Startup Spotlights

India’s startup landscape is witnessing the rise of a powerful new segment—67 “minicorn” startups valued between $100 million and $200 million—collectively representing $9.3 billion in valuation and having raised nearly $3 billion in funding. These high-growth ventures, identified in Inc42’s latest Minicorn Tracker, serve as the crucial bridge between early-stage innovation and future unicorn status, signaling a robust pipeline for India’s next decade of tech dominance.

In a transformative move to secure India’s position as a global technology leader, the Government of India has launched a ₹10,000 crore Deep Tech Fund of Funds as part of the Union Budget 2025. This landmark initiative, coupled with a major expansion of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), aims to fuel innovation in critical sectors like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and semiconductor design and manufacturing.

Chennai-based OrbitAID Aerospace is set to make history with India’s first in-orbit satellite refueling demonstration in late 2026, following a landmark partnership under the Indo-Australian Space MAITRI grant. The mission, supported by the Commonwealth, will deploy OrbitAID’s patent-pending Standard Interface for Docking and Refuelling Port (SIDRP)—a technology poised to revolutionize satellite operations by enabling refueling in space, extending mission lifespans, and reducing orbital debris.

In a major boost for regional entrepreneurship, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced a ₹100 crore Co-Creation Fund to accelerate venture capital investment in the state’s thriving startup ecosystem. Unveiled at the Global Startup Summit in Coimbatore on October 9, 2025, this fund-of-funds initiative aims to position Tamil Nadu among the world’s top 20 startup hubs by 2032.

In a massive endorsement of India’s semiconductor capabilities, UK-based Graphcore—the artificial intelligence chip company backed by SoftBank Group—has revealed plans to invest £1 billion (approximately $1.3 billion or ₹11,000 crore) in India over the next decade. The investment will establish Graphcore’s first AI Engineering Campus in Bengaluru, creating 500 high-skilled semiconductor jobs and positioning India as a core development hub for next-generation AI processors.