With 30 Startups At Launch, ‘Startup Policy Forum’ Looks To Fuel India’s New Economy 

Even as Indian startups have grown in prominence through funding and milestones such as IPOs, engaging with policymakers and regulators has been one of the biggest challenges for all startups — large and small.

Founders often find themselves either blindsided by regulatory changes or feel that even as a new-age company driving value most of the policy is shaped by legacy giants and bodies. This is a major gap that needs bridging especially as the value creation continues to move India’s economic growth needle.

That’s the gap that the Startup Policy Forum (SPF) is looking to fill, and at launch more than 30 of the most prominent startups and founders in India are joining forces with experienced hands when it comes to dealing with public policy,

Founded by Shweta Rajpal Kohli, a public policy veteran with extensive experience, SPF aims to foster constructive collaboration  between founders, policymakers and regulators. The forum’s objective is to support the government’s initiatives to position Indian startups on the global stage, but in a way that’s inclusive and collaborative.

Notably, SPF’s membership is restricted to 100 companies only, but to launch with several of the most prominent founders have come on board, including the likes of CRED’s Kunal Shah, Unacademy’s Gaurav Munjal, Dream11’s Harsh Jain, ixigo’s Aloke Bajpai among others.

SPF is being led by Kohli, who is the president and CEO and was previously leading the public policy function at Peak XV Partners, after similar stints at Salesforce and Uber India.  Besides Kohli, Avantika Gode is the vice president at SPF, and also comes with experience in the public policy space, at Razorpay and Uber India before that .

The forum’s founding members include a roster of the most notable startups and founders in India. The forum is launching with Razorpay, CRED, Pine Labs, Groww, Acko, OYO, Swiggy, Practo, Dream11, MPL, Cars24, Cardekho, CureFoods, Livspace, Ixigo, Ultrahuman, Digantara, Invideo, Jupiter, One Card, Mobikwik, Yubi, and Progcap as founding members.

Speaking to Inc42, Kohli said that the SPF’s launch is critical for the Indian startup ecosystem which has reached a stage of maturity now. More and more startups are looking to find more collaborative ways to engage with policymakers regardless of whether it is for clarity in regulations or in shaping key policies that govern startup sectors. The Forum will be officially launched on January 16, 2025 — The National Startup Day — with 100 startups as members.

Kohli said that India is already one of the most attractive destinations for investors due to the innovation of Indian startups and the government’s focus on catalysing this ecosystem. But founders often struggle to understand the nuances of dealing with legislators.

“There is a gap in the market when it comes to helping these new-age nation builders that are keen to engage in constructive collaboration with government and regulators. Founders don’t always know which departments to approach and how to build relationships within government regulators, and SPF wants to be that bridge between these two.”

There’s some merit to this thought given that so far no industry body has looked to focus exclusively on the startup ecosystem when it comes to creating a bridge between industry and policymakers. While bodies such as IAMAI and Nasscom have taken on the mantle at times, these have no adequately addressed the needs due to various challenges over the years.

“Our startups are driving transformative change by democratising business and converting job seekers into job creators. We are glad to see many founders joining the Startup Policy Forum (SPF), which should reinforce India’s global leadership in the new-age economy,” Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement.

To address the needs of specific sectors, SPF has established four specialised councils. While the Fintech Policy Council will deal with issues related to the payments, banking and financial services sector the Consumer and Commerce Council covers a whole host of key sectors including ecommerce, edtech, food delivery, gaming among others.

Then there’s the Emerging Tech & AI Council, which will address the gaps for startups in AI, semiconductors, electric vehicles and other emerging areas that even the Indian government is looking to promote. Finally, there’s the New-Age Public Companies Council, which will bring founders of listed companies along with those companies looking to go for public listings.

Kohli added this includes everything from reverse flipping to regulatory filings to how to approach merchant bankers, all essential steps for companies preparing for an IPO. Besides this, founders would have the opportunity to learn how to lead a public company from CEOs of listed companies.

By curating a limited membership and assembling expertise in public policy, legal affairs, taxation, and communications, SPF is aiming to create a reliable platform that can improve the dialogue and engagement between entrepreneurs, regulators, and policymakers, and civil society at large. Besides Kohli and Gode, SPF has also assembled a team of India’s foremost experts in public policy, legal affairs, taxation, policy  research, communications, and marketing.