1.5 Global and Local Startup Trends

Startup trends can vary globally and locally. Globally, recent years have seen surges in technology-driven ventures, including artificial intelligence, fintech, clean energy, and healthtech. However, the specifics of entrepreneurship often reflect local context.

In India, for example, entrepreneurship has grown rapidly. India now has one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems. In the past decade over 120,000 startups were launched in India, making it the third-largest ecosystem globally (after the US and China). The number of Indian “unicorns” (startups valued over $1 billion) has climbed dramatically. Government initiatives like Startup India, Stand-up India, and Atal Innovation Mission have also fueled growth. Schools and colleges are encouraging innovation through programs like Atal Tinkering Labs, which set up maker spaces for students.

Local factors shape trends too. For instance, India has seen a boom in fintech and digital payments. Digital public infrastructure (like the Aadhaar identity system and the UPI payments platform) has brought technology to rural areas. In one telling example, a village tea seller in Bihar used a UPI QR code and her Aadhaar-linked bank account to receive digital payments. This shows how national digital systems are enabling even small vendors to do business electronically. The government’s MUDRA scheme offers collateral-free loans (up to ~₹10 lakh) to micro-entrepreneurs, with about 69% of beneficiaries being women. Such measures are helping bring entrepreneurship to underserved communities.

Studies also note cultural shifts: for example, one report found near gender parity in entrepreneurship in India, meaning women start-ups are almost as common as men’s in some areas. Infrastructure improvements – like better roads, internet access (India now has nearly 1 billion mobile internet subscribers), and logistics – are making it easier to start businesses even outside major cities.

In contrast, global startup trends emphasize cutting-edge tech: ventures in AI, biotechnology, robotics, and climate tech are booming worldwide. Yet many of these global trends do influence India (e.g. India has fast-growing AI and edtech companies). Urban centers in India (like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi) follow global patterns of tech startups and venture investments, while rural entrepreneurship often focuses on agriculture, crafts, and digital services supported by mobile technology.

Overall, local ecosystems may have different leading industries (for instance, agriculture tech and renewable energy are especially important in India), but they connect to the global startup culture through shared technology platforms and investment.