Nandan Nilekani’s BIG prediction for Indian startups: From 2,000 to 1 million in 20 years

India is on course to become home to one million startups by 2035, according to Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani. Speaking at the Carnegie Global Tech Summit, Nilekani outlined a bold roadmap for the country’s entrepreneurial and digital transformation, attributing India’s ongoing startup boom to a decade of strategic groundwork.

Big prediction for 2035

“In 2015, India had just around 2,000 startups. Today, we’ve reached approximately 150,000,” Nilekani said. “By 2035, that number will rise to one million. It’s a complete shift, powered by a virtuous cycle of innovation, success, reinvestment, and scale.”

He highlighted how successful startups are fuelling the emergence of newer ventures, often creating hundreds more through capital, mentorship, and inspiration. The next wave of problem-solving, he suggested, will be driven by areas like climate change, energy, and space.

Nilekani emphasised the critical role of digital public infrastructure in accelerating this growth. Recalling a timeline of landmark digital milestones in 2016—from Aadhaar crossing a billion users in April, to the launch of UPI, Reliance Jio, and the BHIM app—he said these were not isolated events, but the result of “years of silent preparation.”

“This kind of transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of building the right foundations,” he said. “But now that we’ve laid the groundwork, we can move faster, because we know the path forward.”

Evolving role of AI in startups

Nilekani also discussed the evolving impact of artificial intelligence in India, noting that AI’s implementation at scale must build upon the country's strong digital base. With over 600 million WhatsApp users, around 400 million on UPI, and increasing digital literacy, he believes India is primed for the next leap—particularly in regional language accessibility and intuitive user interfaces.

“The future lies in shifting from Hindi and English to all major Indian languages, moving from touchscreens to voice and video, and replacing static knowledge with dynamic, context-aware information,” he explained.

However, he acknowledged that deploying AI in the public sector remains a challenge. Structural silos, territorial data ownership, and ethical concerns are major hurdles.

“Data is the lifeblood of AI, but it’s fragmented across ministries and departments,” he warned. “To truly realise AI’s potential in governance, we need integrated systems and a renewed emphasis on public trust.”

(With inputs from ANI)