Tamil Nadu’s startup growth a reflection of its potential, says Atul Anand at T.N. Startup Summit 2025

Tamil Nadu’s startup growth a reflection of its strong potential, says Atul Anand at T.N. Startup Summit 2025

Tamil Nadu is among the top 10 regions in Asia in terms of talent pool. NITI Aayog has described the State as a model for the innovation ecosystem, a reflection of its strong potential. This also gives a fillip to the goals the State had fixed, said Atul Anand, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department.

The State has grown over the last four years from just 2,000 startups to over 10,000, indicating that its startup ecosystem is robust. Inaugurating the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday (April 24, 2025), he lauded The Hindu’s efforts in organising the event, which is being jointly presented by SRM Institute of Science and Technology and co-sponsored by StartupTN in association with Sify.    

Tamil Nadu’s startup growth “speaks a lot about the potential of the State,” Mr. Atul said at the event, adding: “We are on the path to optimising and converting into reality our potential.”

The journey has been multifaceted, with Chennai known as the software services capital, a buoyant medical tourism sector, and agriculture startups using drones, alongside others working on AI and deep tech, he said.

Mr. Atul told the audience that the State government had, in its recent Budget, allocated ₹10 crore to develop startups in the space sector. The Global Startup Report 2024 had ranked Chennai in the 18th position. Apart from conventional sectors, startups were also diversifying into other areas, including the heritage sector, he said. “One of the reasons [for the State’s success] is our multisectoral approach. It is a rich mix that will make Tamil Nadu the hub of the startup ecosystem,” he said. 

The government extended support to acquire IPR by funding as much as 50% of the total expenditure for the purpose, he added. The government also had 42 incubators that were established in tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well. The government was focusing on pre-incubation centres in colleges and universities also, Mr. Atul said, with the aim of catching entrepreneurs young.  

A.R. Unnikrishnan, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu State Council, and managing director, Glass Group, Saint-Gobain, Tamil Nadu, said the State has a wide spectrum of economy, with around 30% coming from manufacturing and the rest from a broad sector of services.