Industry-wise Startups recognized by Startup India from 2016 to 2024

Healthcare & Lifesciences has emerged as the dominant sector with 14,562 recognised startups, surpassing even IT Services (17,967) in terms of growth momentum. This sector’s remarkable expansion from just 46 startups in 2016 to over 3,000 by 2024 reflects a perfect convergence of factors: increased healthcare awareness, pandemic-driven innovation, growing middle-class demand for quality healthcare, and technological advancements enabling new delivery models. The consistent year-on-year growth suggests a sustainable transformation rather than a temporary surge. Agriculture’s impressive showing with 8,739 recognised startups stands out in a country where agricultural innovation has historically lagged. The sector’s growth from a single recognised startup in 2016 to over 2,100 by 2024 signals a fundamental shift in how technology is being applied to India’s largest employment sector. This transformation likely reflects multiple factors: increasing smartphone penetration in rural areas, government emphasis on agricultural technology, and growing investor interest in addressing food security challenges through innovation.

The Construction sector’s dramatic rise (8,356 startups) parallels India’s infrastructure development push and urbanization trends. What’s particularly notable is the acceleration in recent years, with numbers nearly doubling between 2021 and 2023, suggesting that entrepreneurs are finding unprecedented opportunities in addressing India’s housing and infrastructure gaps. This sector’s growth represents not just technological innovation but also new business models addressing efficiency and sustainability in a traditionally fragmented industry. Education technology’s strong representation (9,204 startups) demonstrates how digital transformation is reshaping knowledge delivery across India. The sector saw steady growth even before the pandemic, but the 2020-2022 period shows acceleration that likely reflects adaptation to remote learning needs. The slight decline in 2024 might indicate market consolidation as the sector matures after rapid expansion.

Some of the most interesting insights come from comparing related sectors: Renewable Energy (4,446 startups) has consistently outpaced Non-Renewable Energy (2,139), with the latter showing a dramatic decline from 765 startups in 2021 to 198 in 2024. This divergence clearly reflects India’s energy transition priorities and changing investment patterns in line with climate commitments. Similarly, Green Technology’s steady growth (3,301 startups) underscores increasing environmental consciousness among entrepreneurs and investors alike. Emerging technologies show varying patterns of adoption. Artificial Intelligence has seen uneven but generally upward growth, culminating in 922 startups in 2024, while Internet of Things peaked early (300 startups in 2019) before plateauing. Biotechnology shows more recent acceleration, growing from just 11 startups in 2020 to 188 by 2024. These patterns may reflect the different maturity curves of various technologies and their application potential in the Indian context.

Several sectors demonstrate the ecosystem’s responsiveness to societal needs: Waste Management grew from non-existence in early years to 407 startups by 2024; similarly, Water & Wastewater Management emerged more recently but shows promising growth. The expansion in sectors like Food & Beverages (8,232 startups) and Professional & Commercial Services (7,911) demonstrates how entrepreneurship is penetrating traditional industries through new business models and technology integration. The data also reveals interesting patterns in consumer-focused innovation. Fashion startups increased nearly 12-fold between 2016 and 2024, while dating and matrimonial services grew more modestly. Pets & Animals startups expanded from 12 to 92 over the period, reflecting changing urban lifestyles and consumption patterns.

The overall distribution across sectors has become more balanced over time. While IT Services dominated the early years of the Startup India initiative, the ecosystem has diversified substantially, with significant representation across manufacturing, services, agriculture, healthcare, and creative industries. This diversification suggests increasing maturity in the startup ecosystem, with entrepreneurs identifying opportunities across the economic spectrum rather than concentrating only in technology-intensive sectors. What emerges from this comprehensive dataset is a picture of an entrepreneurial ecosystem that is not just growing but evolving in sophistication, responding to market signals, adapting to technological possibilities, addressing societal challenges, and increasingly reflecting India’s diverse economic potential rather than following global startup trends uncritically. The sectoral distribution demonstrates that India’s startup revolution has moved well beyond urban tech centres to encompass a wide range of industries, regions, and economic needs.