Uttar Pradesh had about 120 registered startups before 2017. It now has more than 24,000. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath shared the figures at a recent public event. Startups are now active in all 75 districts of the state.
The state also counts 8 unicorns. A unicorn is a startup valued above $1 billion. Yogi Adityanath credited the growth to the state startup policy and a supportive business environment. He also said women run about half of these startups.
The jump is large by any measure. In roughly nine years, the count rose from 120 to over 24,000. That is a rise of about 200 times. Every district now has at least one startup.
The 24,000 figure is a government count of registered startups, and it is not the same as active startups. India’s startup department, called DPIIT, keeps a separate national list. Different counts use different rules, so the numbers vary from one source to another.
The UP IT and Electronics Department lists the 8 unicorns. They are Paytm, Physics Wallah, Pine Labs, Info Edge, Moglix, IndiaMART, Innovaccer and RateGain. Paytm and Physics Wallah are both based in Noida. Physics Wallah listed on the stock market in November 2025.
UP is now India’s fourth-largest startup ecosystem. That ranking comes from a KPMG report cited by the state government. UP sits behind Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi on the total count of registered startups.
The state backs new founders through the UP Startup Fund. The fund has a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore. It supports seed money, mentorship and incubators in cities across the state.
What this means for you: If you are a founder in a smaller UP city, the state fund and district incubators are now the fastest route to seed money and mentorship.
Have a tip? Write to us at editorial@startupfeed.in.
Liked this story? Follow StartupFeed on Google so our reporting reaches you first.
