Welcoming startups similar to Torus Robotics and lots of extra as buyers within the State is an emblem of what we got down to construct: a system the place a startup nurtured by the federal government can mature right into a collaborator of the State. This is a deliberate consequence of a method that marries innovation with inclusion and coverage with objective.
Exponential development in startups
For a long time, Tamil Nadu’s industrial identification has been anchored in manufacturing excellence. Over the final 4 years, we’ve got prolonged that power into deep-tech and innovation, quietly, steadily and inclusively.
When our authorities assumed workplace, the State had 2,032 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-registered startups. Today, the quantity has crossed 12,100, which is roughly a six-fold rise in simply 4 years. It is a matter of delight that fifty% of them are women-led. Tamil Nadu has been recognised as ‘Best Performer’ within the States’ Startup Ranking 2022 by the Union Government’s DPIIT, which is a transfer up from ‘Emerging State’ class in 2018. Chennai was ranked 18th in Asia within the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024, and amongst Asia’s high 10 for Affordable Talent. Tamil Nadu additionally leads the nation within the variety of incubators and has been named a mannequin State for the innovation ecosystem by the Atal Innovation Mission.
This is an consequence of a three-pillar technique that the State has adopted to facilitate startups and spark innovation. The first pillar is utilizing State capital as a strategic catalyst. Through the Tamil Nadu Startup Seed Grant Fund (TANSEED), seed grants of ₹10 lakh are offered to startups, and ₹15 lakh to women-led, green-tech and rural-livelihood ventures. So far, 169 startups similar to Ippopay, Gallabox and Dream Aerospace have obtained ₹18.79 crore, which have gone on to draw greater than ₹537 crore in investments — a 28X multiplier on the State’s seed rupee.
We are extending this capital logic to frontier sectors. For occasion, the Tamil Nadu Space Tech Fund of ₹10 crore presents milestone-based help as much as ₹50 lakh on a 1:1 match with exterior buyers, backing each core and downstream area functions, from satellites to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven geospatial options.
Focus on inclusion, gender parity
Our second pillar is using rules of inclusion, and never as charity however technique. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Startup Fund, launched in 2022-23 with an preliminary ₹30 crore and enhanced to ₹50 crore in 2023-24, delivers fairness investments to degree the enjoying discipline. Forty-three startups similar to OrbitAid, Unibose and TAMS Tribal Green Fuel have obtained ₹60.80 crore up to now. We adopted it up with the Periyar Social Justice Venture Lab — an acceleration programme designed to help social enterprises and empower entrepreneurs from SCs and STs. More than 30 such startups are already engaged, and the mannequin is already yielding considerable outcomes with eight corporations having efficiently raised the following spherical of funding totalling ₹16.9 crore.
We have targeted on gender parity by way of Thozhili bootcamps which have geared up over 200 girls in Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari, Erode and Chennai — 15 girls entrepreneurs obtained ₹14.70 lakh for incubation bills. For bodily challenged founders and transgender founders, Special Seed Grant Funds of as much as ₹5 lakh with structured mentorship and incubation entry have been established. For rural innovators, the Gramam Thorum Puthozhil scheme (Establishing Start-ups in Villages) has been applied. The purpose is to have 100 startups in 100 villages, utilizing equity-free TANSEED grants of ₹1 lakh and incubation by way of regional hubs.
Our third pillar was constructing a decentralised and linked ecosystem. Ten regional hubs — Chennai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Erode, Salem, Cuddalore, Hosur, Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Tiruchi — carry infrastructure, mentors and markets nearer to entrepreneurs. A Metro Hub features in Chennai, and Thoothukudi has been introduced as the following addition. We are additionally creating the pipeline earlier with 100 Pre-Incubation Centres being rolled out in Tier-II/III/IV establishments. The first 25 have been sanctioned at ₹7.5 lakh every (complete price of ₹1.87 crore).
Digital rails tie these hubs collectively. MentorTN has onboarded 320 mentors and 1,171 startups and facilitated 1,120 hours of mentoring. TANFUND connects startups to capital with 300-plus buyers and a couple of,500-plus entrepreneurs registered, 221 Investor Connect programmes carried out, 1,417 startup-investor connections and ₹127.09 crore raised up to now.
StartupTN can also be a key accomplice in Naan Mudhalvan’s hackathon programme ‘Niral Thiruvizha’, by way of which we information scholar initiatives towards turning into profitable business startups. The collaboration connects tutorial and entrepreneurial ecosystems to assist college students develop technology-driven options for real-world issues.
We have complemented capital and infrastructure with instruments that cut back friction and lift high quality. The StartupTN Smart Card provides early-stage startups subsidised entry to important companies, serving to them save treasured money and scale sooner. A bilingual name centre solutions queries in Tamil and English, guaranteeing that first-time founders should not misplaced for need of knowledge.
Through BrandLabs, our ‘Nil-Brand-Sell’ course of 250 minutes in Tamil and English helps founders flip nice merchandise into credible manufacturers. Our Corporate Innovation Initiative, by way of an Open Innovation portal, connects startups with giant enterprises similar to Bosch, Kauvery Hospitals, Hero MotoCorp, PayU, Pierer Innovation and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles amongst others, to resolve real-world challenges.
The outcomes are seen, measurable and nationally acknowledged. What has modified within the final 4 years? The reply is methods, not slogans. We revitalised StartupTN, expanded it Statewide, and made inclusion the structure of development. We ensured that everybody may entry the identical rails of mentors, markets and cash. Those who as soon as left concepts behind now discover a hand prolonged and a path forward. We moved from rating on the backside to main the desk, from episodic initiatives to compounding establishments. We didn’t inherit a thriving startup engine. We constructed one.
Global summit in Coimbatore
The Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025, happening in Coimbatore (October 9-10, 2025) is a milestone in our efforts. Over two days, it’ll carry collectively over 30,000 guests, 2,000 delegates, and 750 exhibitors, making a vibrant area for collaboration and development. To guarantee significant connections, we’re deploying a first-of-its-kind AI-enabled matchmaking app to assist each participant discover the fitting companions, buyers, or assets for his or her particular wants. The summit can also be thoughtfully designed with inclusive infrastructure, together with devoted amenities similar to feeding rooms and crèches to make sure a welcoming setting for ladies members. Investors, founders, college students and world leaders from 35 international locations will be part of palms to form the following chapter of Tamil Nadu’s startup story.
From masterclasses by Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Harvard Innovation Labs to insights from main unicorns and trade pioneers, each session will open new doorways. With devoted pavilions on space-tech, company innovation, energy manufacturers, and authorities partnerships, this summit is designed to attach you with alternatives, whether or not you might be an entrepreneur, investor, policymaker, or scholar.
M.Ok. Stalin is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
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