Gujarat awarded best performer third time in a row in States' Startup Ranking 2021

Gujarat has been judged as the ‘Best Performer State’ for the third time in a row in the States’ Startup Ranking 2021. The state was also adjudged ‘Best Performer State’ for 2019 and 2020. The results pronounced Gujarat, Karnataka and Meghalaya as the best states to provide a strong ecosystem for startups.

The results for the States’ Startup Ranking 2021 were announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal. Gujarat earned the highest numbers in comparison to any state or union territory and has retained its position in the top category of ‘Best Performer’ for the third time in a row. As many as 28 states and 8 union territories participated in the event. The Union Minister gave the award to S.J. Haider, Principal Secretary – Education and Dr. Rahul Gupta, IAS, Industries Commissioner and Nodal Officer of Startup Gujarat Cell.

The 2021 rankings conducted by DPIIT along with Startup India were based on seven broad reform areas ranging from institutional support, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, market access, incubation support, funding support, mentorship support and capacity building of enablers to 26 action points. Along with the rankings, the government also released the national ranking report for all participants, as well as specific state and UT reports, highlighting the overall structure of the exercise including the framework and methodology, evaluation process and outcomes.

Gujarat’s initiatives that were lauded by the Centre

The initiatives that were commended include, the Gujarat government’s initiative to get over 150 government officials involved in startups, convincing over 300 potential private investors to invest in startups, setting up two funds – Student Innovation Fund and GVFL Startup Fund to provide funding support to startups, and over 160 startups backed by financial assistance have been recognized by the Central Government.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that the Gujarat Government is working towards fulfilling the aim of self-reliant India with full commitment. “Startups have the potential to give new height and dimension to the economy of any country. These startups will play a very significant role in making India self-reliant in the coming years. It is commendable that startups have grown rapidly in India in the last 5 years. Our government is working to provide all possible help and support to the startups in Gujarat. I want to congratulate the whole Gujarat team for receiving this award for the third time in a row,” the Gujarat CM said.

Gujarat has over 14,000 registered startups

According to the Startup India website, there are more than 14,200 registered startups in Gujarat that sums up to 6.70% of the startups in the country. A vast network of over 180 incubators/academic institutions from Gujarat is currently supporting startups in the state. Due to these initiatives, Gujarat also bagged the ‘Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2017’ in the successful implementation of the Start-up India program.

DPIIT launched State Startup Ranking Framework in 2018

DPIIT launched the State Startup Ranking Framework in 2018 to support innovation and entrepreneurship and strengthen the ecosystem in the states. The Prime Minister of India launched the “Startup India” initiative on January 16, 2016, with the aim of building a strong startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem, promoting sustainable economic growth and generating massive employment opportunities.

India is the world’s third largest start-up ecosystem

Today, India has become the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with over 72,000 recognized start-ups and over 100 unicorns. Recognizing the contribution of startups to the economy of India, the Prime Minister announced 16 January as National Startup Day.