Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood announced a new Rs 325-crore fund . This budget will support 5,000 student-led startups over five years. The initiative is part of a new policy called ‘Campus-to-Market’.
Startup Support Policy
The ‘Campus-to-Market’ policy aims to provide full support to student startups. This includes protecting their ideas. It also covers valuing their projects. Access to funding and market connections are included.
Sood made the announcement at the Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026. The festival showcased top student startups. The Department of Training and Technical Education organized the event. It took place at Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women.
Policy Goals
Minister Sood stated the government is developing a comprehensive policy. This policy will link new ideas to markets. It will connect them with investors and financial institutions.
The festival saw participation from nearly 1,000 startups. About 700 presented detailed business plans. Of these, 100 were shortlisted.
Sood emphasized the need for a strong startup culture. He said this would turn young people into job creators. They should not just be job seekers.
Previous Initiatives
He mentioned the ‘Business Blasters’ initiative. Under this program, 5,000 teams received Rs 20,000 each. These teams were from 1,000 schools. Around Rs 10 crore was allocated for Business Blasters this year.
Sood noted past efforts had duplication. Multiple institutions worked on similar projects. This led to wasted resources and student energy. The new policy will streamline innovation efforts. It will ensure coordinated work.