India’s startup ecosystem found a new voice with the launch of the Startup Policy Forum (SPF), an industry alliance aimed at fostering collaboration between policymakers and leading ventures.
The SPF has begun its journey with 30 members on board, including the likes of Razorpay, Swiggy, Dream11, CRED, Pine Labs, OYO, Curefoods, Mobikwik, Acko and Groww, and hopes to raise the count to 100 soon, the forum said in a release.
“Our startups are driving transformative change by democratising business and converting job seekers into job creators. The Startup Policy Forum should reinforce India’s global leadership in the new-age economy and play a pivotal role in India’s journey to become Viksit Bharat by 2047…” Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said.
The Startup Policy Forum has been designed as a platform to address the challenges and focus on priorities of startups. Unlike certain traditional industry bodies which have faced criticism for allegedly favouring Big Tech in policy discussions, the SPF has been positioned to be an advocate for emerging companies.
This approach is significant as startups continue to grapple with issues such as data governance, competition with global platforms, and adapting to evolving market regulations.
The SPF will operate with four specialised councils focusing on fintech, AI, consumer tech, and public companies to address sector-specific challenges. It plans to work closely with regulators on issues like data privacy, AI ethics, and emerging tech policies.
The SPF has set up a team comprising experts from AP & Partners to oversee the legal affairs, Aeka Advisors to handle taxation-related issues, Chase APAC to be the Knowledge Secretariat, and a few other places. The Forum will also announce the formation of an advisory board and a mentor board.
“It’s a privilege to bring together a group of new-age nation-builders keen to engage in constructive collaboration with the government and regulators to drive impactful policy change,” Shweta Rajpal Kohli, president and chief executive of the Forum said. Kohli earlier led public policy for Peak XV Partners, policy for India and South Asia for Salesforce and Uber.
SPF’s initial members also include MPL, Practo, Ixigo, Cars24, Jupiter, Yui, Livspace, Progcap, Ultrahuman, InvideoAI, Digantara, Faballey indya, Fam, Moglix, Inc42, PayGlocal, Bluestone.