Startup Policy Forum launches New Economy Collective to link Indian startups with global markets

The Startup Policy Forum (SPF) has launched the New Economy Collective (NEC), a platform aimed at connecting global companies with India’s startup ecosystem while helping Indian firms expand overseas, as interest in the country’s innovation economy gathers pace.

Announcing the initiative, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, president and CEO of SPF, said the idea stemmed from a clear shift in global conversations around India. “India today isn’t just part of the global conversation. It is at the centre of it,” she said, pointing to rising engagement from founders, investors and policymakers across markets.

The NEC is designed to formalise what Kohli described as a two-way movement, with global companies looking to tap India’s scale and talent, and Indian startups increasingly eyeing international expansion. “This two-way movement, global to India and India to the world, is the insight that inspired NEC,” she said in a LinkedIn post.

The timing, according to SPF, reflects a broader inflection point in technology and policy collaboration. Kohli cited the recent India AI Impact Summit 2026 as a signal of growing convergence between global and domestic stakeholders. “The energy we witnessed reinforced our view that the timing is perfect for a dedicated platform to sustain and scale that exchange,” she said.

What is the Collective about?

The Collective will function as a strategic interface to simplify market access and regulatory navigation. It aims to help global new-age firms understand India’s policy and innovation landscape, while supporting Indian startups in entering overseas markets with greater confidence. Kohli described it as a platform that “paves pathways and partnerships for the next decade.”

SPF’s existing network provides the base for this expansion. The forum currently represents more than 75 high-growth startups with a combined valuation exceeding $100 billion. Its members include 22 unicorns and 14 listed new-age companies, spanning sectors and stages of growth.

With NEC, SPF is positioning itself as both a domestic policy voice and a global connector. “The two platforms will now form a powerful continuum, the Forum shaping India’s startup policy narrative, the Collective paving global pathways for market access and collaboration,” Kohli said. The broader ambition is to strengthen India’s position in global innovation flows and investment networks. “By seamlessly connecting ecosystems and stakeholders, we aim to support India as an attractive investment destination and build bridges in both directions,” she added.

SPF said early interest from multinational companies and outbound ambitions from Indian startups are already visible. “Global majors are already at our door. Indian startups are already looking beyond borders. We are already connecting these dots,” Kohli noted.

The NEC, she said, gives that momentum a structured platform. “For us, paving pathways and partnerships isn’t just a tagline. It is a blueprint.”