30,000 Startups Make Maharashtra India’s Startup Capital: Fadnavis
Maharashtra has over 30,000 startups, accounting for 18% of India’s total, CM Devendra Fadnavis said while outlining plans to strengthen innovation.
Maharashtra has emerged as the country’s startup capital, with more than 30,000 startups accounting for 18 per cent of India’s total, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday, asserting that youth-led research and innovation could help the State become a global innovation hub.
Speaking at the fourth edition of The Governance Challenge, organised by the Gates Foundation and Samagra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in south Mumbai, Mr. Fadnavis said the government was working to build an innovation ecosystem covering the entire chain — from ideas generated in classrooms and hackathons to incubation, technology, markets and implementation.
“Hackathons should not end merely with the distribution of certificates. The ideas generated through them should be taken towards actual implementation,” he said.
The government, he said, sought to bring the younger generation’s perspective into governance in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, digital governance, urbanisation, agriculture, healthcare, education, climate change and innovation. “The role of youth will be crucial in building a developed India and a developed Maharashtra by 2047,” he said.
Mr. Fadnavis said young researchers from across Maharashtra, including Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Nanded and Amravati, should have access to mentors, technology, incubation facilities and markets. Startups, industries and educational institutions, he added, needed to work together to research, test and implement new ideas.
Mr. Fadnavis said an ‘M-Hub’ was being developed as the State’s first dedicated startup incubator, while an AI- and advanced technology-focused ‘Innovation City’ would be established on 300 acres in Navi Mumbai.
Under the Maharashtra Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026, two lakh youth and professionals would be trained, and AI incubators would be established across the State to promote AI-based research.
The Chief Minister said Maharashtra’s 87 universities, around 5,500 colleges and more than 45 lakh students represented a significant pool of talent that could contribute to the State’s development. “The State has set a target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and a $2 trillion economy by 2035, with innovation expected to be a key driver,” he said.