Indian startups need to focus on tech, not grocery delivery and ice creams: Piyush Goyal

In contrast to ice cream production and grocery delivery, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal urged India's startup community on Thursday to concentrate more on the tech industries such as semiconductors, machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI).  At the Startup Mahakumbh 2025 in New Delhi, Goyal made the case that premium consumer brands made by billionaire children shouldn't be confused with legitimate companies.

Goyal remarked, "I have been reading through a lot of our startup success stories." "Wherever I go, all over the country, I know at least three or four billionaires whose children make at least one brand of fancy cookies and ice creams." He asked, "Will we be content to be delivery boys and girls?"

"I have no complaints against that, but is that India's destiny?" Goyal asked. "This is not a startup; this is entrepreneurship," he stated, drawing comparisons between Chinese and Indian firms. He also mentioned that "the other side" is working on "robotics, machine learning, 3D manufacturing, and next generation factories."