In a landmark move to accelerate India’s deeptech ecosystem, Startup Policy Forum (SPF) has launched #100DesiDeepTechs, a first-of-its-kind multistakeholder initiative to identify and empower India’s top 100 deeptech startups, in collaboration with Startup India - Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) Startup Hub and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras.
This initiative aims to foster a robust policy dialogue and drive the nation’s deeptech agenda forward.
Applications are now open, till August 17, for startups across India to join this exclusive cohort. Selected startups will participate in closed-door deeptech dialogues, engaging with policymakers, investors, industry leaders, sectoral regulators, academic and research institutions. These discussions will culminate in a comprehensive policy whitepaper outlining sector-specific challenges and regulatory recommendations to strengthen India’s deep tech ecosystem.
The initiative targets startups innovating in critical deeptech domains, including Semiconductors, Defence Technologies, Quantum Technologies, Green Hydrogen, Space Technologies, Drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems, Electric Vehicles, Biotechnology, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Advanced Manufacturing, and Communications Infrastructure.
To further support the cohort, a Mentor Board will be established that will be composed of founders, investors, policymakers, and technical experts to provide strategic advice, technical expertise, and access to critical networks.
The whitepaper will be unveiled at “Deeptech Baithak,” a high-profile multi-stakeholder gathering of 100 founders, leading investors, policymakers, regulators, and ecosystem enablers. The initiative will also lay the foundation for SPF’s Centre for Deeptech Policy Research (CDPR) to ensure sustained policy dialogue and targeted interventions for the sector.
Insights from the Deeptech Dialogues and Deeptech Baithak will inform a strategic policy document to foster innovation, upskilling, and market creation for deep tech in India.
