Tamil Nadu Allocates Rs 20 Crore for Start-ups in 2025 Fiscal Year

Chennai, Apr 25 (KNN) At the valedictory session of The Hindu Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu’s MSME Minister TM Anbarasan announced significant developments in the state’s entrepreneurial landscape.

Over the past four years, nearly Rs 70 crore has been invested in 205 start-ups through various state-run entrepreneurship development programmes.

The Minister also revealed that Rs 20 crore has been allocated for start-ups in the current fiscal year.

In a bid to professionalise the state’s start-up ecosystem, Chief Minister MK Stalin initiated the formation of StartupTN, which now boasts a professional CEO and 10 regional hubs across the state.

These hubs are located in cities including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Salem, with a new hub planned for Thoothukudi focusing on space tech, port, and logistics start-ups.

The state government’s newly launched initiative, “One Start-up in Every Village,” aims to foster innovation across rural areas. This programme will select 100 villages, each nurturing one start-up, boosting rural entrepreneurship and creating job opportunities.

Speaking at the event, Atul Anand, Additional Chief Secretary of the MSME Department, emphasised Tamil Nadu’s diverse strengths in sectors such as software services, medical tourism, agriculture, drones, AI, and deep tech.

He credited the state's success to a multisectoral approach, creating a rich mix of opportunities that positions Tamil Nadu as a future hub for start-ups.

The summit also witnessed the participation of key industry and academic figures, including AR Unnikrishnan, Chairman of CII Tamil Nadu, and C Muthamizhchelvan, Vice-Chancellor of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, who discussed collaborative efforts to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the state.

The event highlighted the growing momentum of Tamil Nadu’s start-up ecosystem, with a focus on expanding its global reach.

(KNN Bureau)