The Indian startup ecosystem has come a long way in the last 15 years . Today, it stands on par with the global startup superpowers like the US and China.

A testament to this is India’s rise as the world’s third-largest startup economy, raising over $160 Bn in just a decade — a feat achieved by only a handful of countries in such a short time.

While cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR have remained at the forefront of the country’s startup innovation, wooing investors from all over the globe, there are regions that are silently contributing and are the next powerhouses in the making.

Here, the state of Tamil Nadu deserves a mention. From being named a capacity-building pioneer and a funding leader to a sustainability promoter, incubation hub, and mentorship champion, Tamil Nadu has earned several titles over the years.

Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission, functioning under the MSME department, was recognised by the Government of India as the best in building a startup ecosystem, while Chennai made its mark in Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023, ranking 18th in Asia.

Not to mention, these laurels rest on years of groundwork.

In 2021, the state had just 2,032 registered startups. Four years later, the count has increased five fold to over 12,050 startups. In a country where women entrepreneurs are few and far between, half of Tamil Nadu’s startups are led by women.

At the heart of this surge is the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (TANSIM or StartupTN). Started in 2021, the government initiative helps foster ideas into functioning ventures and then into sustainable businesses.

Over the past four years, StartupTN has rolled out schemes and programmes across the state, covering the entire universe of startups — from startup education, funding access, and incubation support to providing help in finding........

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