Maharashtra Emerges As Startup Hub, Women Lead 45% Of Startups-CM

Maharashtra is deepening its commitment to entrepreneurship with a focused push on women-led innovation. At the inauguration of the Innovation Mahakumbh 2025 at SNDT Women’s University in Juhu, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that nearly 45% of the state’s registered startups are led by women, positioning Maharashtra as the country’s emerging “startup capital.”

Speaking at the launch of a new pre-incubation center, Fadnavis said the government aims to strengthen student entrepreneurship and innovation through targeted support. “The pre-incubation center will help students develop their startup ideas, build prototypes, and prepare for incubation programs offering financial and technical support,” he said. “Every new idea from the youth holds the potential to become an innovation. This is the age of startups, and everyone has the opportunity to be an entrepreneur.”

Building India’s Next Wave of Founders

The initiative at SNDT—one of India’s oldest women’s universities—is designed to act as a launchpad for student entrepreneurs, offering mentorship, prototyping assistance, and connections to industry and investors.

Fadnavis interacted with student innovators, reviewing over 140 startup ideas from SNDT students, and felicitated three promising ventures from the medical technology, agriculture, and transport sectors.

The Chief Minister said that as startups turn ideas into market-ready products, they not only simplify everyday life but also fuel economic growth. He credited universities like SNDT for enabling young entrepreneurs to transform academic projects into viable businesses.

“When ideas turn into market-ready products, they not only simplify life but also fuel economic growth,” he said.

Policy Backing for Innovation

Accompanying Fadnavis at the event were Skill Development Minister Mangalprabhat Lodha, Union Education Ministry Joint Secretary Armstrong Pame, UGC Chairman Vineet Joshi, and NAAC Chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe.

Lodha emphasized the state’s dual focus on education and innovation, stating that Maharashtra is moving quickly to align skill-building and startup support policies. “We are confident the state will soon lead the nation in both education and entrepreneurship,” he said.

SNDT Vice-Chancellor Ujjwala Chakradev noted that the pre-incubation center will bridge academia and industry by connecting students with mentors and investors while training them in essential startup and funding skills.

A complementary focus of the Innovation Mahakumbh was the modernisation of classroom learning.
Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairperson of NAAC and the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), announced the development of new-age teacher training modules leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tools.

“Quality education requires curiosity and a scientific spirit among children. Our aim is to train teachers who can inspire both,” Sahasrabudhe said. “The traditional approach to teaching no longer resonates with today’s learners. Through AR, VR, and simulation, we aim to make classrooms more lively and effective.”

He added that NETF will collaborate with edtech startups to test new technologies in a controlled sandbox environment before scaling them nationwide.

Maharashtra’s initiative signals a two-tier strategy:

• Empowering women and students to enter the startup ecosystem earlier through university-level incubation.

• Integrating technology-driven learning tools that prepare the next generation for a digital economy.

By institutionalizing early-stage innovation pipelines, the state aims to expand entrepreneurship beyond traditional urban centers and ensure women founders are at the forefront of this growth.

As India moves toward its $5 trillion economy goal, the emphasis on women-led startups and tech-enabled education could redefine how the state builds a future-ready workforce.

The SNDT pre-incubation center marks a step toward embedding entrepreneurship in education—creating a generation that doesn’t just seek jobs but builds them.