Piyush Goyal unveils Rs 10,000 crore fund reboot, dedicated helpline to help startup founders

Standing before a sea of entrepreneurs at the Startup Mahakumbh in New Delhi, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a direct pitch to India’s startup community: the government is listening. On April 4, Goyal unveiled a nationwide helpline for startups — an open channel for founders to flag red tape, pitch policy tweaks, or raise concerns about regulatory blind spots. The move marks a deeper government push to stay in sync with the fast-evolving startup ecosystem.

The dedicated helpline will be available to startups across the country, enabling them to lodge complaints or share feedback on existing laws and regulations. “Whenever any officer troubles you (startups) or if you want to make any suggestion regarding any changes in the laws or if you want to flag any product or technology which may not fall under the current legal boundaries of India, you will be able to reach out to that helpline,” said Goyal during his address.

Emphasizing the government’s backing for startups, Goyal highlighted the impact of the Rs 10,000 crore Startup India fund of funds, which has allowed each startup to secure, on average, around Rs 20 crore in funding.

However, he also raised a red flag about how certain investors acquire oversized equity stakes in fledgling startups by investing relatively small amounts — leaving founders with little control as their ventures scale.

In response, Goyal announced a fresh Rs 10,000 crore round of funding under the second phase of the fund of funds. A part of this capital will be earmarked for early-stage startups seeking seed funding, with Rs 2,000 crore to be handed over to SIDBI this year as the first tranche.

Looking ahead, Goyal also called for technological self-reliance, stating, “We aspire to make our own AI model, to make our own machines. We want to be seen as a high quality and high skill nation in the world.”