The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced India’s growing position in the global startup sector during a bilateral meeting in Tokyo. Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal addressed Japanese investors and industry leaders, underscoring India’s appeal as a location for technology partnerships and investment. The event brought together around 40 major Japanese companies and representatives from both nations to explore deeper cooperation.
What was announced
India has established nearly 250,000 startups over the past decade and now ranks as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. The Minister highlighted India’s advantages: a large domestic market, workforce skilled in science and technology, digital public infrastructure, and a growing innovation sector.
The Minister proposed a four-part framework for future India–Japan collaboration:
- A Japan–India Deep-Tech Capital Corridor to fund early-stage research and deep-technology innovation
- A Two-Way Innovation Bridge linking universities, incubators, research facilities and testing centres in both countries
- Manufacturing and Technology Integration combining India’s scale and talent with Japan’s precision engineering
- Joint Startup Pitching Platforms for regular interactions between Indian founders and Japanese investors
The Government of India also proposed a second Fund of Funds worth approximately US$ 1 billion, focused on supporting deep-technology enterprises, with an invitation for Japanese investors to participate.
An India–Japan Pitching Series has already connected 65 Indian startups with around 100 Japanese corporations and created more than 30 business partnerships. Japanese participants identified artificial intelligence, semiconductors, healthcare, space, defence, advanced manufacturing and deep technology as priority investment sectors.
What this means for you
If you are an Indian startup founder or engineer in deep technology, aerospace, defence, artificial intelligence or advanced manufacturing, this signals new pathways to Japanese investment, technology partnerships and access to global supply chains. Indian companies in these sectors now have structured channels to connect with major Japanese investors and corporations for funding and technical collaboration. For those seeking manufacturing capabilities or global quality standards, Japan’s expertise is being actively linked with India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through formalised partnerships and regular investor forums.