MeitY Launches AI Impact Startup Book; 100 Solutions Identified as India Targets ‘Use-Case Capital’ Status
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the AI Impact Startup Book on the third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, presenting what it described as a first-of-its-kind consolidated repository of artificial intelligence solutions being developed in India.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the AI Impact Startup Book on the third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, presenting what it described as a first-of-its-kind consolidated repository of artificial intelligence solutions being developed in India.
The compendium captures insights from a large sample of AI and deep-tech startups, mapping trends across sectors, technologies and geographies, and documenting the expanding global footprint of Indian ventures.
From Foundation Models to Edge AI
The study highlights strong AI innovation in healthcare, alongside rapid expansion in areas such as foundation models, databases, waste-tech, voice and vision applications tailored to Indian use cases.
It also notes the emergence of startups beyond major metropolitan centres, growing government partnerships enabling deployment at scale, development of indigenous AI infrastructure and increasing integration of edge AI with hardware capabilities.
Nearly 47 percent of early-stage ventures covered in the study have a local presence, while at the growth stage, close to 68 percent are operating internationally, reflecting India’s transition from experimentation to global competitiveness.
‘Scale 10 in 12–18 Months’
Abhishek Singh, Director General of NIC and Additional Secretary, MeitY, said the success of India’s AI journey would depend not only on building infrastructure — including data centres, datasets and foundation models — but on delivering measurable improvements in citizen services.
He said the publication enables ministries, states and institutions to assess the maturity and real-world performance of AI solutions and adopt them for population-scale deployment.
“If India has to become the use-case capital, it will need to scale up impactful solutions. One hundred solutions are listed here, and if in the next 12 to 18 months we can scale up even 10 of them, it will be a significant step forward,” he said.
Singh added that initiatives such as language-enabled agricultural advisory services demonstrate AI’s potential to deliver last-mile access across multiple Indian languages and dialects, provided richer datasets and coordinated implementation are ensured.
Eight Key Insights
Sushant Kumar, Founder and CEO of Kalpa Impact, said eight major insights emerged from the study. He highlighted the growing breadth of sectors leveraging AI, including foundation models and databases, the increasing global expansion of Indian startups and the rise of edge innovation.
“India is building foundation models. India is building infrastructure. And last, but not least, is edge innovation,” he said.
The launch underscored the maturing AI startup ecosystem in India, supported by policy backing, digital public infrastructure and expanding international linkages, as the country positions itself to move from pilot projects to scalable, outcome-driven AI deployments.
