Adityanath unveils UP Startup Mission portal and Startup Policy 2026; state now has 24,000 startups, eight unicorns, half run by women

Uttar Pradesh's startup ecosystem has seen remarkable growth, with the number of startups soaring from just 120 in 2017 to over 24,000 today.⁴

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized the importance of this growth, stating, “We have gathered here to give a flight to the dreams of the youth of Uttar Pradesh.”¹

The newly launched UP Startup Mission portal and Startup Policy 2026 aim to provide essential support, including funding and incubation, to young entrepreneurs.

At the launch event, incentives worth over ₹3.42 crore were distributed to 107 startups and ₹1.79 crore to nine incubators, showcasing the government's commitment to fostering innovation.²

Adityanath noted that half of the startups are run by women, highlighting the role of female entrepreneurs in this burgeoning ecosystem.³

He stated, “Uttar Pradesh has the world's youngest workforce, which is talented and energetic,” and called for higher education institutions to foster innovation and research.

The chief minister also pointed out that the state has transformed from one of India's bottom economies to one of the top three, with the number of large industries nearly tripling since 2017.

“In these nine years, we have succeeded in tripling the state’s economy, per capita income and women’s workforce participation,” he claimed.

The government aims for Uttar Pradesh to capture 20 percent of the country's startup ecosystem, leveraging its demographic advantages.

Adityanath concluded, “New ideas leading to new enterprises, and new enterprises leading to new employment—this is the new identity of the 'New Uttar Pradesh.'”