New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) Delhi’s Minister for Training and Technical Education Ashish Sood on Friday interacted with Top 100 student startups at the Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026 and announced a comprehensive “Campus to Market” Startup Incubation Policy to strengthen the capital’s innovation ecosystem.
The programme was organised by the Department of Training and Technical Education, Government of Delhi at Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women in Kashmere Gate.
Addressing young entrepreneurs, the minister said the Delhi Government is committed to creating opportunities beyond academic degrees by building platforms that support innovation, research and entrepreneurship. He stressed that nurturing a strong startup culture is essential to transform students from job seekers into job creators.
Announcing the new policy, Sood said Rs 325 crore will be allocated over the next five years to provide end-to-end institutional support to 5,000 startups from campus stage to market entry. The proposed framework will focus on intellectual property protection, fair valuation, access to funding, market linkages and coordinated incubation support.
He said nearly 1,000 startups participated in the festival, of which 700 made detailed presentations and 100 were shortlisted for the special interaction session. During the programme, selected startups presented their ideas and shared suggestions, following which the minister directed officials to ensure necessary support and coordination.
Citing an example, Sood referred to a student-developed drone that was adapted for fogging operations and suggested that such technology could, in future, assist RWAs in surveillance and community safety.
The minister also emphasised the need to integrate incubation efforts across universities and technical institutions to avoid duplication of projects and wastage of resources. He said the government’s objective is to ensure that innovative ideas move beyond the concept stage and receive structured institutional backing.
Referring to the Business Blasters initiative, he said financial assistance of Rs 20,000 per team has been provided to 5,000 teams across more than 1,000 schools. Around Rs 10 crore has been allocated this year for the programme.
Sood assured young innovators of full government support and urged media organisations to give wider visibility to student-led innovations so that they can reach national and global markets.
The Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026 aims to promote innovation, research and entrepreneurship among students and position Delhi as a leading hub of startups and innovation.
