India had 159,157 government-recognised startups as of 15 January 2025, according to a Ministry of Commerce and Industry review marking nine years of Startup India. The programme began in January 2016, when recognised companies numbered around 500.
The review highlighted employment as well as company formation. Recognised startups had reportedly generated more than 1.66 million direct jobs between 2016 and 31 October 2024. Information technology services and healthcare and life sciences were among the major contributors described in the report.
It also counted 73,151 recognised startups with at least one woman director as of 31 October 2024. That measure concerns board representation, rather than establishing that every company was women-owned. The publication described growing contributions from smaller cities alongside Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR.
Support measures covered funding, credit guarantees, incubation and business connections. The review also described BHASKAR, a networking registry launched in September 2024. These historical figures concern recognised startups, rather than every new Indian business, and do not provide current programme eligibility guidance.