Product startups in India will now receive support from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Primus Partners to learn about policies, find customers through market access programs, and leverage better technology integration tools to grow their businesses.

On October 23, 2025, these two entities signed a memorandum of understanding that promises to reshape the journey for early- and growth-stage product startups. DPIIT’s strategic move to collaborate with Primus Partners signals a clear intention of enabling product startups to scale through market access, expert mentorship, policy awareness, and technology integration.

This new pact highlights the importance of structured programs and harnesses the expertise of DPIIT and Primus Partners. It aims to address the biggest hurdles product startups face in moving beyond recognition and advisory support to achieve market traction, navigate policy, and integrate technology into the real world.

DPIIT and Primus Partners Lead the Charge

At the core of this partnership, DPIIT seeks to empower product startups by deploying innovative capacity-building initiatives and leveraging Primus Partners’ extensive expertise across sectors.

The newly signed MoU charts a robust roadmap featuring cohort-based training, hands-on mentorship, targeted market-access campaigns, focused policy-awareness modules, and technology integration facilitation, all vital elements for the product startup’s growth journey.

This collaboration combines DPIIT’s governmental influence with Primus Partners’ track record in policy advisory, program management, and digital transformation. Operating in diverse sectors such as healthcare, education, automotive, aerospace, and public policy, Primus Partners brings evidence-based solutions that address policy gaps and foster industry integration.

As DPIIT attempts to broaden industry participation and push the policy-to-practice loop, Primus Partners stands ready to connect startups with the networks and skills they need to succeed.

The high-profile nature of this initiative further gains momentum from DPIIT’s similar engagements with banks and corporates in 2025, contributing to a network effect that benefits product startup founders nationwide.

Building a Sustainable Future for Product Startups

Structured programs anchored by DPIIT and Primus Partners promise to close crucial gaps in India’s product startup sector. With knowledge networks and expert guidance, product startups can expect comprehensive support, from technical mentoring to commercial matchmaking and policy navigation.

Cohort-based modules will focus on core domains such as IoT, medtech, and industrial electronics, each designed to nurture up to fifteen DPIIT-recognized product startups at a time.

The support system ensures startups gain access to institutional buyers, public procurement pipelines, and sectoral networks that are typically difficult to penetrate. Market access initiatives will drive pilot deployments in government and private enterprises, and policy awareness drives will help product startups tap DPIIT’s schemes and incentives more effectively.

However, scaling manufacturing, hardware prototyping, and establishing test beds require additional infrastructure, something Primus Partners alone cannot deliver. DPIIT will connect this program with makerspaces, MSME manufacturing corridors, and financial instruments to bridge that gap, ensuring product startups have the hardware and capital resources they need.

Technology Integration and Market Access: The Heartbeat of Growth

With technology integration at the forefront, the partnership enables product startups to adopt digital tools and stack technologies relevant to their sectors. Primus Partners’ expertise in digital transformation ensures that product startups move quickly from conception to market, using real-time dashboards to track progress.

The market access strategy fosters innovation by connecting product startups with anchor buyers in both public and private sectors. Cohort participants benefit from pilots with large corporations and government units, dramatically increasing their visibility and their chances of recurring revenue.

This opens up pathways for scaling, exports, job creation, and funding, a cycle that DPIIT and Primus Partners will actively monitor and optimize.

Policy Awareness: Turning Rules into Rocket Fuel

Policy awareness represents a major pillar of the DPIIT–Primus Partners MoU. Product startups often struggle to navigate India’s regulatory labyrinth, but the new partnership provides actionable training and support. Capacity-building modules demonstrate how startups can secure DPIIT approvals, certifications, and incentives, effectively clearing bureaucratic roadblocks that once slowed growth.

Product startups now have a tangible opportunity to demystify compliance, access procurement lists, and apply for financial support—all enabled by the hands-on guidance and policy expertise of Primus Partners.

DPIIT and Primus Partners are not settling for advisory theater, they are setting concrete targets for product startups. Over the next 18 months, the partnership aims to launch six cohorts, engaging up to 90 product startups. Thirty pilot deployments with government and industry buyers will provide critical signals of product-market fit.

Startups achieving commercial contracts or recurring revenue will be tracked through public dashboards, with targets for collective follow-on funding of INR 150–250 million and direct job creation estimated at 300–500 roles. These outcomes confirm that product startup scale is within reach, given robust matchmaking, active monitoring, and committed buyer participation.

Overcoming Challenges: Risks and Smart Mitigations

DPIIT and Primus Partners have crafted thoughtful risk mitigation strategies to ensure the partnership remains effective and inclusive. By linking cohort graduation to pilot deployments and mandating binding MOUs with buyers, the initiative avoids the pitfall of empty advisory engagements. To combat gaps in hardware prototyping, DPIIT will require partnerships with makerspaces, state incubators, and manufacturing enablers.

The MoU also addresses geographic diversity for hybrid delivery models and collaboration with organizations targeting Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions, aiming to ensure that product startups, regardless of location, benefit equally.

The DPIIT–Primus Partners MoU marks a new beginning for product startups seeking structured support and real-world impact. By catalyzing policy-to-industry bridges, market access, and technology integration, this partnership can propel India’s product startup ecosystem to global relevance.

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