Beyond the Hype, Kashmir’s Startup Ecosystem Needs a Reality Check |
A startup has become one of the most fashionable words in India’s economic vocabulary.
Politicians celebrate it, universities promote it, young entrepreneurs embrace it, and investors chase it.
Many people, however, still confuse a startup with any new business.
Under India’s official framework, a startup holds a specific meaning. It is a registered entity that is generally less than ten years old, has turnover below ₹100 crore, and is built around innovation, improvement, or a scalable business model capable of generating jobs and wealth.
That definition determines which ventures gain entry into the Startup India ecosystem and qualify for policy support, recognition, and incubation.
India’s startup expansion has been remarkable by any standard.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, or DPIIT, had recognised 1,17,254 startups by December 2023. Six months later, that figure reached 1,40,803.
Such growth signals a major shift in the country’s entrepreneurial culture.
Business creation has spread far beyond a handful of metropolitan centres, even though major concentrations remain in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.
Jammu and Kashmir has secured a place on that map as well.
Government data shows that J&K had 855 DPIIT-recognised startups by June 2024, compared with 484 in Himachal Pradesh.
That statistic appears encouraging at first glance. A deeper question, however, needs far more attention: how many of these ventures will survive, generate profits, build savings, expand their customer base, and grow into durable businesses?
That question sits at the heart of every serious discussion about entrepreneurship.
Beyond impressive registration number, India’s startup success story rests on companies that identified large problems and solved them effectively.
Businesses such as Zomato grew because they combined technology,........