Nasscom GenAI Foundry Program: Nurturing India's AI Innovation and Global Competitiveness
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Nasscom has announced the selection of 37 generative AI (GenAI) startups for the third cohort of its GenAI Foundry Program (August 2025). Covering domains such as HR and finance copilots, enterprise workflow automation, defence autonomy, and AI security, the initiative reflects India’s shift from building supportive AI tools to developing autonomous, mission-ready AI systems. Since its launch in 2023, the program has nurtured India’s GenAI ecosystem through enterprise partnerships, investor connect, and access to critical compute resources. Startups from the earlier cohorts have raised $15 million collectively, filed 40+ patents, and reported near 100% business growth.
With India now home to the world’s second-largest GenAI startup ecosystem, the Foundry program is positioning the country as a frontrunner in applied AI innovation, market access, and IP creation. This signals a strategic policy focus on leveraging GenAI for economic growth, technological leadership, and digital sovereignty.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: How can government and industry collaboration be strengthened to scale initiatives like NASSCOM’s GenAI Foundry, ensuring sustained funding, talent development, and infrastructure support for India’s rapidly growing Generative AI startup ecosystem?
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