CM Stalin unveils Vision 2035 blueprint

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched Vision 2035, a long-term blueprint for the State’s startup ecosystem, during the inauguration of the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025 at the CODISSIA Complex here on Thursday.

The document, prepared by StartupTN, outlines broad goals to make the State one of the world’s leading startup hubs over the next decade.

According to a report, Tamil Nadu’s recognised startup count has grown from around 2,000 in 2021 to more than 12,000 this year, with the ecosystem’s estimated value jumping from $3 billion to $27 billion in that period. The State now ranks third in India by startup registrations, behind Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Vision 2035 aims to make Tamil Nadu one of India’s top three startup ecosystems and secure a spot among the world’s top 20 by 2032. It also proposes building 15,000 startups across districts, expanding pre-incubation centres, and strengthening regional hubs to push entrepreneurship beyond Chennai and Coimbatore.

The focus would be on sectors such as deep-tech, clean energy, biotechnology and space technology, where Tamil Nadu already has a manufacturing and design base.

The State has also put together a set of funds and grant programmes to back the plan. The Tamil Nadu Seed Fund (TANSEED) offers equity grants up to Rs15 lakh to early-stage founders, while TANSCALE provides co-investment support for growth-stage ventures. A dedicated SC/ST Startup Fund has so far invested about Rs 60 crore in 43 startups, and a new Space Tech Fund with an initial Rs10 crore corpus has been proposed.

While acknowledging the rapid expansion, the report notes that most venture capital remains concentrated in Chennai and it recommends region-specific co-creation funds. Without those corrections, the report warns, the State’s growth could remain uneven despite its policy push.

The event drew more than 350 international delegates from 45 countries and hosted an investors’ meet that resulted in commitments of around Rs 130 crore. Officials expect more funding announcements in the coming months as follow-up meetings continue.

The government is expected to release the Vision 2035 Playbook later this year, converting the broad blueprint into sector-wise action plans and annual targets

ROADMAP

2025: Vision 2035 launched; 25 pre-incubation centres functional

2026-27: Regional startup hubs and co-creation funds to expand beyond Chennai

2028: First policy review under the 2023 Startup & Innovation Policy

2030: Patient-capital fund for deep-tech and hardware ventures expected

2032: Target year to break into world’s top-20 startup ecosystems

2035: End-line goal (fully decentralised, globally linked startup network with an estimated ecosystem value of $50 billion)