Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of startup businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. The Government through this initiative aims to empower startups to grow through innovation and design. Several programs have been undertaken since the launch of the initiative on 16th of January, 2016 by Hon’ble Prime Minister, to contribute to his vision of transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers. These programs have catalyzed the startup culture, with startups getting recognized through the Startup India initiative and many entrepreneurs availing the benefits of starting their own business in India.

For availing various benefits under the Startup India scheme, an entity would be required to be recognized by DIPP as a startup. The benefits provided to recognized startups under the Startup India initiative are:

1. Self-Certification: 2. Tax Exemption: 3. Easy Winding of Company: 4.Startup Patent Application & IPR Protection: 5. Easier Public Procurement Norms: 6. SIDBI Fund of Funds:

An entity shall be considered as a Startup: The Startup should be incorporated as a private limited company or registered as a partnership firm or a limited liability partnership Turnover should be less than INR 100 Crores in any of the previous financial years An entity shall be considered as a startup up to 10 years from the date of its incorporation The Startup should be working towards innovation/ improvement of existing products, services and processes and should have the potential to generate employment/ create wealth. An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of an existing business shall not be considered a “Startup” Note: An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of a business already in existence shall not be considered a ‘Startup’.

Registering a profile on the Startup India website is a fairly simple process. We provide worry-free consultation as we handle everything from start to end.

As stated in the previous query, a Startup which has a profile on the Startup India website is considered a registered Startup on the portal. These Startups can apply for various acceleration, incubator/mentorship programmes and other challenges on the website along with getting an access to resources like Learning and Development Program, Government Schemes, State Polices for Startups, and pro-bono services. To avail benefits like access to high quality Intellectual Property services and resources, relaxation in public procurement norms, self-certification under labour and environment laws, easy winding of company, access to SIDBI Fund of Funds, tax exemption for 3 consecutive years, and tax exemption on investment above fair market value.

Any entity having at least one registered office in India is welcome to register on www.startupindia.gov.in.

Once you’ve created your profile on www.startupindia.gov.in, you can find relevant mentors, investors and incubators you would want to reach out to. These enablers are housed under the ‘Ecosystem’ tab on the top of the page. You may also check your dashboard to find relevant stakeholders basis your industry and preferred stage. Under the profile of every enabler there will be an option to ‘Connect’. Upon clicking, a request will be sent to the respective profile for acceptance. Once accepted, you will be able to see the enabler as a new connection and henceforth engage in a discussion with them.