Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has laid out a compelling progress report on India’s most critical economic mission: building sovereign technological capability. The data points he highlighted are not isolated wins; they are interconnected results of a deliberate, multi-pronged national strategy that is finally yielding tangible momentum. With 80% of new startups now AI-led and the Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme nurturing two dozen semiconductor design firms, India is demonstrating that its deep-tech ambitions are moving decisively from PowerPoint to production.

The most powerful signal for India’s entrepreneurial future just flashed on the dashboard. In 2025, investors committed a staggering $12.1 billion (approx. ₹1.01 lakh crore) to new venture capital and private equity funds dedicated to Indian startups—a 39% year-on-year surge from 2024. This isn’t money already spent; it’s record “dry powder,” a war chest of patient capital now sitting in fund managers’ accounts, actively searching for the next generation of founders. Crucially, a dominant 58% of this capital is earmarked for early-stage (seed & pre-seed) ventures, ensuring the pipeline of innovation remains robust for years to come.