Key Points
- STPI launches Electropreneur Park 2.0 targeting 500 electronics startups across North India
- Electronics production rose nearly sevenfold from ₹1.90 lakh crore to ₹13.11 lakh crore since 2014-15
- Phase one supported 59 startups generating ₹149 crore revenue and 66 patent filings
New Delhi — As India seeks to move beyond electronics assembly towards product design, intellectual property and component manufacturing, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is expanding its Electropreneur Park programme to support a larger number of hardware and electronics startups.
Speaking at the STPI Electropreneur Summit 2026 at IIIT-Delhi on Monday, STPI Director General Arvind Kumar said the country’s technology sector was entering a phase in which its established software capabilities would increasingly have to be matched by growth in electronics design and manufacturing.
“Historically, our talent shifted primarily toward software services, building a $200B-plus export industry while electronics manufacturing lagged. But the landscape has fundamentally changed,” Kumar said.
He pointed to the rise in domestic electronics production over the past decade. According to government data, electronics production increased from less than Rs 2 lakh crore in 2014-15 to about Rs 13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26, while exports rose to Rs 4.24 lakh crore.
The increase in manufacturing, however, has also brought attention to the share of design, intellectual property and components developed within the country.
Kumar said this was an area where programmes such as Electropreneur Park could play a role by helping startups move from prototypes to commercial products.
Electropreneur Park 2.0
STPI launched the Open Challenge Programme under Electropreneur Park 2.0 at the summit. The programme will identify startups and technology solutions in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing, or ESDM, sector.
The second phase of Electropreneur Park has set a target of supporting 500 startups and widening access to incubation facilities through a network of institutions across northern India. The first phase of the programme supported 59 startups, according to STPI. It resulted in 129 products, 27 trademarks and 66 patent filings, while participating startups recorded cumulative revenue of about Rs 150 crore.
Kumar said the focus in the next phase would be on creating an interconnected electronics innovation network rather than concentrating incubation support at one location.
Hardware startups generally require access to testing facilities, prototyping equipment, design tools and certification support in addition to capital. Electropreneur Park provides access to ESDM laboratories, design and prototyping facilities, mentoring, intellectual property support and investor networks.
Spoke centres
As part of the expansion, AIC STPINEXT Initiatives exchanged agreements with partner institutions that will work as spoke centres for Electropreneur Park. The institutions are spread across Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
They include incubation and innovation centres associated with Chandigarh Engineering College, NSUT, KR Mangalam University, Manav Rachna University, IIT Mandi, University of Kashmir, MNIT Jaipur, AKGEC, Sharda University, Swami Rama Himalayan University and UPES, among others.
STPI also announced agreements with Indian Angel Network Services Private Limited and Solara VC to provide startups with wider access to investors. The move is intended to take electronics incubation facilities beyond major technology centres and make them available to entrepreneurs in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
K K Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said the government wanted the next phase of the programme to focus on commercialisation of intellectual property and product development.
By the numbers
Key figures from this story- 500 startups
- Target for Electropreneur Park 2.0 incubation
- ₹13.11 lakh crore
- Estimated electronics production 2025-26
- ₹1.27 lakh crore
- Semicon 2.0 approved outlay
“EP 1.0 laid a strong foundation, nurturing 59 startups, filing 66 patents and creating over Rs 640 crore in startup valuation. With EP 2.0, we are scaling our ambitions to target 500 startups,” Singh said.
He said the programme would expand into smaller cities so that entrepreneurs outside the main technology hubs could access incubation and technical support.
Electronics manufacturing
The expansion comes as the Centre increases spending on semiconductor and electronics manufacturing programmes. The Union Cabinet in July approved Semicon 2.0 with an outlay of Rs 1.275 lakh crore. The programme is expected to support semiconductor fabrication, chip design, packaging, equipment, materials, research and workforce development.
The government has also expanded support for electronics components manufacturing, with the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme receiving an allocation of Rs 40,000 crore.
Kumar said access to computing infrastructure under the IndiaAI Mission, along with semiconductor and electronics manufacturing schemes, could create more opportunities for startups working across hardware, artificial intelligence and embedded systems.
“This is the right time for young innovators to build hardware, design products and lead global electronics manufacturing,” he said.
The policy push marks a shift in the electronics sector from increasing production volumes towards raising domestic value addition. While India has built scale in areas such as mobile phone manufacturing, the next stage will depend on whether more product design, components and intellectual property are developed domestically.
For STPI, the expansion of Electropreneur Park is aimed at addressing part of that gap by linking startups with laboratories, academic institutions, investors and government programmes, said kumar.
Your Questions, Answered
What is Electropreneur Park 2.0?
Electropreneur Park 2.0 is an expanded STPI programme to incubate 500 electronics startups across North India. It provides laboratories, prototyping facilities, design tools, mentoring, seed funding and investor access to help hardware entrepreneurs build products.
Which states will have Electropreneur Park centres?
The programme will operate across Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand through partnerships with university incubators and engineering institutions.
What did the first phase of Electropreneur Park achieve?
Phase one supported 59 startups, resulting in 183 prototypes, 129 products and 66 patent filings. Participating startups generated about ₹149 crore in cumulative revenue.
How has India's electronics manufacturing grown?
Electronics production rose from ₹1.90 lakh crore in 2014-15 to an estimated ₹13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26. Electronics exports grew from ₹38,263 crore to ₹4.24 lakh crore over the same period.
