Official data show that start-up registrations in Jammu & Kashmir have climbed from just 69 in 2020 to 1,127 in 2025
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LIGHTCOME
With start-up registrations in Jammu and Kashmir climbing more than sixteen-fold since 2020, the region will host a major Start-up Summit in Srinagar this October to showcase its growing entrepreneurial base.
The event, to be organised in partnership with Startup India, the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and SIDBI, is expected to bring together investors, incubators, and entrepreneurs from across the country.
Officials say the summit will showcase the region’s emerging technology and service ventures while linking them with national markets and funding channels.
Investment push
The timing comes amid a sharp rise in start-up activity in the region. Official data show that start-up registrations in Jammu & Kashmir have climbed from just 69 in 2020 to 1,127 in 2025, with most concentrated in IT services, logistics, and agritech.
Officials describe it as an early but notable shift from the subsidy-driven model that long dominated the local economy.
“We are seeing young entrepreneurs exploring technology and services that connect directly with Jammu & Kashmir’s needs, from cold-chain solutions to handicrafts e-commerce,” said a senior official in the industries department.
Economic boost
The start-up push complements broader industrial policy changes that have drawn record investments into the Union Territory in recent years. Projects worth over ₹4,000 crore were grounded in the first five months of FY26, generating more than 5,000 jobs, while MSMEs continue to form the backbone of the economy, contributing 8 per cent to GSDP and employing nearly 11 lakh people.
“The start-up ecosystem in Kashmir holds immense potential, but it needs consistent policy support, easier access to finance and a culture that nurtures innovation”, said Qasi Tauseef, spokesperson of Kashmir Economic Alliance, an amalgam of traders, manufacturers and transport bodies.
He said that youth in Kashmir have ideas that can compete globally, yet they are constrained by infrastructure gaps and regulatory hurdles.
Crafts, long a pillar of J&K’s exports, are also receiving renewed policy attention. Srinagar was recently recognised by UNESCO as part of its Creative Cities Network, while the government has rolled out QR-based certification for craft products, a global first, to curb counterfeiting. According to official data, exports from the sector more than doubled to ₹1,163 crore in 2023-24.
Published on September 22, 2025
