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PhysicsWallah’s School of Startups (PW SoS) has signed a two-year memorandum of understanding with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to support early-stage ventures, particularly in Tier-II and III cities and rural areas. The partnership combines training and mentoring with prototype development, incubation, investor access and seed capital. “Supporting entrepreneurs beyond Tier-I cities is key to building a stronger startup ecosystem in India. Our partnership with PhysicsWallah School of Startups will help grassroots innovators access the resources, mentorship and infrastructure they need to turn their ideas into scalable, job-creating businesses across Bharat,” said Ateesh Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary at DPIIT. PW SoS, an accredited incubator under Uttar Pradesh’s StartinUP initiative, has programmes for founders at different stages. PW UDYAMI combines 90 days of live online training with a year of mentorship. Aarambh Immersion is a five-day residential programme for prototype development, pitches and networking. The Growth Stage CEO Programme is designed for 200 DPIIT-recognised startups across four hybrid cohorts, while the six-month PW DeepTech Accelerator targets selected ventures. The annual National AI Startup Challenge and SeedX are intended to offer proof-of-concept opportunities, corporate pilots and seed investment. The release also cites incubation and seed grants through the StartinUP Business Incubation Centre in Uttar Pradesh. Rounaq Mustafa, Head of PW SoS, said the aim was to widen access to support. “True empowerment means making knowledge, mentorship and funding accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs across Bharat. Through our partnership with DPIIT and Startup India, PW School of Startups aims to support aspiring founders.” The tie-up comes as the ecosystem grows and public support expands. DPIIT recently shared that it had recognised 2,50,046 startups across more than 770 districts, with 52% based in non-metro cities. The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme had approved Rs 775.67 crore for 4,194 startups through 244 incubators, including 2,356 ventures in Tier-II and III cities. In April, the government notified a Rs 10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, which channels capital through investment funds rather than directly giving grants to every startup. Policy is also addressing research-led businesses, which often need longer development periods and more capital. In February, the government extended the recognition window for deeptech startups to 20 years and raised their turnover limit to Rs 300 crore. Private programmes are specialising too. Google’s 2026 India accelerator selected 20 AI-focused startups from around 2,500 applications for technical and commercialisation support.
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