The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has announced five strategic Memoranda of Understanding with key industry partners to strengthen support for India's startup ecosystem.
Collaboration with Cashfree Payments focuses on enhancing digital payment infrastructure and fintech capabilities for DPIIT-recognized startups. The partnership will provide eligible startups with access to secure and scalable payment and payout solutions, identity verification and risk management services, along with preferential onboarding support and commercial benefits. The collaboration will also facilitate founder workshops, mentoring sessions, AI buildathons, hackathons, and knowledge-sharing programs focused on digital payments, compliance, fraud prevention, KYC, cross-border transactions, and emerging technologies.
Partnership with Darwin Dynamics LLP aims to expand inclusive entrepreneurship and deep-tech innovation across Tier II, Tier III and rural regions. The organization will facilitate startup formalization, strengthen entrepreneurship awareness, support capacity-building programs, and promote innovation in strategic sectors including clean energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, climate technologies and advanced manufacturing. Specific initiatives include startup outreach and formalization drives, entrepreneurship bootcamps, mentor network development, international market access programs, investor connect initiatives, and policy research studies, with particular focus on youth, women entrepreneurs, first-generation founders and innovators from underserved regions.
MoU with Vultr India Pvt Ltd. focuses on boosting technology and cloud infrastructure access for startups. Eligible DPIIT-recognized startups will receive cloud credits, preferential pricing, and technical support through Vultr's startup programs. The collaboration includes structured training sessions and technical handholding on cloud infrastructure covering cloud computing, storage, databases, Kubernetes, networking, and application deployment. Vultr will also participate in Startup India and DPIIT-led events to promote technology adoption.
Partnership with Cars24 Services Private Limited aims to drive mobility, auto-tech, and AI innovation in the startup ecosystem. The auto-tech company will provide structured mentorship to startup founders, promote mobility and autotech skilling programs, facilitate AI-focused technology enablement, and organize innovation challenges and hackathons. The collaboration will also support promising startups through investment evaluation and ecosystem engagement, particularly in mobility and artificial intelligence, contributing to the development of safe, sustainable and technology-driven transportation solutions.
Collaboration with Council for Startup India (CSI) focuses on accelerating investment, governance, and global scaling for startups. CSI will support startups through dedicated programs on investment readiness, corporate engagement, CFO matchmaking, global market access, and international innovation collaborations. The organization will facilitate corporate partnerships, support founders in governance, financial readiness, compliance and international expansion, and strengthen linkages between startups, investors, industry and policy stakeholders.
These partnerships are collectively expected to enhance digital infrastructure access, reduce technology adoption barriers, create new opportunities for underserved regions and demographics, and contribute to India's vision of becoming a globally competitive innovation-led economy.