Tripura secures 66 percent startup recognition growth in StartUp factbook

Agartala: Tripura has emerged as one of the fastest-growing innovation hubs in the Northeast, showcasing strong growth, inclusivity, and policy-driven progress at the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit 2025, held at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore.

StartupTN organized the two-day summit, which attracted over 71,000 visitors, more than 20 global startup stakeholders and speakers, and investment commitments worth Rs 100 crore.

The event provided a key platform for global investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to discuss India’s innovation-led growth story.

Representing Tripura on the global stage, Jeya Ragul Geshan B., IFS, Director of IT, Government of Tripura, said the state is witnessing rapid transformation driven by vision, innovation, and measurable outcomes.

“Tripura stands at an important inflexion point. In alignment with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of a Rs 5 trillion economy by 2028 and achieving Vikshit Bharat by 2047, we are determined to play a strategic role in India’s innovation-led growth story under the leadership of our Hon’ble Chief Minister, Prof. (Dr) Manik Saha,” he said.

According to the Startup India report Prabhaav: Startup India 9-Year Factbook (December 2024), Tripura has maintained an impressive 66 percent average growth rate in startup recognitions over the past five years.

The state also leads in two key categories, top-performing Tier 2/3 districts and the highest number of women-led startups in the Northeast.

Tripura adopted a startup policy in 2019, becoming one of the first Northeastern states to do so, and earned the ‘Category B – Leader’ status in the Startup India State Ranking 2022.

Building on this foundation, Tripura introduced the Startup Policy 2024, which allocates Rs 50 crore funds for entrepreneurs, startup grants for students and incubators, and patent support for innovators.

The state currently hosts more than 80 recognized startups and operates eight active incubators, including the ISRO-supported Space Tech Incubation Centre at NIT Agartala and the Tripura University Business Incubator.

These institutions nurture innovation from idea to scale.

With a population of around 41 lakh, a literacy rate exceeding 94 percent, and strategic international connectivity, Tripura positions itself as a gateway to Southeast Asia.

Leveraging infrastructure such as the Agartala–Akhaura rail link and Integrated Check Posts, the state aims to open new trade routes and markets for its entrepreneurs.

Tripura’s startups have made notable strides in agri-tech, bamboo-based products, green packaging, eco-tourism, and fintech, sectors that align local resources with global opportunities.

The IT sector has become a key enabler of growth, supported by the Tripura IT Incentive Scheme (2017) and the International Internet Gateway in Agartala.

“Our goal is to blend IT with entrepreneurship, empowering every district with digital tools, startup resources, and market access. Tripura is not waiting for change; we are building it,” Geshan said.

Emphasizing collaboration as the way forward, Tripura proposed partnerships with Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam in deep-tech, agri-tech, and green innovation, along with joint venture funding and shared innovation challenges.

“Tripura may be small, but our intent is always big. We are proving that innovation does not need to be metro-centric; it needs to be mission-driven,” Geshan added.

The Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit 2025 thus showcased how emerging states like Tripura inject fresh dynamism, resilience, and inclusivity into India’s growing startup movement.