PhysicsWallah ties up with Startup India for small-town founders

Terms in this story

• Startup: A startup is a young company built to find a new way of doing something and to grow fast, usually by serving many customers at little extra cost. India also has a legal definition for scheme benefits: under ten years old, turnover under ₹200 crore, and working on innovation or a scalable model.
• Accelerator: An accelerator is a short, intense programme that gives a startup a small investment, mentors and a network in exchange for equity. An incubator offers space, mentoring and services over a longer period, often at a university, and may or may not invest. In India, many are backed by DPIIT's Startup India Seed Fund Scheme.
• Startup India: Startup India is the Government of India's programme, launched in January 2016, that gives recognised startups easier rules, some tax relief and access to public funding. Most benefits need DPIIT recognition first, and each one has its own conditions, which were reset by a February 2026 notification.
• Deep tech: A deep-tech startup builds on new science or engineering, such as space technology, chips, drones or advanced materials, so it needs years of research and patient money. India gives such companies a longer startup recognition window. The number that matters most is how many years of funding it needs before first revenue.