Trends in Competitiveness of India: Exploring the Role of Start-Ups and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

India has climbed several steps on the ladder of competitiveness throughout its developmental journey in its post-independence era. The journey toward the next stage can be very different and demand thinking beyond a factor-driven attitude to address complex problems. Start-ups can play a very important role to address the relevant parts of such issues. Focusing on south and west India, we provide examples of start-ups or ventures that are building capabilities to scale-up. The key objective of this chapter is to provide perspectives and identify some examples of ventures that may be able to leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) for competitiveness. We adapt qualitative analysis and use a variety of data sources to identify trends and patterns to complement longitudinal insights about competitiveness. With several innovative ideas, India is seeking to help many countries. Focal firms or institutes can play a major role if they can adapt fast, and learn to leverage discontinuities such as corona crisis to enhance strategic flexibility and build differentiating capabilities. We conclude with implications for leaders in politics and business, as well as topics for further studies.