Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9)

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9). He also unveiled the iDEX Investor Hub (iIH), a Defense Innovation Organization initiative that has attracted more than INR 200 crore in investment.

The iDEX Investor Hub (iIH) aims to increase investment in the country’s defence sector by providing investors with a unified view of opportunities and technological innovations. At the event, the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with ISRO, IN-SPACe, and ISpA to further strengthen the country’s defence space. DIO also signed an agreement with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to launch future startup challenges. Singh, who was in attendance at the Startup Manthan event at Aero India 2023, praised the growth of Indian startups across sectors, with their numbers increasing to around 1 lakh today and producing 108 unicorns to date.