One of the quieter but more consequential outcomes of the 2026 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum was not a speech, a declaration, or a geopolitical headline. It was the selection of ten early-stage startups under the Water Resilience Challenge, run by UpLink in partnership with HCL Group. Chosen from over 300 global applicants,…
India has taken a cautious but strategic step into AI regulation. With the release of national AI governance guidelines, the government aims to balance innovation, accountability, and public trust. For startups, this is not just policy — it is a product roadmap signal. Why India Chose Governance Over Regulation Unlike hard regulatory regimes seen elsewhere,…
India enters FY26 with a rare macroeconomic alignment: strong growth expectations and easing monetary policy. The Reserve Bank of India has upgraded India’s GDP growth outlook to 7.3% while simultaneously cutting the repo rate to 5.25%. For policymakers, this signals confidence. For startups, businesses, and job seekers, it reshapes the economic playing field in tangible…
India is now the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, with over 1.59 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups as of early 2025. Together, they’ve created more than 16.6 lakh direct jobs and countless indirect ones. Yet for every success story, there are dozens of startups that shut down within their first five years. Why? More often than not, it…
