DPIIT Signs MoUs to Expand Digital, Technology and Investment Support for Startups
New Delhi, Aug 8 (TNT): The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has entered into 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 payments, technology, mobility, investment and market access.
The partnerships seek to improve startups’ access to digital infrastructure, cloud technology, mentorship, investment, skilling and global markets, while expanding the reach of the Startup India ecosystem.
Under the MoU with Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd, DPIIT-recognised startups will get access to digital payment and payout solutions, identity verification and risk management services, besides preferential onboarding 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.
DPIIT’s partnership with Darwin Dynamics LLP will focus on expanding entrepreneurship beyond major urban centres, particularly across Tier-II, Tier-III and rural regions.
The collaboration will support startup formalisation, entrepreneurship awareness and capacity building, besides promoting innovation in areas such as clean energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, climate technologies and advanced manufacturing.
The initiatives will include entrepreneurship bootcamps, mentor-network development, international market-access programmes, investor-connect initiatives and policy research, with a focus on expanding opportunities for youth, women entrepreneurs, first-generation founders and innovators from underserved regions.
Under the partnership with Vultr India Pvt Ltd, DPIIT-recognised startups will gain access to cloud credits, preferential pricing and technical support through the company’s startup programmes.
The collaboration will also provide training and technical handholding in cloud computing, storage, databases, Kubernetes, networking and application deployment, aimed at helping startups reduce technology adoption barriers and scale their digital products.
DPIIT has also partnered with Cars24 Services Pvt Ltd to support innovation in the mobility and automotive technology ecosystem.
The partnership will focus on AI-driven innovation, founder mentorship, mobility and autotech skilling, technology enablement, investment opportunities and road safety initiatives. Cars24 will also facilitate innovation challenges and hackathons and evaluate promising startups for potential investment and ecosystem partnerships.
The MoU with the Council for Startup India (CSI) seeks to strengthen startups’ access to investment, strategic partnerships, mentorship and global markets.
CSI will support programmes covering investment readiness, corporate engagement, CFO matchmaking, global market access and international innovation collaborations. It will also facilitate corporate partnerships and assist founders with governance, financial readiness, compliance and international expansion.
The series of partnerships is aimed at strengthening the startup support ecosystem by bringing private-sector capabilities and institutional networks into areas critical to startup growth, including finance, technology infrastructure, entrepreneurship, mobility innovation and global expansion.
TNT KS
