National Startup Day 2026: AIIA Positions Ayurveda Startups at Centre of India’s MSME and Health Innovation Push

The programme opened with a welcome address by Dr Arun Kumar, who underscored the importance of innovation-led entrepreneurship in positioning Ayurveda as a modern, research-backed health system.

On National Startup Day 2026, the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) reinforced Ayurveda’s role in India’s innovation economy by hosting a high-level Awareness Programme on MSME Opportunities for Ayurveda-based Startups at its New Delhi campus.

Organised through AIIA’s startup incubation centre, the Incubation Centre for Ayurveda Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA–iCAINE), and in collaboration with the MSME–Development & Facilitation Office, Government of India, the programme spotlighted how traditional medicine can scale into globally competitive, evidence-driven health and wellness enterprises.

Building the Pipeline from Tradition to Scalable Innovation

The event brought together policymakers, academic leaders, startup enablers, financial institutions, and aspiring entrepreneurs to examine how Ayurveda-led startups can leverage MSME frameworks to accelerate growth, compliance, and investment readiness.

Discussions focused on:

• Government schemes and incentives for MSMEs and startups

• Institutional support for innovation and incubation

• Intellectual property protection and regulatory pathways

• Certification, standardisation, and quality assurance

• Financing mechanisms for early-stage and growth-stage ventures

The programme opened with a welcome address by Dr Arun Kumar, who underscored the importance of innovation-led entrepreneurship in positioning Ayurveda as a modern, research-backed health system.

Policy, Finance and IP Take Centre Stage

Shri Sunil Kumar, Deputy Director, MSME, outlined key government initiatives supporting Ayurveda-based enterprises, while Prof Manjusha Rajagopala highlighted the role of academic institutions in nurturing entrepreneurial talent and translational research.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr R. K. Bharti, Joint Director, MSME, stressed the need for a policy-enabled ecosystem to unlock the growth potential of startups and MSMEs in traditional medicine and wellness.

Technical sessions translated policy into practice:

• Ms Sangeeta Nagar, former Senior Scientist at DPIIT, unpacked Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategies critical for protecting Ayurveda innovations in competitive markets

• Ms Jyoti Neeraj, Senior Manager at SIDBI, detailed funding avenues, credit support, and financial instruments available to startups and MSMEs

The programme concluded with closing remarks by Shri Sujith Eranezhath, CEO, AIIA–iCAINE, and Shri Naveen Kumar, Assistant Director, MSME, reaffirming institutional commitment to startup enablement.

Ayurveda Meets the Startup Economy

The event underscored a broader shift: Ayurveda is increasingly being positioned as a knowledge-driven, innovation-ready sector, aligned with national priorities on entrepreneurship, MSME growth, and sustainable healthcare.

As a Host Institute recognised by the Ministry of MSME, AIIA–iCAINE continues to provide a structured incubation platform—supporting startups from ideation to commercialisation through mentorship, regulatory guidance, industry linkages, and access to finance.

On National Startup Day 2026, AIIA reiterated its commitment to empowering next-generation Ayurveda startups that deliver evidence-based, inclusive, and sustainable health solutions, and called on entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors to engage early with AIIA–iCAINE to scale innovations with national and global impact.