'Kyunki Jab Sapne Bade Hote Hain…': Aman Gupta On Why Indian Startups Must Aim for Deeptech, AI

Boat co-founder and Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta has come out in strong support of Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s provocative remarks at Startup Mahakumbh 2025, urging Indian entrepreneurs to dream bigger and dive deeper into high-impact innovation.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Gupta wrote, “It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger. But at Startup Mahakumbh, that’s exactly what happened. I was there. I heard the full speech. Hon. Minister @PiyushGoyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us. His point was simple: India has come far, but to lead the world… we need to aim higher.”

Aman Gupta Echoes Piyush Goyal’s Startup Vision
Gupta echoed Goyal’s call for a shift in mindset — away from startups focused only on consumer convenience, and toward building solutions in deeptech, artificial intelligence, climate, mobility, and infrastructure.

“It reminded me of something I say often on Shark Tank India — if you want to build a world-class product, you must know your competition. That applies to India too,” he added.
He went on to say that benchmarking against global tech leaders like China and the US is not a sign of weakness but a smart strategy.
 

“We’re already the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world and the fastest-growing major economy 🇮🇳 But if we want to be No.1 — we need to also go deep into AI, deeptech, climate, mobility, infra,” he said.

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Startup Ecosystem Goes Into A Meltdown On Piyush Goyal's On-Point Remark

Piyush Goyal’s Tough Talk at Startup Mahakumbh
Gupta’s remarks were in response to Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s no-holds-barred speech at Startup Mahakumbh 2025, where he challenged Indian startups to move beyond superficial business models.

“Are we happy about being delivery girls and boys? Food delivery apps are turning unemployed youth into cheap labour so rich can get their meals without moving out of the house,” Goyal said, drawing a pointed comparison between Indian and Chinese business ambitions.
 

A Call for Scientific Risk and Long-Term Vision
Aman Gupta underscored that building future-defining tech requires more than just ambition. It needs a national strategy and ecosystem support.

“We need LLMs and innovation stacks that compete on global standards. And to make that happen, we also need scientific risk, more patient capital, founder–policymaker collaboration and a long-term national vision,” he wrote.

He signed off with a motivating message: “Kyunki jab sapne bade hote hain, toh kadam bhi bade uthane padte hain. So, yes, what we’ve built is incredible. But what we can build… is far greater. Let’s get to work 🔥”

The Bigger Picture
With Gupta’s public support, a new tone is being set in India’s startup space — one that aligns entrepreneurial ambition with national innovation goals. As India eyes global tech leadership, voices like Gupta’s could help channel founder energy into building startups that go beyond convenience — and toward lasting impact.