DPIIT organizes ONDC Startup Mahotsav; platform for startups

The event symbolized the celebration and collaboration of two of DPIIT’s flagship initiatives – the Startup India initiative and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, underlined the Government’s unwavering commitment to nurturing and encouraging ecosystem for startup growth and innovation. He said, “The ONDC Startup Mahotsav is an inflexion point for startups in India to leverage the opportunities unlocked by ONDC. The network has rapidly grown and matured over the past one and a half years, and today’s session reflects both the DPIIT’s and industry’s commitment to democratising digital commerce in India.”

The event witnessed participation of around 5,000 startups in hybrid mode. Over 125 ecosystem stakeholders including startups, unicorns and high growth businesses such as EaseMyTrip, OfBusiness, Winzo, Livspace, GlobalBees, Pristyn Care, Cars24, Physics Wallah, PolicyBazaar, and Zerodha, signed Letter of Intent (LoI) during the event. These LoIs signify the potential of ONDC and the eagerness of leading startups of the country to collaborate with the platform.

Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Sanjiv, emphasised on the vision of the Government for the continuous collaboration between the startups and the ONDC.

MD & CEO, ONDC, Shri. T. Koshy said, “The ONDC Startup Mahotsav marks a pivotal moment in India’s digital transformation journey”.

The ‘ONDC Startup Mahotsav’ is a unique collaboration between the ONDC and the Startup India initiative.

The Government launched the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016 with the intent of supporting entrepreneurs and building a robust startup ecosystem in the country. From around 300 startups in 2016, today India is amongst the leading startup hubs with more than 1.3 lakh DPIIT recognised startups. These are operating in more than 55 sectors, bringing innovation across domains. The startups have created more than 13 lakh direct jobs in the country.

Another marquee initiative of the Government, the ONDC was launched in 2021 as a first-of-its-kind protocol, with a mission to democratize digital commerce. Today, ONDC is fully operational across India, with the digital infrastructure completed and rolled out to businesses and the public at large.

Over the years, a conducive environment has been created for entrepreneurs in the country. The Government itself has introduced many innovative reforms and initiatives. ONDC is one such innovative initiative of the Government to democratize e-commerce, can now play an instrumental role in further strengthening the startup ecosystem of the country. This grand Mahotsav is the beginning and the first step towards realizing this fruitful collaboration.