New Delhi [India], January 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the remarkable transformation of India's startup ecosystem over the past decade, calling it a revolution driven by confidence, innovation, and a changing societal mindset toward risk-taking.
Addressing entrepreneurs and stakeholders of India's startups ecosystem, the Prime Minister on the occassion of on National Startup Day said that for him, the confidence and impression of startups matter more than numbers alone.
Recalling the early days of the Startup India initiative, launched ten years ago, he shared an anecdote from an event at Vigyan Bhavan where a woman entrepreneur had spoken about the resistance she faced at home.
When she decided to quit her job to start a startup, her mother had feared it would lead to "disaster," PM Modi recalled.
"Today, in these ten years, we have come a very long way," the Prime Minister noted, underlining how attitudes toward entrepreneurship have evolved across the country.
The Prime Minister pointed out that a decade ago there was very limited scope for innovation in India, whereas Startup India has now emerged as a nationwide movement.
He said the number of startups has grown from just about 500 ten years ago to more than 200,000 today.
Highlighting India's growing global footprint, he said that while there were only four unicorns in 2014, the country now has about 125 active unicorn startups.
He also noted that in 2025 alone, around 44,000 new startups were registered, the largest single-year jump since the launch of the Startup India initiative in 2016.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized the social shift brought about by this entrepreneurial surge.
Startup India programme democratized startups ecosystem, beyond big cities, providing opportunities to the country youth to innovate, he said.
He further highlighted India's progress in inclusivity, stating that in the women-led startup ecosystem, India now ranks second in the world.
Reflecting on changing attitudes toward entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister said that ideas once dismissed as fringe because they involved risk-taking are now becoming fashionable.
"Today, risk-taking has become mainstream," he said, adding that people who think beyond the security of a monthly salary are no longer merely accepted but are now respected.
The Prime Minister said these changes reflect a deeper cultural shift in India's approach to innovation, enterprise, and self-reliance, positioning startups as a key driver of the country's economic future.
Startup India was launched on January 16, 2016 by the Prime Minister as a national programme to nurture innovation, promote entrepreneurship and enable investment-driven growth, with the objective of making India a nation of job creators rather than job seekers.
Over the past decade, Startup India has emerged as a cornerstone of India's economic and innovation architecture, Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
"It has strengthened institutional mechanisms, expanded access to capital and mentorship, and fostered an enabling environment for startups to grow and scale across sectors and geographies," the PMO said.
India's startup ecosystem has witnessed unprecedented expansion during 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.
During the programme today, Prime Minister interacted with members of India's vibrant startup ecosystem. Select startup representatives shared insights from their entrepreneurial journey.