Startup Spotlights

In a landmark move blending civic governance with cutting-edge innovation, Bengaluru has selected five pioneering climate-tech startups to pilot their solutions across the city under the Namma Bengaluru Challenge ’26. Organized by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in partnership with key innovation enablers, the challenge awards each venture ₹25 lakhs and, more critically, provides the ultimate validation: real-world urban infrastructure as a testing ground.

As India’s startup ecosystem celebrates its scale—over 200,000 DPIIT-recognized startups and 120+ unicorns—a critical structural flaw threatens its next phase of growth: the outdated and punitive framework governing Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs). What was once a symbolic perk has become the central battleground for talent, innovation, and long-term competitiveness. With a record IPO and exit wave creating real wealth, the ecosystem’s unified message to policymakers is clear: reforming ESOPs is no longer a request; it’s an urgent imperative for national economic strategy.

In a culture that often equates entrepreneurial success with a lifelong, singular grind, Anupam Mittal—the founder of Shaadi.com, People Group, and a star judge on Shark Tank India—has delivered a crucial reframe. His recent commentary on founder exits is more than just advice; it’s a necessary cultural intervention for a maturing Indian startup ecosystem. Mittal powerfully argues that strategic exits are not failures, but celebrated milestones—a perspective that could unlock the next wave of innovation and wealth creation in India.

A seismic shift is underway in the final frontier, and India is poised to be at its epicenter. A major new report forecasts the country’s private space sector to explode into a $40 billion market by 2035, a staggering 30x growth from its current ~$1.5 billion valuation. This projection cements India’s trajectory from a nation celebrated for its cost-effective public space program to a global commercial space powerhouse, driven by a dynamic, innovative private ecosystem.