Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are leading states in fostering and promoting startups.

On Tuesday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal unveiled the State Startup Ranking, highlighting Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu as the top-performing states in 2022 for their initiatives supporting the startup ecosystem. Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Telangana were also recognized as top performers. The rankings were released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), a department under the Ministry of Commerce. Minister Goyal is set to meet with representatives from around 40 unicorn startups to discuss strategies for sustainable growth, risk management, and domestic capital mobilization. The DPIIT report categorized 33 states and Union Territories into five groups based on their startup ecosystems. During the report release, Goyal emphasized the crucial role of startups in India's development and encouraged people of all ages to engage in the startup ecosystem for research and innovation. He underscored the significance of new-age skills, futuristic technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation in shaping India's future. The Startup India initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, 2016, aims to foster innovation, support startups, and attract investments in the country's startup ecosystem. Currently, over 117,000 startups are recognized by the government, making them eligible for certain tax incentives.