DPIIT organises ONDC Startup Mahotsav

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organised the ‘ONDC Startup Mahotsav’, a first of its kind event, on May 17 in New Delhi.

The event showcased the two flagship initiatives of DPIIT—Startup India and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)—according to information available on Press Information Bureau.

DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh underlined the government's unwavering commitment to nurturing and encouraging the ecosystem for startup growth and innovation.

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He said, “The ONDC Startup Mahotsav is an inflexion point for startups in India to leverage the opportunities unlocked by ONDC. The network has rapidly grown and matured over the past one and a half years, and today’s session reflects both the DPIIT’s and industry’s commitment to democratising digital commerce in India.”

The event witnessed the participation of around 5,000 startups in hybrid mode. Over 125 ecosystem stakeholders including startups, unicorns and high growth businesses such as EaseMyTrip, Ofbusiness, WinZO, Livspace, GlobalBees, Pristyn Care, Cars24, Physics Wallah, PolicyBazaar, and Zerodha, signed a letter of intent (LoI) during the event. These LoIs signify the potential of ONDC and the eagerness of leading startups of the country to collaborate with the platform.

According to a statement, more than 5 lakh sellers have been onboarded on the ONDC platform, of which more than 70% are small or medium-sized sellers. In April 2024, ONDC facilitated around 7.22 million transactions.

ONDC MD & CEO T Koshy said, "The ONDC Startup Mahotsav marks a pivotal moment in India's digital transformation journey. By fostering collaboration and innovation within our ecosystem, we are empowering startups to redefine the rules of the game in e-commerce."

ONDC was launched in 2021 with an aim to democratise digital commerce with lower entry barriers that provide a level playing field to all ecommerce players, especially small-scale businesses.