The budget needs to recognize a crucial shift in India’s startup landscape
 By GANESH RAJU
Founder, Turbostart Global
The upcoming budget needs to recognize a crucial shift in India’s startup landscape.
While we have mastered software innovation, the next wave of value creation will come from hard-tech – startups solving complex industrial, agricultural, and healthcare challenges. To enable this, we need more than just tax benefits.
We should consider creating specialized funding pools for R&D-intensive startups, particularly those working on deep tech solutions. The government could introduce matching funds for early-stage investments in sectors like semiconductor design, biotech, and advanced materials.
This would help de-risk private investment in areas that typically have longer gestation periods but higher impact potential. Additionally, simplifying the process for academic institutions to become startup shareholders could unlock a wealth of untapped innovation.
Many breakthrough technologies remain within lab walls due to complex commercialization pathways. The focus should shift from creating more startups to enabling the right kind of startups – ones that solve India’s core challenges while building for global markets.
