Nagaland has gained recognition as a ‘Leader’ in Category B of the 5th edition of the States’ Startup Ranking Framework (SRF 5.0), announced on Friday. This category includes states and union territories with populations under one crore. Nagaland’s achievements in two reform areas, institutional support and market access and linkages, were highlighted as examples of ‘Best Practices,’ according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The northeast region featured prominently in the SRF 5.0 results. Arunachal Pradesh stood out as the ‘Best Performer’ in Category B, earning accolades for funding opportunities, innovation and sustainability, and ecosystem capacity building. Manipur and Meghalaya were also named ‘Leaders’ in the same category alongside Nagaland. Assam was recognized as an ‘Aspiring Leader’ in Category A, while Mizoram and Tripura were ‘Aspiring Leaders’ in Category B.
This edition marks a decade since the launch of the Startup India initiative in 2016, which has driven entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation nationwide.
The 5th edition recorded the highest level of participation to date, with 34 states and UTs engaging in the assessment.
Of the 34 states and UTs that submitted entries, 24 provided complete evidence across all 19 action points.
Spread across 20 award categories, this edition of the National Startup Awards includes recognition for startups from Tier II and Tier III cities, deep-tech innovation, and emerging sectors aligned with national development priorities.
The States’ Startup Ranking Framework serves as a practical policy and governance tool to assess how effectively States and Union Territories are enabling startup growth on the ground. By encouraging both healthy competition and collaboration among state governments, the framework supports the development of strong, well-functioning startup ecosystems across the country.
States and Union Territories are evaluated across six reform areas and nineteen clearly defined action points, covering policy and institutional support, physical and digital infrastructure, access to funding, market access and linkages, capacity building for entrepreneurs and ecosystem stakeholders, and innovation-led growth.