The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has signed strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Cashfree Payments, Darwin Dynamics, Vultr India, Cars24 and the Council for Startup India (CSI) to strengthen support for DPIIT-recognised startups across digital payments, technology infrastructure, mobility, deep-tech innovation, investment and global expansion.
The partnerships are aimed at providing startups with greater access to technology, mentorship, market opportunities, investment, capacity building and other ecosystem support, as the government seeks to strengthen India’s innovation-led growth.
Cashfree partnership to strengthen fintech access
Under its MoU with Cashfree Payments India, DPIIT will support startups in accessing digital payment infrastructure, financial technology solutions and capacity-building initiatives.
Eligible DPIIT-recognised startups will have access to secure and scalable payment and payout solutions, identity verification and risk management services, along with preferential onboarding support and commercial benefits.
The partnership will also facilitate founder workshops, mentoring sessions, AI buildathons, hackathons and knowledge-sharing programmes covering digital payments, compliance, fraud prevention, KYC, cross-border transactions and emerging technologies.
Darwin Dynamics to expand entrepreneurship beyond metros
DPIIT’s partnership with Darwin Dynamics LLP focuses on expanding entrepreneurship across Tier II, Tier III and rural regions while promoting inclusive and innovation-driven startup growth.
Darwin Dynamics will work on startup formalisation, entrepreneurship awareness and capacity-building programmes, while supporting innovation in strategic areas such as clean energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, climate technologies and advanced manufacturing.
The collaboration will include startup outreach and formalisation drives, entrepreneurship bootcamps, mentor network development, international market access programmes, investor connect initiatives and policy research.
The initiative is also expected to create opportunities for youth, women entrepreneurs, first-generation founders and innovators from underserved regions.
Vultr to provide cloud support
The MoU with Vultr India Pvt Ltd is focused on strengthening technology infrastructure available to DPIIT-recognised startups.
Eligible startups will get access to cloud credits, preferential pricing and technical support through Vultr’s startup programmes.
The partnership will also provide training and technical handholding in cloud computing, storage, databases, Kubernetes, networking and application deployment.
Vultr will explore participation in Startup India and DPIIT-led events to promote technology adoption and engage with the startup ecosystem.
Cars24 to drive mobility and AI innovation
DPIIT has also partnered with Cars24 Services Pvt Ltd to support innovation and entrepreneurship in India’s mobility and automotive technology ecosystem.
The collaboration will focus on AI-driven innovation, founder development, skilling, investment opportunities and road safety initiatives.
Cars24 will provide structured mentorship to startup founders, support mobility and autotech skilling programmes, facilitate AI-focused technology enablement and organise innovation challenges and hackathons.
The partnership will also support promising startups through investment evaluation and ecosystem engagement, particularly in mobility and artificial intelligence.
CSI to support investment and global expansion
The fifth MoU, with the Council for Startup India, seeks to strengthen startups’ access to investment, strategic partnerships, mentorship, leadership development and global markets.
CSI will support DPIIT-recognised startups through programmes focused on investment readiness, corporate engagement, CFO matchmaking, global market access and international innovation collaborations.
The council will also facilitate corporate partnerships and help founders strengthen governance, financial readiness, compliance and international expansion.
The partnership is expected to deepen linkages between startups, investors, industry and policy stakeholders while improving access to finance, mentorship and commercial opportunities.
Five-pronged startup push
The series of MoUs gives DPIIT-recognised startups access to support across multiple stages of the business lifecycle — from payments and cloud infrastructure to mentorship, skilling, investment and international expansion.
The partnerships also extend the Startup India ecosystem beyond conventional startup support, with a focus on deep-tech and strategic technologies, inclusive entrepreneurship and the development of globally competitive innovation-led enterprises.