SUMMARY
DPIIT has signed an MoU with The Estée Lauder Companies to integrate Startup India platform with ELC’s BEAUTY&YOU programme for supporting beauty startups
ELC has introduced a new category in its BEAUTY&YOU India programme dedicated to supporting women-founded startups in the beauty sector
The partnership is part of DPIIT’s broader strategy to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem, which now includes over 1.61 Lakh registered startups as of January 2025
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with cosmetics giant Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) to incubate Indian beauty and personal care startups.
As part of the pact, DPIIT’s Startup India platform will be integrated with ELC’s accelerator initiative, BEAUTY&YOU India, to help emerging brands access funding, mentorship, industry insights and avail global networking opportunities.
“India’s beauty industry is undergoing a major transformation, and collaborations like this play a pivotal role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship,” said DPIIT joint secretary Sanjiv Singh.
Meanwhile, ELC also announced the expansion of its BEAUTY&YOU India programme, with the addition of a new category specifically focused on supporting women-founded startups in the beauty space.
“Through BEAUTY&YOU India, ELC has established a record of supporting founders and innovations that are shaping the future of beauty in India. We are proud to add a dedicated category for female-founded startups, which reflects our longstanding mission to promote women’s advancement and leadership in our business, industry, and communities in India,” said Rohan Vaziralli, general manager at the Estée Lauder Companies India.
Launched in 2022, BEAUTY&YOU India is ELC’s flagship initiative designed to discover and back Indian beauty entrepreneurs through grants, mentorship and industry access to help startups scale and innovate.
The latest collaboration is part of DPIIT’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Indian startup ecosystem across various sectors. In the past three months alone, it has extended strategic partnerships with several organisations, including Walmart, Stride Ventures, Apna, and Bhaane Group to support startups in manufacturing, employment, and supply chain development.
In January, DPIIT partnered professional networking platform Apna to offer DPIIT-registered startups access to talent resources. In the same month, the department also signed an MoU with Walmart to provide support, mentorship and training to manufacturing startups, particularly those from Tier II and III cities.
The partnership comes at a time when India’s beauty and personal care market is witnessing rapid growth, with several homegrown D2C beauty brands gaining significant market share in recent years.
As of January 31, 2025, India was home to over 1.61 Lakh (1,61,150) DPIIT-recognised startups, according to commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal’s statement in Parliament on March 11.
Maharashtra led with 28,511 startups, followed by Karnataka with 16,954 and Delhi with 16,356 registered startups. The minister noted that nearly 48% of these startups now emerge from tier-II and tier-III cities.