THE QUESTION NOBODY WANTED TO SKIP Nations building AI capability generally face a political temptation: deploy first, govern later. The history of technology regulation suggests that temptation is almost always acted upon. India, in early 2026, chose a different path. The release of the India AI Governance Guidelines was anchored in 7 guiding principles and…
A DECADE IN NUMBERS There is a version of India’s startup story that begins with a number: 502. That is how many startups the government had formally recognised when Startup India was launched in January 2016. By March 2026, that number stood at 2,23,000. The numbers saw a 444-fold increase in a single decade. Those…
INTRODUCTION On 1st June 2026, consignments of Indian gems, agricultural produce, and pharmaceutical goods were flagged off into the Gulf. This was observed as a quiet, historical event at the ports of Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Fortunately, this time, not a single rupee of import duty waiting on the other side. The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic…
On June 5, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Robin Khuda, the founder and CEO of AirTrunk, at his New Delhi office. What followed was an announcement that set a new benchmark for foreign investment in India’s digital economy. Modi announced AirTrunk’s plans to invest around Rs 3 lakh crore (USD 30 billion) in India…
The Summit That Was Also a Market Arjun Mehta arrived at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai with a portfolio of three animated short films made with his eight-person studio in Hyderabad. He had never pitched to an international buyer before. On the second day of the summit, he met a content acquisition executive from a Southeast…
There is a particular kind of ambition that builds for the field, the village lane, the farmer who has never once seen his soil analysed or his crop priced fairly. Shashank Kumar has carried that ambition since 2012. It is the same year he walked away from a career in management consulting. He gave up…
Ruchi Kalra built OfBusiness and Oxyzo into profitable, scalable businesses by focusing on financial discipline and real industry needs. Her leadership is redefining women’s role in India’s capital-intensive startup ecosystem. In an ecosystem that often celebrates speed over substance, Ruchi Kalra built patiently. She did not chase visibility. She chased viability. As the co-founder of…
India’s Bharat Innovates 2026 initiative is showcasing 137 deep-tech startups aiming to deliver affordable, scalable innovations for the Global South. The program highlights India’s ambition to become a global leader in cost-effective technology and innovation. India just sent a clear signal to the world. On March 21 and 22, the Ministry of Education concluded the…
Banyan Nation turns plastic waste into high-quality recycled resin that matches virgin materials, focusing on quality, traceability, and industrial use. It is helping reshape India’s recycling system by making circular economy solutions commercially viable. Banyan Nation began with a simple idea, clean plastic can be used again and again if systems are built to handle…
Rajasthan has provided ₹11.45 crore in funding to 403 startups, boosting early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship. The initiative aims to support youth, create jobs, and strengthen the state’s growing startup ecosystem. Rajasthan has taken a fresh step to strengthen its startup ecosystem by extending financial support to 403 startups, signalling a strong push toward innovation-led growth…
