STPI Looks to Widen Electronics Startup Network as India Pushes Deeper into Hardware

As India seeks to move beyond electronics assembly towards product design, intellectual property and component manufacturing, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is expanding its Electropreneur Park programme to support a larger number of hardware and electronics startups. Speaking at the STPI Electropreneur Summit 2026 at IIIT-Delhi, STPI Director General Arvind Kumar said the country's technology sector was entering a phase where its established software capabilities would increasingly need to be matched by growth in electronics design and manufacturing. He noted that domestic electronics production had risen from less than Rs 2 lakh crore in 2014-15 to about Rs 13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26, with exports rising to Rs 4.24 lakh crore. STPI launched the Open Challenge Programme under Electropreneur Park 2.0 at the summit, which will identify startups and technology solutions in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector. The second phase has set a target of supporting 500 startups, widening access to incubation facilities through a network of institutions across Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The first phase supported 59 startups, resulting in 129 products, 27 trademarks, 66 patent filings and about Rs 150 crore in cumulative revenue. As part of the expansion, AIC STPINEXT Initiatives signed agreements with partner institutions to serve as spoke centres, and STPI announced tie-ups with Indian Angel Network Services and Solara VC to widen investor access for startups, particularly in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. The expansion comes as the Centre increases spending on semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, including the Rs 1.275 lakh crore Semicon 2.0 programme approved by the Union Cabinet in July.