Startup Conclave – 2025 : The two-day “Startup Conclave and Exhibition-2025” commences at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar, Sept 2025: While inaugurating the “Startup Conclave-2025” in Gandhinagar, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah stated that the conclave will act as a platform to bring Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “Mind to Market” vision to life. Guided by the Prime Minister, India’s startup sector has witnessed over 380% growth in the past decade, establishing the country as the world’s third-largest startup and digital ecosystem today.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated the two-day “Startup Conclave and Exhibition-2025” in Gandhinagar, in the presence of Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel. Following the inauguration of the startup exhibition, he visited various startup stalls, interacted with entrepreneurs, and encouraged them. Minister of Higher and Technical Education Shri Rushikesh Patel and Industries Minister Shri Balvantsinh Rajput graced the event.

Lauding the nation’s youth entrepreneurs for transforming the startup landscape, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that before 2014, India had only about 500 startups and merely four unicorns. Thanks to the incentives and support provided by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to harness the potential of the country’s youth, India now boasts over 1.92 lakh startups and more than 120 unicorns, with a total valuation exceeding USD 350 billion. As a result, the youth of India are evolving from being job seekers to job creators. He also appealed to industrialists and investors to capitalise on this remarkable potential among young entrepreneurs.

Speaking about the second edition of the Startup Conclave, he said that during this two-day event, seven sessions will engage in discussions and deliberations to address challenges, aiming to make India excel across all sectors and bring timely, impactful changes to the lives of every citizen. Building on the success of the first edition in 2023, this second edition is anticipated to further help in shaping a brighter future for the country and its states. 

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that in the 2014 Global Innovation Index, India was ranked 91st. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s decisive and visionary policies, India has now risen to 38th place in the recently released 2025 Global Innovation Index, showcasing the remarkable potential of the country’s youth. By fostering this potential, the conclave is expected to play a pivotal role in placing India among the top 10 countries in the Global Innovation Index over the next three years.

He expressed confidence that the rich resources of knowledge in the Indian knowledge system, encompassing fields such as health, science, mathematics, and philosophy, will serve as a strong foundation for new startups led by the youth.

Recalling the Prime Minister’s words, he said that while India faces millions of problems, it also boasts billions of problem solvers. Initiatives like this will accelerate innovation in the country and provide a platform for the creativity of young entrepreneurs. Consequently, the youth will move beyond profit-making to play a key role in realising the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. Before 2014, the presence of startups in India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities was minimal; today, 37% of the country’s total startups originate from these cities.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah proudly stated that 48% of India’s total startups are founded by women. He said that entrepreneurial women are always endowed with prosperity. In the North-East, around 900 women-led startups are actively contributing to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. Thus far, the startup ecosystem has generated employment for approximately 17.90 lakh people. Furthermore, in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, about 9,000 startups are launched each year, showcasing the country’s rapid development.

He stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi, since 2014, startups across the country have been receiving financial, infrastructural, policy, and banking support. To facilitate this, a Fund of Funds worth Rs. 10 thousand crore has been created. To further promote startups, the maximum loan limit has been increased from Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 20 crore, along with exemptions in various taxes. In addition, the Gujarat government is also providing multifaceted support to startups, enabling every entrepreneur to establish their own unique venture. Through Make in India and the PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) scheme in 14 key sectors, the government is supporting various projects with financial assistance worth crores of rupees. Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, global investors are investing in India through Make in India and PLI initiatives. To facilitate investors, over 3,400 laws in the country have been amended, he added.

Shri Amit Shah further added that under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s leadership, GST has recently been simplified. When the new GST law was first introduced nationwide, merging 16 separate taxes into a single system seemed like a distant dream. Initially, all states together contributed a GST collection of Rs. 80 thousand crore. Today, as a result of the new GST framework, collections have risen to between Rs. 80 thousand crore to Rs. 2 lakh crore, bolstering the country’s economy. He said that taxes are meant not for exploitation but for the development of the nation.

He further said that this GST reform has acted as a bridge between taxpayers and the government. When Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s government assumed office, tax exemptions were applicable up to Rs. 2.5 lakh. Today, even if a citizen’s income reaches Rs. 12 lakh, they are not liable to pay any tax. Whenever people have paid taxes honestly, the Prime Minister has ensured tax relief. Initiatives such as infrastructure support, Digital India, and GEM Trinity have significantly aided the growth of the startup sector. Under the BharatNet project, the Government of India has connected 2 lakh gram panchayats to the internet.

