2-day startup summit wraps up with Rs 130 cr investment commitments in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025 concluded in Coimbatore on Friday with the state government announcing new grants for incubation centres and venture-building programmes, as investors pledged around Rs 130 crore for startups.

At the closing session, Dr J Jeyaranjan, the Vice Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, distributed sanction orders to 22 pre-incubation centres and 15 incubation centres under StartupTN's scale-up grant scheme. The pre-incubation centres will receive Rs 7.5 lakh each, while the incubation centres will get Rs 5 lakh each to expand mentoring and support programmes across institutions.

He also handed over sanction orders to organisations selected under the Venture Builder Scheme, which aims to create new startups in tier-2 and tier-3 cities through structured venture-building entities. Under the scheme, each organisation will receive financial assistance to establish 25 DPIIT-recognised startups.

Dr Jeyaranjan said Tamil Nadu's startup ecosystem was "poised for a major leap forward," with startups positioned as a key driver of Chief Minister MK Stalin's goal of making Tamil Nadu a $1 trillion economy by 2030. He said structural reforms in education and entrepreneurship were building a foundation for "sustainable, innovation-led development."

Across the two days, the summit saw 23 MoUs signed with international and domestic partners. The partners included Link Innovations (France), TechShake (Philippines), AsiaBerlin Forum (Germany), Unicorn Incubator (South Korea), RxN Hub (Canada), Blue Ocean, and Lowe's India.

The event drew delegates from 45 countries, 328 international speakers, and more than 1,000 exhibitors, of which 750 were Tamil Nadu startups. Dedicated pavilions showcased women-led D2C brands, student innovators, Coimbatore-based startups, and emerging "power brands" from the State.

More than 250 investors took part in 500 pitch sessions, resulting in Rs 130 crore in committed investments. Corporate partners such as Samsung, Decathlon, and Lowe's India launched innovation challenges, while 25 curated startups with companies including NVIDIA, Bosch, and Daimler Truck have received potential pilots and collaborations.

The summit also featured 609 speakers, including 328 international and 281 national experts, and 11 masterclasses led by Google, Meta, PhonePe, Zoho, and the State Planning Commission, covering topics from scaling and marketing to digital transformation.