns.

“Initiatives such as Startup India provide a strong national framework, but their true impact will be felt when higher-education institutions, especially from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, step up their role in the startup ecosystem. By investing time, effort and resources in mentoring young innovators and incubating grassroots ideas, these institutions can spur India’s entrepreneurial growth,” he noted.

“We are just scratching the surface of India’s potential. In the next decade, with greater ease of doing business and stronger government support, I am confident India can become the world’s leading startup nation,” added Iyer.

—AHN

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