PM Modi Highlights Record 44,000 Start-ups Added in 2025 Under Startup India Mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that nearly 44,000 start-ups registered in 2025, marking the highest annual addition since the Startup India mission's launch in 2016. Celebrating the scheme's 10th anniversary, the PM noted India's rise to the third-largest start-up ecosystem globally. The number of start-ups has grown from under 500 in 2014 to over 200,000 today, with nearly 125 unicorns. To further boost innovation, the government approved Fund of Funds 2.0 with a ₹10,000 crore corpus, focusing on deep tech areas like AI, machine learning, and quantum technologies to drive future economic growth.

Key Points

  • India is now the third-largest start-up ecosystem globally with over 200,000 registered entities.
  • The Startup India mission, launched in 2016, aims to foster innovation and enable investment-driven growth.
  • Fund of Funds 2.0 will specifically target deep tech sectors including aerospace, defense, and artificial intelligence.
  • Over ₹25,000 crore has been invested through the government's Fund of Funds for start-ups so far.

Exam Facts

  • Startup India launched on January 16, 2016.
  • Fund of Funds 2.0 corpus is ₹10,000 crore.
  • India has approximately 125 unicorns as of early 2026.

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All current affairs of 17 January 2026