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Maharashtra top performer in startup ranking for state: DPIIT
The report , which was released by Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce and industry on Monday, evoked mixed reactions in startup ecosystem
After Pune improved its position by 14 spots to get placed 90th in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2022, Maharashtra has been ranked as ‘top performer’ in the ‘Start-Up Ranking of States 2021’ prepared by department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT). Gujarat, Meghalaya and Karnataka have emerged as the best performer states in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories DPIIT.
The report , which was released by Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce and industry on Monday, evoked mixed reactions in startup ecosystem and community builders in Pune, Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra.
Malav Warke, co-founder and CEO at Creatosaurus and Community Builder at eChai Ventures, said, “Gujarat and Karnataka emerging as the ‘Best Performers’ followed by Maharashtra and Telangana as ‘Top Performers’ comes as no surprise. Maharashtra has picked up really well in the last one year, and especially cities like Pune are doing good. Pune is at the cusp of an inflection point and we can see that the city will produce at least 10 to 15 unicorns in the next two years.”
Entrepreneurs said there are certain areas which startup founders and entrepreneurs face issues in Maharashtra. “Although Mumbai, Pune has quite a few investors and funds in place, other regions like Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Nagpur are way behind in the ecosystem. Although basic physical infrastructure is in place, entrepreneurs from these regions lack support systems, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, etc. If we can focus and solve these issues, Maharashtra will soon top the rankings,” said Malav.
Along with Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Telangana were categorised as top performers in the survey.
Bharat Oswal, CII Young Indians Yuva Chair Pune, said, “Maharashtra is on the cusp of start-up revolution and during the last 2 years, we have progressed immensely in revving up tech start-up revolution in our state by empowering innovators. In fact, one of the paradigm shifts brought about through technology during the pandemic has been systemic shift to healthcare and remote learning at scale. Solutions built by Maharashtra-based startups have seen widespread adoption not just domestically but also on a global scale, firmly establishing Maharashtra as a cornerstone of tech and innovation in the India.”
According to Sudhir Mehta, president, MCCIA, while the larger credit for Maharashtra’s improved ranking goes to the state’s budding talent, entrepreneurial zeal and innovative ideas, it is also important to ensure that we support their growth with a pragmatic policy and its focused execution. “Close collaboration between all stakeholders is necessary for an ecosystem to become successful. Maharashtra has the potential to become a global centre of innovation, given innovation-friendly policies and initiatives. Add to that the state’s thriving IT/ITeS, automobile industries, access to high-quality education, wide availability of tech talent, and a favourable climate. Already, Mumbai and Pune are home to many successful startups and globally successful companies, and I am confident that many more success stories will emerge from Maharashtra over the coming years,” he said.
