Start Up Today

Introduced on 1 April 2017, Section 80-IAC was designed to energise India’s startup ecosystem by easing financial pressure in the crucial early years.

Updated : Jul 2, 2025

How startups can legally pay zero tax for three years — Expert explains tax breakup

Many Indian startups are missing out on a powerful tax benefit under Section 80-IAC of the Income-tax Act. Eligible businesses can legally pay zero income tax for three years, freeing up crucial funds for growth. Here’s how your startup can qualify and claim this game-changing exemption.

Deep tech demands significant capital, and that’s where India faces its second big challenge.

Updated : Jul 1, 2025

Why India’s deep tech future hinges on ecosystem and not just cash

India’s deep tech ambitions demand more than just funding—they need bold vision and a thriving ecosystem to translate ideas into global impact. Industry leaders like Kris Gopalakrishnan and Madan Padaki believe that aligning startups, investors, and the government is key to making India a true deep tech powerhouse.

CA Abhishek Walia highlights a frequently overlooked mistake among early-stage founders: mixing personal and business finances during the initial phase of the startup.

Updated : Jun 26, 2025

The Rs 25,000 mistake most startup founders make in their first year - CA breaks it down

In their rush to build and scale, many startup founders overlook basic financial hygiene—often resulting in unnecessary tax losses and compliance headaches. CA Abhishek Walia explains how mixing personal and business expenses can quietly cost founders over Rs 25,000 in their first year.

The company’s Better Seeds programme supplies nutrient-dense seed varieties to more than 20,000 farmers, backed by agronomy protocols and guaranteed premium buy-backs

Updated : Jun 26, 2025

PV Sindhu-backed, Shark Tank India brand aims to narrow down India’s nutrient gap

Its brand ambassadors now include Olympic shuttler PV Sindhu and MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria, who conducts sensory checks to ensure every new SKU meets the “ghar ka taste” benchmark before launch

Startup debt is the practice of funding a startup's activities or growth using borrowed money, usually in the form of loans that require repayment with interest.

Updated : Jun 21, 2025

'Debt isn’t the problem for startups...': Entrepenuer on rewiring startup thinking

Most startup founders fear debt, but Amitt M says that mindset may be costing them growth. He warns that financial illiteracy — not debt itself — is the bigger risk for startups.

Earlier regulations forced promoters to liquidate all share-based benefits, including ESOPs, before going public.

Updated : Jun 18, 2025

Startup boost: SEBI allows startup founders to retain ESOPs before IPO

Founders classified as promoters will now be allowed to retain ESOPs granted at least one year before filing their Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP), as per new norms floated by Sebi.

Backed by the Tata Group, the company plans to scale up its dark store network to 1,000–1,200 locations by the end of 2025

Updated : Jun 10, 2025

BigBasket to join 10-minute food delivery race by FY26, takes on Zomato, Swiggy

BigBasket is gearing up to launch a nationwide 10-minute food delivery service by March 2026, setting the stage for a direct challenge to rivals like Zomato and Swiggy.

Kirani, who primarily invests in AI startups, shares that a glaring challenge for Indian AI startups is the lack of inherent trust from domestic enterprises.

Updated : Jun 5, 2025

The Bay Area stamp of approval: Why India’s AI startups need brand building to win trust?

From overhyped tools to underwhelming outcomes, AI adoption in Indian enterprises is hitting a reality check.

Based on data from Tracxn, drone start-ups in India have collectively raised $414 million in equity funding.

Updated : May 15, 2025

'Expect surge in defence startup investments': Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani hails Akash, BrahMos impact

Start-ups in India's defence technology sector that specialise in counter-drone systems are experiencing a significant increase in demand.

The BWAI 2025 report deep-dives into the motivations, skill gaps, and socio-economic constraints that shape the entrepreneurial journeys of women in Bharat.

Updated : Apr 30, 2025

70% of women entrepreneurs want to improve their financial, marketing, and digital skills: Study

The study aims to capture the aspirations and pain points of women entrepreneurs from Tier 2, 3, and beyond towns in India

Rajeev Chandrasekhar pointed out that the government needs to facilitate the emergence of pioneering figures in this sector by providing access to capital, markets, and opportunities.

Updated : Apr 8, 2025

'Deep tech requires a new breed of entrepreneurs...': Rajeev Chandrasekhar on next innovation wave in startups

Speaking at the India Global Forum in Mumbai, Chandrasekhar stated that while earlier entrepreneurial success was largely driven by consumer-focused models, future advancements would be fuelled by deep-tech ideas.

Updated : Apr 8, 2025

Sanjeev Bikhchandani hits back at startup critics: 'Founders take a risk'

Sanjeev Bikhchandani defends Indian startups against Suhel Seth's criticism, citing resilience and foreign investment as vital elements of the ecosystem.

Minister Piyush Goyal suggested that India needs to build “great local champions in internet” that can generate revenue in FCF.

Updated : Apr 4, 2025

'In the gig world, logistics is huge...': Deepak Shenoy reacts to Zepto CEO's comments on Indian startups

According to Deepak Shenoy, startups such as Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto, Flipkart, and Ola have taken measures to reduce delivery expenses, accelerate delivery speeds, and increase their presence in various cities.

During his speech on Friday, Amitabh Kant emphasized the importance of Indian startups developing their own AI models using indigenous data that is free from Western biases.

Updated : Apr 4, 2025

After Piyush Goyal’s comments, Amitabh Kant says Indian startups have done a good job

During the inaugural ceremony of the Startup Mahakumbh 2025, Union Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal highlighted the limited involvement of Indian startups in deep tech innovation and other significant industries.

India added the 2nd highest number of unicorns at six as compared to top global tech start-up ecosystems in 2024, taking the combined valuation of current Indian unicorns to $220 Bn+.

Updated : Apr 3, 2025

Indian start-ups see renewed investor interest; funding rises 23% amid cautious optimism: Report

Number of deals also saw a 27% uptick compared to CY2023. This revival was further underscored by a 2.1X increase in newly founded tech startups during the year, bringing the total number of Indian tech startups to an estimated 32,000–35,000.

A logistics policy has been established at the central government level to work in conjunction with state governments to lower logistics costs.

Updated : Mar 25, 2025

‘Start-up ecosystem should not just focus on services but also products in manufacturing sector’: DPIIT Secretary

DPIIT secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia mentioned that there is much more to be done in reducing the burden of regulations, deregulation, and lowering the cost of doing business.

Earlier, in November 2021, the company raised $2 million in its pre-Series A round.

Updated : Nov 12, 2024

Ugaoo secures Rs 47 cr in Series A funding round, plans to open 80 retail stores by 2030

Ugaoo plans to use the funds to expand its presence in the top 10 Indian cities and open 80 retail stores by FY30. The company also aims to diversify its product range by collaborating with international plant suppliers and offering exotic plants and premium care products in India.

With the addition of My Chicken and More’s 23 stores, Licious will expand its physical retail footprint to 26 outlets in Bengaluru.

Updated : Oct 14, 2024