New Delhi: Three Pune-based startups – Potion 1st, Glovatrix and Ayushman Cowfit – have emerged as winners at the National Startup Awards 2026, receiving national recognition for their innovation, scalability and impact across their respective sectors, as announced by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) during the National Startup Day celebrations in New Delhi.
DPIIT also revealed the fifth edition of the States’ Startup Ranking Framework, marking a significant milestone as India completes a decade of the Startup India initiative.
The National Startup Awards 2026 announcements were made during the National Startup Day celebrations at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in the presence of startup founders, innovators, policymakers, and ecosystem stakeholders from across the country.
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National Startup Awards 2026 – Category-wise Winners
Spread across 20 award categories, the National Startup Awards 2026 include dedicated recognition for startups from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, deep-tech innovation, and emerging sectors aligned with national development priorities.
The National Startup Awards 2026 provide a structured national platform for showcasing high-impact startups contributing to economic growth, inclusion, and self-reliance.National Startup Awards 2026 Category Startup Name State / UT Agri-Innovation Award AREETE (Ayushman Cowfit) Maharashtra Aspire award FUSELAGE INNOVATIONS PRIVATE LIMITED Kerala Best Deeptech Startup Award TRINANO TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Maharashtra Bootstrapped Award PUMP ACADEMY PRIVATE LIMITED Karnataka Circular Economy Innovator Award ECOSTP TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Karnataka Community Development Catalyst CREDITBUCKET TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Bihar Creative Industry Disruptive MEMERAKI RETAIL AND TECH PRIVATE LIMITED Haryana F&B Trailblazer Proxi Farma Private Limited (Potion 1st) Maharashtra Fintech Revolution Catalyst Award TIMBLE TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Delhi Health-Tech Excellence Award BLUE PHOENIX TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Maharashtra Humanitarian Impact KUBERJEE TECH PRIVATE LIMITED Gujarat Inclusive Design Excellence GLOVATRIX PRIVATE LIMITED Maharashtra Innovation Trailblazers SUNFOX TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED Uttarakhand Make in India Excellence GOAT ROBOTICS PRIVATE LIMITED Tamil Nadu NextGen Innovator Meine Electric Automotives Private Limited Delhi Rising StarAward AVIOTRON AEROSPACE PRIVATE LIMITED Rajasthan Supply Chain Startup of the Year UdyogYantra Technologies Private Limited Delhi Urban Mobility Excellence ENTUPLE E-MOBILITY PRIVATE LIMITED Karnataka Visionary Award for Infrastructure HYPHEN SCS PRIVATE LIMITED Uttar Pradesh Women-Led Innovator ARIVATION FASHIONTECH PRIVATE LIMITED Haryana
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States’ Startup Ranking Framework Highlights Ecosystem Performance
Alongside the National Startup Awards 2026, DPIIT also announced the results of the fifth edition of the States’ Startup Ranking Framework (SRF 5.0), a policy and governance tool that evaluates how effectively States and Union Territories are enabling startup growth.
The framework encourages healthy competition and collaboration among governments to build robust and sustainable startup ecosystems.
In the current edition, 34 States and Union Territories participated and were evaluated across six reform areas and 19 action points, covering policy support, infrastructure, access to funding, market linkages, capacity building, and innovation-led growth.
The framework places increased emphasis on measurable outcomes, long-term sustainability, and ecosystem resilience.Best Performers Category A Gujarat Category B Arunachal Pradesh, Goa Top Performers Category A Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh Category B Himachal Pradesh Leaders Category A Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand Category B Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland Aspiring Leaders Category A Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha Category B Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura Emerging Startup Ecosystems Category A Chhattisgarh, NCT of Delhi Category B Chandigarh; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Ladakh; Lakshadweep; Puducherry
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National Startup Awards 2026: Youthful Imagination and Entrepreneurial Ambition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the ten-year journey of Startup India as a revolution powered by youthful imagination and entrepreneurial ambition.
He said that what began as a government initiative has evolved into a defining national movement, reshaping India’s economic and innovation landscape. Highlighting India’s rise as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, the Prime Minister noted that the number of startups has grown from fewer than 500 in 2014 to over two lakh today, with unicorns increasing from four to nearly 125.
The Prime Minister pointed out that nearly 44,000 startups were registered in 2025 alone – the highest in any single year – reflecting the accelerating momentum of the ecosystem.
He said startups across sectors such as agriculture, fintech, mobility, healthcare, sustainability, and deep technology are increasingly focused on solving real-world challenges while creating employment and attracting global interest.
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National Startup Awards 2026: 50% Startups Originate from Tier-II and Tier-III cities
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, recalled that when Startup India was launched in 2016, India had around 400 startups.
Today, more than two lakh startups are registered with DPIIT, collectively generating an estimated 21 lakh jobs. He said the transformation from job seekers to job creators is becoming increasingly visible across the country.
The Minister highlighted that Indian startups are active across more than 50 sectors, including Deep Tech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, Agri-Tech, Space Tech, Drone Technology, Aerospace, and Rocket Technology.
He noted that nearly 50 per cent of startups originate from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, underlining the truly nationwide character of the startup movement.
