October 30, 2026: PhysicsWallah School of Startups (PW SoS) has signed a two-year agreement with Startup India to support entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and rural parts of the country.
The memorandum of understanding brings together PhysicsWallah’s entrepreneurship programmes and Startup India’s nationwide network under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The partnership will focus on helping founders access business training, mentorship, product development support, incubation facilities, investors and early-stage funding. The initiative will combine online learning with residential programmes to reach entrepreneurs who often have limited access to startup resources in major cities.
Under the agreement, PW SoS will roll out several programmes for businesses at different stages of growth. Its PW UDYAMI programme will offer 90 days of live online training, followed by a year of mentorship, targeting entrepreneurs from smaller towns and rural areas. The five-day Aarambh Immersion programme will focus on prototype development, pitch preparation and networking.
For established startups looking to expand, the Growth Stage CEO Programme will select 200 DPIIT-recognised businesses across four hybrid cohorts. The programme will help founders strengthen their business strategies and prepare for growth-stage fundraising.
PW SoS will also run a six-month DeepTech Accelerator for selected startups working on advanced technologies. Early-stage founders will have opportunities to develop proof-of-concept projects, secure corporate pilot programmes and access seed investment through the annual National AI Startup Challenge and SeedX initiatives.
The StartinUP Business Incubation Centre, hosted by PW SoS, will provide additional incubation support and seed grants.
Ateesh Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary at DPIIT, said the partnership would help entrepreneurs outside major cities gain access to the mentorship, infrastructure and resources needed to build scalable businesses and create jobs.
Rounaq Mustafa, Head of PW School of Startups, said the initiative was aimed at making business knowledge, mentorship and funding more accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs across the country.
PhysicsWallah launched its School of Startups in August 2024 with three programmes — Aarambh, Prarambh and Hopes Alive — alongside a Rs 100 crore fund intended to support more than 100 startups.
At the time, co-founder Alakh Pandey highlighted the potential of businesses emerging from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, noting that many founders struggle to find proper guidance and a supportive business network.
The startup arm received accreditation as an incubator under the Uttar Pradesh government’s StartInUP initiative in March 2026. It operates incubation centres in Noida and Lucknow, offering support in product validation, market entry, early-stage funding, mentorship and team building.
The latest agreement also builds on PhysicsWallah’s earlier work with Startup India. The company partnered with DPIIT for the PW AI Startup Challenge 2026, committing up to Rs 10 crore to support AI-focused startups at the seed and Series A stages, along with student innovators. Shortlisted teams presented their ideas at PhysicsWallah’s Noida headquarters on August 20 and 21.
Founded in 2020 by Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari, PhysicsWallah began as a YouTube education channel in 2016. The Noida-headquartered company was listed on the NSE and BSE on November 18, 2025.
The partnership comes as India’s startup ecosystem continues to expand beyond major metropolitan centres. According to DPIIT data released on October 27, the government has recognised 2,50,046 startups across more than 770 districts, generating over 25.42 lakh jobs. Around 52% of these recognised startups are based in non-metro cities.
Government funding has also reached businesses outside major urban centres. Under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, Rs 775.67 crore has been approved for 4,194 startups through 244 incubators. Of these, 2,356 startups are from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
The agreement is expected to strengthen access to funding, business networks and incubation facilities for founders in smaller cities, while giving regional startups more opportunities to develop products, attract investors and scale their operations.
