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Council for startup India nurturing and empowering the Indian startup ecosystem holistically.

Introduction to CSI

Established in 2023, the Council for Start-up India (CSI) is a national-level, not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship across boundaries. Chaired by Hon’ble Former Chief Justice of India, Mr. K. G. Balakrishnan, and co-chaired by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar, CSI brings together eminent bureaucrats, visionary industry leaders, and distinguished academicians to form a powerful network of mentors, guides, and facilitators.

Our purpose is clear: to empower startups with pragmatic ideas and the zeal to grow into impactful ventures. CSI serves as a trusted platform where entrepreneurs gain access to holistic support—ranging from mentorship and policy advocacy to incubation, funding, and global networking opportunities.

What We Stand For

  • Innovation Without Boundaries: Supporting ideas that challenge norms and create new possibilities.
  • Holistic Mentorship: Guiding startups through every stage of their journey—from ideation to expansion.
  • Collaboration & Advocacy: Acting as the voice of entrepreneurs in shaping startup-friendly policies.
  • Sustainable Growth: Encouraging responsible practices that drive long-term social and economic impact.

Our Role

CSI is more than a council—it is a movement to ignite India’s entrepreneurial spirit. By leveraging the collective wisdom of government, industry, corporates, and academia, we aim to create a thriving ecosystem where startups can establish themselves, scale confidently, and expand globally.

Our Vision

Council for Start-up India is launched with a vision to support individuals with ideas and determination to grow. It is a conglomerate that promotes and cultivates entrepreneurship across the globe.

  • To be the leading catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship, empowering startups to thrive and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
  • To create a dynamic ecosystem where ideas transform into impactful ventures, fostering collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, academia, and government.
  • To position the Council as a trusted hub for startup success, recognized nationally and globally.

Our Mission

Our mission is threefold:

  • Support & Empower: Provide startups with mentorship, funding access, incubation, and networking opportunities.
  • Policy Advocacy: Represent the voice of entrepreneurs in shaping startup-friendly policies and regulations.
  • Capacity Building: Deliver training, workshops, and resources to strengthen entrepreneurial skills and business resilience.
  • Collaboration: Build bridges between startups, corporates, investors, and international partners to accelerate growth.
  • Inclusivity: Promote diversity and inclusion by encouraging participation from underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship.
  • Sustainability: Encourage startups to adopt responsible practices that drive long-term social and environmental impact.

Our Aims

Complete hand holding of Start-up commercial life cycle for business creation, sustainability and scalability on Global level.

Council for Start-up India – Platform Offerings
  • Idea to Venture Transformation: Helping startups consolidate and transform innovative ideas into real ventures.
  • Trusted Advisory Network: Connecting entrepreneurs with advisors from respective industry segments.
  • Business Associations & Partnerships: Facilitating collaborations and alliances to strengthen business growth.
  • Product & Service Development: Supporting startups in developing and launching new products and services.
  • Investor & Accelerator Access: Linking startups with investors, accelerators, and funding opportunities.
  • Prototype Creation: Providing fabrication labs for building and testing prototypes.
  • Community Empowerment: Supporting self-help groups for rural and undereducated urban women.
  • Research & Analysis: Offering insights and data-driven guidance for strategic decisions.
  • Sales, Marketing & Branding: Helping startups build market presence and brand identity.
  • Human Resource Development: Assisting with talent management and organizational growth.
  • Legal & Compliance Support: Providing guidance on legal matters, compliance, and regulatory frameworks.
  • Intellectual Property (IP) Registration: Facilitating protection of innovations through IP services.
  • Training & Skills Development: Delivering programs to enhance entrepreneurial and technical skills.
  • IT & Digital Services: Offering technology solutions and digital infrastructure support.
  • Digital Marketing: Enabling startups to reach wider audiences through modern digital strategies.

Objectives

Council for Start-up India is devoted to extending complete handholding until your aspirations are transformed into a phenomenon. The Council offers an all-inclusive platform for startups to consolidate and transform ideas into reality.

We support startups by connecting them with trusted advisors from respective industry segments, enabling business associations and partnerships, facilitating new product and service development and launch, providing access to investors, accelerators, fabrication labs for prototype creation, and self-help groups for rural and undereducated urban women.

Our support services include Research & Analysis, Sales, Marketing & Branding, Human Resource Development, Legal Assistance & Compliance, IP Registration, Training & Skill Development, IT Services, Digital Marketing, Web Deployment, and Hosting Solutions — in short, complete handholding of the startup commercial life cycle for business creation, sustainability, and global scalability.

