Post-Budget Scene: Sneak Peek of How Top Startup Minds Are Responding

Sushanto Mitra, CEO, Lead Angels

"The Union Budget 2025-26 takes promising steps to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem with a dedicated Startup Fund of Funds and enhanced credit guarantees for SMEs, improving capital access and fostering innovation. The National Manufacturing Mission creates new opportunities for startups aligned with 'Make in India.' Simplified regulations and reduced income tax will ease compliance burdens, allowing founders to focus on scaling their businesses while managing salary costs more effectively. However, broader tax incentives for startup investors could have further boosted capital inflows. We look forward to policy refinements that drive sustained entrepreneurial growth."

Hemant Tiwari, Managing Director & Vice President - India & SAARC Region, Hitachi Vantara

"The Union Budget 2025-26 reinforces India’s commitment to digital-first growth, deep-tech innovation, and sustainable manufacturing. The emphasis on AI skilling, digital infrastructure, and financial sector reforms and development creates new opportunities for enterprises to scale through data-driven transformation. The Deep Tech Fund and AI-focused centres will accelerate India’s leadership in cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, the push for clean tech manufacturing including EV batteries, solar PV, and smart grid solutions aligns with India’s broader vision of sustainable innovation. As these sectors expand, advanced data infrastructure and AI-powered insights will be essential for optimizing performance, enabling predictive analytics, and ensuring seamless integration across digital ecosystems. As a trusted partner in data infrastructure, AI-driven analytics, and hybrid cloud solutions, Hitachi Vantara looks forward to enabling Indian enterprises to leverage AI, modernize data strategies, and enhance digital resilience in this transformative era."

Venu Kondur, Co-Founder & CEO, Lobb

"The Union Budget 2025 demonstrates a clear focus on strengthening India's manufacturing and logistics capabilities through strategic investments and policy reforms. We welcome the government's decision to enhance MSME investment limits, as this will naturally expand our addressable market and increase freight volumes across the country. Our industry stands to benefit significantly from the new manufacturing mission, particularly the emphasis on solar PV cells and battery production. We anticipate this will create new specialized logistics requirements and opportunities for our sector".

The commitment to user-friendly cargo screening and customs clearance processes is a welcome move that will directly improve operational efficiency. However, we believe more could be done to incentivize green logistics adoption and modernize last-mile delivery infrastructure. The government's support for sectors like footwear, leather, and toys will diversify India's manufacturing base, creating new freight corridories and specialized handling requirements. We see this as an opportunity to expand our capabilities in managing diverse cargo types.

While the infrastructure reforms and PPP initiatives are steps in the right direction, we recommend additional focus on standardizing warehousing regulations and developing multi-modal logistics parks near manufacturing clusters. This would further strengthen India's position as a global logistics hub and support our vision of efficient, sustainable supply chains.

Abhi Sinha, Co-Founder, HealSpan

"The 2025 Budget highlights a progressive approach to healthcare and insurance technology, reinforcing the need for digital transformation in the sector. At HealSpan, we applaud the government’s focus on expanding health coverage, AI-driven diagnostics, and interoperability of medical records. The push for insurtech innovation and greater accessibility to affordable policies will empower millions. Strengthening data security frameworks will also ensure patient trust in digital healthcare solutions. This budget paves the way for a more inclusive, tech-enabled ecosystem, and we remain committed to leveraging these advancements to enhance seamless, efficient, and personalized healthcare experiences for all".