Key Points

Accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Higher Education Minister Rushikesh Patel, HM Shah described the country’s youth as moving from “job-seekers to job-creators” and urged investors to back early-stage ventures.

He said startups have provided employment to roughly 1.79 million people and noted that 48 per cent of new startups are founded by women -- statistics he cited to underline the sector’s growing social and economic footprint.

“The Startup Conclave is a platform to convert India’s knowledge and innovation into jobs and businesses,” HM Shah said, calling on investors to “help new startups grow” and predicting a future where startups will, in turn, make investors “big”.

Organisers said more than 170 startups are exhibiting over the two days, presenting products and services across sectors including technology, healthcare, agritech, fintech and green energy. The event features an exhibition of prototypes and demonstrations, a round-table conference that brings founders into direct dialogue with industry experts, and seven themed sessions focused on scaling innovation, financing models and university-industry linkages.

CM Bhupendra Patel welcomed the conclave as an opportunity to reinforce Gujarat’s position as an entrepreneurial hub, while Higher Education Minister Rushikesh Patel highlighted the role of universities and research institutions in mentoring early-stage companies and translating academic research into commercial ventures.

Participants said the conclave offered much-needed visibility and networking opportunities, but flagged persistent challenges. “Access to early-stage capital and pilot customers remains a bottleneck for many founders,” one exhibitor said.

Investors in attendance reiterated the need for clearer pathways for pilot procurement and sector-specific incubation, particularly for climate and health tech start-ups. A round-table discussion held on the sidelines examined practical steps to strengthen the ecosystem, including improvements to beneficiary registries, blended finance mechanisms for climate tech, and incentives to encourage institutional procurement from startups.

Organisers said the conclave aims to generate actionable policy recommendations for both state and central governments and to launch a matchmaking platform to connect startups with investors and procurement opportunities.

As the two-day programme continues, the conclave’s impact will be measured by its ability to move beyond rhetoric to secure follow-through: concrete investor commitments, pilot projects with government partners, and policy changes that ease the route from prototype to scale. For many founders on the floor, the immediate hope is simple -- convert exposure into funding, customers and contracts that sustain young ventures beyond proof of concept.

- IANS