The Delhi government has approved the setting up of the Go-Delhi Foundation, a not-for-profit company with an initial budget outlay of Rs 50 crore, to help startups, young innovators and small businesses in the capital turn ideas into products and take them to market.

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The approval was given at a recent Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement on Sunday.

The foundation will be set up under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, and will function under the Delhi government’s Department of Industries.

Delhi is home to nearly 21,000 startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

“Through the Go-Delhi Foundation, these resources will be brought together on a common platform, with a focus on developing new enterprises, attracting investment and creating employment opportunities,” the Delhi CMO statement said.

What the foundation will offer

Gupta said the foundation would help startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access product engineering, prototyping, laboratories and testing facilities.

It will also provide technical guidance, mentorship, incubation, business support and opportunities to connect with investors. Students and researchers are to get help with prototyping, intellectual property, incubation and industry connections.

Support will cover different stages of a venture, from product development and testing to certification preparation and market access. According to Gupta, the aim is to reduce founders’ dependence on scattered facilities for different needs and make it easier to set up and grow a business in Delhi.

Government departments as test customers

The foundation will also act as a link between the Delhi government and its innovators. Departments will be able to bring real-world problems to startups, and products built to solve them can be tested through pilot projects.

Successful solutions will be taken forward for adoption, Gupta said. She added that this would give departments access to new technologies and practical solutions, while allowing startups to show that their products work.

The foundation will work with industry, educational institutions, investors and other partners. It will follow a hub-and-spoke model, delivering programmes through existing facilities and partner institutions across the city rather than building everything from scratch, the statement said.

How it fits with Delhi’s startup policy

The foundation comes three months after the Delhi Cabinet approved the Delhi Start-up and Incubation Policy 2026 on 14 July, with an outlay of Rs 400 crore over five years.

That policy is run through educational institutions. Its first phase covers 11 state universities, 13 government-aided colleges, government polytechnics, industrial training institutes and government school students, according to media reports.

Institutions receive one-time setup assistance and annual operating support, while startups get milestone-based assistance across five stages, from proof of concept and prototype to market validation and commercialisation. The government has said the policy aims to support more than 10,000 startups and create jobs for over 4 lakh young people.

The approved policy does not name priority sectors and does not include a venture capital fund. A draft startup policy released for public comment in August 2025 had proposed a Rs 200 crore venture fund, along with lease rental and patent filing support, but that draft has not been notified.

Gupta met startup founders and investors on 6 September to seek suggestions on the policy. “Every startup that wants to do a lot in the field of innovation will receive the government’s support,” she said at the time.

At that meeting, Education Minister Ashish Sood said that while India’s startup count had grown from about 350 in 2014 to more than 2 lakh, Delhi had lagged behind despite its institutions and talent.

Delhi’s place in India’s startup map

India had over 2.23 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of 31 March 2026, the commerce and industry ministry said in April. The government recognised more than 55,200 startups in FY26, the highest in a single year since Startup India was launched in 2016.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat were the top states by recognised startups and job creation. Maharashtra led with over 38,660 recognised startups, followed by Karnataka with 22,600 and Uttar Pradesh with 21,960, according to ministry data.