'Founders can do most things but not EVERYTHING': Shark Anupam Mittal hits out at minister Piyush Goyal's 'Dukaandari' remark

In a fresh response to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's remarks on Indian startups at the Startup Mahakumbh, Shark Tank India judge and founder of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal, has come up with his own analogy, supporting the existing business ecosystem in India.

Talking about the rise of tech startups within the country, Mittal noted in an X post, "In the last few months, I have met a few deep-tech cos that have absolutely blown me away. From AI & space-tech to material science, Indian entrepreneurs are ready to take on the world." 

However, he didn't fail to point out how development in these tech-related fields and startups is lacking because of not having enough capital and exposure within the ecosystem for growth and communication. Thus, Mittal, in a jibe to Goyal's 'fancy ice creams' remark, said, "Founders can do most things but not EVERYTHING."

In his speech at the Startup Mahakumbh, Goyal had urged entrepreneurs to reassess their value propositions, suggesting that too many startups were focused on food delivery and instant logistics with little long-term economic impact. He said many startups end up turning unemployed youth into cheap labour rather than pushing boundaries in sectors like semiconductors, robotics, EVs, and battery technology—areas where, he noted, Chinese startups are advancing.

Not just Mittal, but several others haven't taken Commerce Minister's remarks lightly. Earlier, in a strongly worded post on X, Zepto co-founder Aadit Palicha defended the role of consumer internet companies in driving innovation and employment.

“It is easy to criticise consumer internet startups in India, especially when you compare them to the deep technical excellence being built in US/China,” Palicha wrote.

He laid out Zepto’s economic contributions in numbers: “There are almost 1.5 lakh real people who are earning a livelihood on Zepto today — a company that did not exist 3.5 years ago. ₹1,000+ crores of tax contribution to the government per year, over a billion dollars of FDI brought into the country, and hundreds of crores invested in organising India's backend supply chains (especially for fresh fruits and vegetables). If that isn't a miracle in Indian innovation, I honestly don't know what is.”

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai also hit out at Goyal, saying the minister should not "belittle our startups" and asking what the Commerce Ministry had done to promote deep-tech ventures. “India has many deep-tech startups but no capital to grow fast,” Pai said, calling on the government to offer support and warning that the Ministry’s startup division “seems to have given up.”