Council for Start-up India guides startups to initiate and amplify business interactions, adopt the latest technologies, and explore joint ventures and collaboration opportunities with Indian and foreign organizations.

We pledge to discover hidden talent across boundaries and walk that extra mile to build and nurture startup ecosystems that strengthen the Indian economy.

Our vision is to become the most trusted and influential organization for startup entrepreneurs, empowering business communities on a global podium.

The Council endeavours to consolidate small and medium business ventures, partners, business allies, state and local organizations, industry frontrunners, and mentors to craft a vibrant entrepreneurial environment—bridging gaps for exceptional business growth and a stronger national ecosystem.

Chairman

Shri K. G. Balakrishnan

Ex Chief Justice of India & Ex NHRC Chairman

With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, Dr. Kumar leads CSI with a vision of technological innovation and excellence.

25+ years experience
Ph.D. in Computer Science
chairman@csiindia.in

Co-Chairman

Dr.Raghunath A. Mashelkar

Co-Chairman (Council for Startup India)

Padma VibhushanDr.Raghunath A. Mashelkar, FRS Former Director General, CSIR | Global Thought Leader in Innovation & Policy

25+ years experience
Ph.D. in Computer Science
cochairman@csiindia.in

Board Members

Ms. Priya Sharma

Vice Chairman

Leading technology initiatives and strategic partnerships for CSI.

20 years experience
priya.sharma@csi.org.in

Dr. Amit Singh

Secretary

Oversees administrative operations and member services.

18 years experience
amit.singh@csi.org.in

Mr. Ramesh Patel

Treasurer

Manages financial planning and resource allocation.

22 years experience
ramesh.patel@csi.org.in

Advisory Committee

Mohan Satyarajan

Sr Advisor Innovation and Deep Tech Startups

CTO Taqanal Energy Ex employee of Cisco Systems and Juniper

25+ years experience
BE and Masters in EE from IISc Bangalore
mohan@csiindia.in

Pankaj Gupta

Legal Advisor
25+ years experience
pankaj@csiindia.in

Lt Gen V G Khandare

Senior Advisor -Defence Strategy and Policy

Frm Principal Advisor-MoD

25+ years experience

K B Prasad

Sr Advisor Governance &Policy Affairs

Fmr Addl, Secretary-MHA

Dr.(Prof.) Ajoy Kanti Ghosh

Sr Advisor Aerospace Research and Academic Collaboration

Fmr Dean IIT Kanpur

N Ravi Shankar

Sr Advisor Governance &Policy Affairs

Ex Chief Secretary

Swapnil Sinha

Sr Advisor Lab-to-Market Transformation

CEO IIT Guwahati

25+ years experience
PhD
Bio Technology, Innovation

P J Thomas

Vice Chairman

Shailendra Singh

Sr Advisor Ecosystem & Industry Linkages

Fmr Addl. Secretary-DPIIT

K Subramaniam

Sr Advisor Public Sector Interface & Audit Compliance

Fmr Director General IAAS, CAG

Prof Jitender Singh

Sr Advisor MSME Integration

Chief Advisor Aerospace &Defence , Laghu Udyog Bharti

Gen M M Naravane

Chief Strategic Advisor-Defence Innovation

Fwr Chief of Army Staff

Vice Admiral S N Ghormade

Sr Advisor Naval Innovation& Strategy

Fmr Vice Chief of Naval Staff

Padma Shri Dr Maninder Aggarwal

Honorary Advisor Accademia & Research

Director –IIT Kanpur

B.Tech and PhD in CSE-IIT Kanpur

Meenu Ghosh

General Secretary

Fmr Director HCL/Oracle/Birla

J V Ramamurthy

Chief Technology Mentor

Frm HCL and Mentor-IIT Madras

BE and ME in Electronic & communication

Vishram Bapat

Global Head Technology

Director IIT Mumbai

Ravi Ananth

Global Head Finace Collaboration & Project Implementation

Fmr CEO & Director Reliance Industries

Chanchal Kukreja

Treasurer

CS and Financial Management Exprt

Patron

Shri ABC Name

Patron

Honorary patron providing strategic guidance and support to CSI's vision and mission.

Distinguished Service Awardee

Head Office

CSI Delhi Office

Address:460, Sector - 22, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075

Phone: +91-9473566271

Email: info@csiindia.in

Western Regional Office

CSI Mumbai Office

Address: 789, Business Centre, Mumbai - 400001

Phone: +91-9473566271

Email: info@csiindia.in