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As of early 2025, India stands as the world\u2019s third-largest startup ecosystem, with more than 1.59 lakh startups officially recognised by the<\/span> Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)<\/span><\/a> and recently it has released new startup recognition & deep tech rules which is going to redefine whole landscape. These DPIIT-recognised startups, spread across 669 districts, reflect the deep geographic penetration of entrepreneurship in the country, with over 51% emerging from Tier II and Tier III cities. The ecosystem is no longer concentrated in metros alone; innovation is increasingly being driven from smaller cities across India.<\/span><\/p>\n India\u2019s startup landscape has also achieved significant global prominence, with over 100 unicorns, startups valued at USD 1 billion or more operating across diverse sectors such as IT services, healthcare, and agriculture. Women-led entrepreneurship has seen notable momentum, with more than 73,000 recognised startups having at least one woman director. The ecosystem continues to expand at a steady annual growth rate of 12\u201315%, underlining its resilience and long-term potential.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond valuation and scale, <\/span>startups<\/span><\/a> have become a major engine of employment, collectively generating over 1.6 million jobs as of June 2022. Against this backdrop of rapid growth and increasing complexity, the Government of India has revised the regulatory framework governing startup recognition. In February 2026, DPIIT issued a revised notification redefining what qualifies as a <\/span>Startup<\/span><\/i> and formally introducing the category of <\/span>Deep Tech Startup<\/span><\/i>, with enhanced age and turnover thresholds to better support long-gestation, research-intensive ventures.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the new DPIIT notification, an entity will be recognised as a Startup if it satisfies specific conditions relating to its legal structure, age, turnover, and nature of business.<\/span><\/p>\n A Startup must be incorporated or registered in India as one of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n The entity must be working towards:<\/span><\/p>\n An entity will cease to be a Startup if:<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most important changes in the 2026 notification is the formal recognition of Deep Tech Startups.<\/span><\/p>\n A Deep Tech Startup is not just innovation-led, but science- and technology-intensive, requiring long-term research and significant investment.<\/span><\/p>\n Under new framework a Deep Tech Startup in addition to meeting standard startup criteria, should demonstrate the following characteristics:<\/span><\/p>\n Recognition as a Deep Tech Startup is determined by DPIIT based on frameworks, parameters, and documents submitted by the applicant.<\/span><\/p>\n Special Relaxations for Deep Tech Startups<\/span><\/p>\n To support long-gestation technology ventures, DPIIT has provided enhanced thresholds for Deep Tech Startups.<\/span><\/p>\n A Deep Tech Startup will lose its status if:<\/span><\/p>\n For legal and policy purposes, Deep Tech Startups are treated as Startups unless specifically stated otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n DPIIT Startup Recognition Process<\/span><\/p>\n To obtain official recognition, an eligible entity must apply through the DPIIT Startup portal.<\/span><\/p>\n After reviewing the application and documents, DPIIT may:<\/span><\/p>\nWhat Is the Revised DPIIT Startup Framework?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Eligible Entity Types<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Age Limit for Startups<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Turnover Limit<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Nature of Business Requirement<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Entities Not Considered as Startups<\/span><\/h3>\n
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When Does Startup Status End?<\/span><\/h3>\n
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What Is a Deep Tech Startup?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\n Criteria<\/strong><\/td>\n Startup<\/strong><\/td>\n Deep Tech Startup<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Maximum age<\/td>\n 10 years<\/td>\n 20 years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Maximum turnover<\/td>\n \u20b9200 crore<\/td>\n \u20b9300 crore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n
Documents Required<\/span><\/h3>\n
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DPIIT\u2019s Role<\/span><\/h3>\n
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