Agritech Startups: The Ray of Hope in Indian Agriculture

The startups are an exemplar that great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Taking one small step at a time, moving from one problem to another and solving the issues by disruptive innovation is what these startups are trying to achieve. The startups are not only creating new jobs which means more employment but are also leaving a ripple effect on the socio-economic fabric of the demography in which they are operating. The world has become a playfield for these young entrepreneurs as the global startup revolution continues to grow. Underneath this continued growth, fundamental shifts are occurring. The fuel that incited the first and second generation startup revolution have started to decline and a new third wave is taking over the world stage. The era of social apps, digital media and pure internet companies which were part of first and second generation revolution are being taken over by sectors viz. FinTech, CleanTech, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, etc. This change is not only limited to sectors but
is also shaking things geographically too. The dominance of West viz. Silicon Valley and USA is witnessing a decline and the East with leaders like China and India is on the rise. With this rise, India has become the third largest startup ecosystem hub. India is home to highest number of unicorn startups after US and China with 26 unicorns out of 250+ total unicorns globally. At a time where with the increasing population and demand for better quality and higher quantity of food is required, the performance pressure on farms are increasing. Agritech startups are such a relevant solution across the agricultural value chain and they can be in the form of a product, a service or an application. There is a decent growth of startups in the country which needs a strong push if we want the agri sector to flourish. India has already built a strong name for itself in the global startup community. It’s time to make agritech startups successful and propel India forward as a leader in the agri technology sector too