The idea of nation-building is increasingly being shaped not just by the institutions, but by the entrepreneurs, founders who are building businesses grounded in local realities, solving real needs, and scaling with ambition. As India celebrates its 77th Republic Day, PayU, India’s leading diversified fintech platform has launched ‘Startup Republic’ campaign, turning the spotlight to the breadth and depth of India's entrepreneurial landscape.
India's startup landscape, as of December 31, 2025, boasts more than 2 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups across diverse verticals – from D2C to fintech and beyond - that have generated employment for over 2.1 million people. Startup republic campaign showcases entrepreneurs from DPIIT recognized startups located in emerging entrepreneurial hubs outside the metros, highlighting narratives from geographically underrepresented regions.
"The next decade of India's digital economy will be built by founders who understand local consumers deeply and scale with global ambition," says Vineet Sethi, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, PayU.
For Sethi, this campaign reflects a core belief: "At PayU, we believe India's greatest asset is entrepreneurial spirit. Startup Republic celebrates entrepreneurs actively writing India's future through authentic storytelling, because innovation has no zip code in India and real nation-building happens when founders from Ladakh to Lakshadweep see that their dreams matter."
The scale and ambition of Startup Republic campaign mirrors Startup India’s vision for inclusive growth. Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, says "Under Startup India, India's startup ecosystem is moving beyond scale to focus on depth and genuine impact.
Shri Sanjiv further adds "With innovation reaching every state and union territory, entrepreneurship is becoming a powerful nation-building force. Initiatives like Startup Republic showcase these diverse success stories, proving that India's innovation economy is growing well beyond the metros."
Historically, the narrative of Indian startups has been written in singular tones - unicorn valuations, billion-dollar exits, and Silicon Valley-style growth trajectories. However, this narrative seems to be shifting beyond just scale and valuation. Capturing this shift, PayU’s Startup Republic focuses on visibility and recognition.
At the heart of this campaign lies a simple yet powerful premise: the visibility itself is a catalyst for change. When India’s local entrepreneurs are seen, celebrated, and given a platform, it won't just validate their individual journeys, it will create a ripple effect across the entire ecosystem. It signals to aspiring founders in smaller cities that their dreams are viable, their contexts are valuable, and their ambitions are welcome.
The campaign launches with a 120-second hero film capturing the collective spirit of India's entrepreneurial republic, followed by a series of 36 five-minute documentary films. Each film spotlights a founder from a different state or union territory, highlighting their journeys and stories of resilience, community-driven innovation, and the distinct challenges and triumphs that come with building outside traditional hubs.
Argho Bhattacharya, Senior Director Marketing at PayU says “PayU has been the engine behind India's digital businesses. With our Startup Republic campaign, we aim to bring to light and celebrate the stories of 36 inspiring startups from across India that are redefining ambition, grit, and passion while solving for the needs of local consumers each day."
Over the years, PayU has worked closely with startups, and digital-first businesses at various stages of growth - from early-stage ventures accepting their first digital payment to scaled enterprises navigating complex compliance requirements. This proximity to founder challenges has shaped PayU's approach: that supporting entrepreneurship requires a holistic ecosystem play combining infrastructure, mentorship, access, and now, narrative-building.
Pioneering initiatives from PayU exemplify this philosophy across the startup journey. inFINity, India's leading fintech accelerator, has empowered 60 startups with 1:1 mentorship, partnership opportunities, and $5 million in investments, focused on sustainable capability-building and ecosystem access. Furthermore, under an MoU with DPIIT, PayU is working with Startup India to empower startups across India—not just in metro cities—by delivering tailored payment solutions, mentorship, exclusive community access, and fundraising opportunities to support growth at every stage.
Startup Republic campaign adds another critical dimension to this continuum - using storytelling as a tool for empowerment and recognition, helping founders build their narrative and gain visibility. Released across PayU's social channels from January 23 through Republic Day week, each of the 36 founders-focused films highlights the sectoral diversity of India's startup revolution - from lifestyle brands to health innovators, travel platforms to FMCG disruptors. The films capture the stories of entrepreneurs building world-class businesses from local insights, proving that the 'Made in India, built for the world' vision isn't just policy, it's happening in every state, every day.
The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.
First Published: Jan 23, 2026, 23:03
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