He further stated that over the past four years, Gujarat has led the startup sector, ranking first nationwide. Guided by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision, Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, along with his team of ministers and government officials, has positioned Gujarat as a centre of the startup revolution. Among the top five states, Gujarat hosts 16,000 startups, while Ahmedabad alone, with 6,650 startups, ranks among the top four cities. For four consecutive years, Gujarat has been acknowledged as the best-performing state in the startup sector.

 
Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel:- 

Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, while addressing new startups and youth entrepreneurs at the Startup Conclave-2025, stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Make in India, Made for the World” seeks to transform India into a global manufacturing hub by leveraging the nation’s democracy, demography, and skilled workforce. Under the Prime Minister’s visionary leadership, India has now emerged as a rising beacon of hope in the global startup ecosystem.

Chief Minister said that as a result of the Prime Minister’s vision, major initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat have been successful. These initiatives have given substantial momentum to various sectors, including industry, the economy, and startups.

Shri Bhupendra Patel stated that, under the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the demand for Made in India products in the defence sector has been increasing globally. Weapons and subsystems manufactured in India were exported to 80 countries last year.

He said that the toy industry was once heavily dependent on imports.  Prime Minister, in his address during  Mann Ki Baat, encouraged the promotion of Made-in-India toys. As a result, India’s toy industry is now thriving in the global market, with toys being exported to 153 countries, CM added.

Chief Minister said that India is at the forefront of digital transactions through UPI. Today, even the smallest businesses and self-employed individuals conduct transactions digitally via UPI. This UPI-based digital payment system has also greatly supported startups, aiding their growth and operations.

Shri Bhupendra Patel highlighted that India is moving toward becoming the third-largest economic power, in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat@2047, with startups playing a key role in realising this goal.

He emphasised that startups are vital for fostering local self-reliance, driving innovation, creating employment, and enhancing entrepreneurship. Furthermore, he highlighted that startups are key to shaping a Viksit Bharat.

Chief Minister stated that this Startup Conclave will serve a key role in boosting the state’s startup ecosystem and promoting discussions on a progressive path for emerging startups. He added that 11 years ago, startups were almost nonexistent in the country, and the idea of organising a Startup Meet was unimaginable. Today, with the growing trend of innovation and startup culture, such a grand conclave is being successfully held in the state.

Chief Minister further said that to boost the startup ecosystem, the state government has planned to establish i-Hubs in four regions and AI Labs in six government technical institutions.

Chief Minister also highlighted the state government’s role in supporting the startup ecosystem. He said that more than 12,500 startups are currently active in Gujarat and that the government has set up a ₹350 crore fund for startups under the Gujarat Young Entrepreneurs Venture Fund.
 
Minister of Higher and Technical Education Shri Rushikesh Patel

In his welcome address, Minister of Higher and Technical Education Shri Rushikesh Patel stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah are supporting startups nationwide to build a Viksit Bharat. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has pioneered multiple new initiatives in the startup sector, offering strong encouragement to youth entrepreneurs. Startups, along with the innovative ideas of students, will act as the driving force in realising the vision for a Viksit Bharat@2047.

The Minister referred to the Startup Conclave as a MahaKumbh of Knowledge and strongly encouraged students to take complete advantage of the opportunities it offers. He further said that initiatives such as Startup India and Standup India, Make in India will always be cherished in the history of a Viksit Bharat.

On this occasion, 7 different MoUs were signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. The NEP-2020 Dashboard was launched by the Union Home Minister, along with other distinguished dignitaries present. Moreover, a coffee table book, the five-year implementation book of NEP-2020, and a compilation on the Indian Knowledge System were released. Awards were also presented to the winners of the Cyber Rakshak Natya Utsav, and cheques were presented to investors investing in various startups.
 
At the conclusion of the program, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, Smt  Sunaina Tomar, delivered the vote of thanks.

The event was attended by  Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Jagdish Vishwakarma, Minister for State for Education Shri Praful Pansheriya, MLAs, Chief Secretary Shri Pankaj Joshi, Principal  Secretary of the Education Department Shri Mukesh Kumar, as well as industrialists, senior officials and employees associated with education, and a large number of youth entrepreneurs and students.

Source: Information Department, Gujarat