Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to participate in a programme in the national capital on Friday, marking a decade of the ‘Startup India’ initiative, it was announced on Thursday.

‘Startup India’ was launched on January 16, 2016 by Prime Minister as a transformative national programme to nurture innovation, promote entrepreneurship and enable investment-driven growth, with the objective of making India a nation of job creators rather than job seekers.

According to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement, PM Modi will interact with members of India’s vibrant startup ecosystem.

Select startup representatives will share insights from their entrepreneurial journey. Prime Minister will also address the gathering on this occasion, the statement added.

India’s startup ecosystem has witnessed unprecedented expansion during this period, with more than 2,00,000 startups recognised across the country.

These enterprises have become significant drivers of employment generation, innovation-led economic growth and the strengthening of domestic value chains in diverse sectors.

‘Startup India’ has emerged as a cornerstone of India’s economic and innovation architecture.

It has strengthened institutional mechanisms, expanded access to capital and mentorship, and fostered an enabling environment for startups to grow and scale across sectors and geographies, said the statement.

PM Modi last week urged startups to leverage AI for societal good. Chairing a roundtable with Indian AI startups at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Minister urged them to make AI affordable, inclusive, and transparent.

According to the government, there has been a sustained growth of the startup ecosystem in the country with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) listing as many as 2,01,335 startups for incentives under the ‘Startup India’ initiative which have created over 21 lakh jobs across the country.

Domestic patent filings by Indian innovators increased by 425 per cent during 2014-2024, and India’s rank in the Global Innovation Index has improved to 38th in the GII 2025 ranking.