Piyush Goyal has criticised the Indian startup ecosystem’s focus on food delivery apps and the culture of selling fancy ice cream and cookies
While giving the Indian startups a reality check, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal has criticised the Indian startup ecosystem’s focus on food delivery apps, instant grocery delivery and the culture of selling fancy ice cream and cookies
During his address at the Startup Mahakumbh 2025, the Minister stated, “What are India’s startups doing today? We are focused on food delivery apps, turning unemployed youth into cheap labour so the rich can get their meals without moving out of their house. Against that, Chinese startups work on developing electric mobility and battery technologies, and with that, they are dominating the electric mobility ecosystem.”
While stating that we are very proud of what India has done, the Minister also highlighted that we are not the best in the world as yet. “Should we aspire to be or are we going to be happy being delivery boys and girls.”
Raising concern over fancy ice cream and cookies, the Minister labelled the model as entrepreneurship and business, instead of calling it a startup. Goyal called out the industry for using fancy words like healthy and vegan with their products.
“I know atleast three or four billionaires whose children make one brand or the other of very fancy ice cream and cookies and run a very successful business. I have no complaints about that. But is that the destiny of India? By using fancy words like healthy ice cream, vegan, and good packaging, we call ourselves startups. This is not a startup, but entrepreneurship, business,” Goyal highlighted.
Noting the growth on the other side of the border, Goyal added that there is growth in semiconductors. They are making their own artificial intelligence. They are investing heavily to become self-reliant, building chips and AI models which will prepare the nation for the future. He questioned whether India wants to make ice creams or chips for the future.
