Co-Founder and CMO of boAt Lifestyle, Aman Gupta, has recently voiced his support for Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s comments on Indian Startups. At the just-concluded Startup Mahakumbh on Thursday, the Union Minister had urged Startups to aim higher and expand their horizon. His statements which drew a parallel with China, focused on investing in deep-tech sectors rather than food delivery apps or luxury products.
This comes at a time when some startup founders expressed their concerns and countered Goyal’s critique. Meanwhile, Shark Tank India Judge Aman Gupta, took to his X account to back to back his support for him. In his post, he emphasized, “It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger.”
It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger.
— Aman Gupta (@amangupta0303) April 6, 2025
But at Startup Mahakumbh, that’s exactly what happened. I was there. I heard the full speech. Hon. Minister @PiyushGoyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us.His point was simple: India has come far,… pic.twitter.com/bA4ontAz1M
Aman Backs Union Minister Piyush Goyal
Aman who was present at the event stated that he heard the full speech. “Hon. Minister Piyush Goyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us,” he wrote. He noted that India has made significant progress but it need to aim higher to lead the world. He further reflected on the Commerce Minister’s remarks and noted that it reminds him of something he often say on Shark Tank India. “If you want to build a world-class product, you must know your competition. That applies to India too.”
“It’s A Smart Strategy”
Gupta emphasized that the message was not about discouraging Indian startups. “Benchmarking against China, the US, or anyone else — isn’t weakness. It’s smart strategy. We’re already the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world and the fastest-growing major economy,” the startup leader wrote. He noted in order to be on the top, the country needs to go deep into AI, deeptech, climate, mobility, infra.
He added, “We need LLMs (large language models) and innovation stacks that compete on global standards. And to make that happen, we also need Scientific risk, More patient capital, Founder-policymaker collaboration and a long-term national vision.”
“Let’s Get To Work”
The business tycoon ended his post with a motivational message, stating, “Kyunki jab sapne bade hote hain, toh kadam bhi bade uthane padte hain. So, yes, what we’ve built is incredible. But what we can build… is far greater. Let’s get to work.” Currently, India has the 3rd largest startup ecosystem with about than 1.6 lakh startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Also Read: US Employment Data: 2.5 Lakh Jobs Added In March, But Joblessness Also Rises To 4.2%
