India and Japan are exploring a virtual startup pitching series inspired by ‘Shark Tank’ to foster deeper economic ties, facilitate cross-border investments, and promote innovation through structured collaborations in technology and manufacturing sectors.
India and Japan should set up a startup pitching series in the style of “Shark Tank” to bring founders, investors and potential business partners together, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday, floating a new channel for cross-border dealmaking as both countries look for deeper commercial ties. Speaking at a roundtable on startups, Goyal said the sessions could be held virtually, using online platforms to link Indian startups seeking Japanese capital with Japanese ventures looking for partners in India.
The proposal is aimed at pushing contacts beyond the introductory stage, with Goyal describing a path from pitches to pilots, investment and scale. He invited Japanese businesses and entrepreneurs to work with Indian counterparts, saying closer economic cooperation could create wider gains for both sides. He also argued that India offers not only a test market but a place to deploy products at scale. The Business Standard report said he urged greater cooperation among universities, incubators and venture funds.
Goyal also called for a Japan-India deep-tech capital corridor, saying patient capital from Japan could help early-stage companies as well as more mature unicorns. According to LiveMint, he linked that idea to a proposed $1 billion fund of funds for deep-tech ventures and said India’s startup base, now among the largest in the world, could benefit from Japan’s strength in manufacturing, precision engineering and long-term investment. The roundtable was held in Tokyo, where Goyal framed the partnership as one that could support innovation, supply chains and technology collaboration.
The broader message was that the two countries should move past broad diplomatic goodwill and towards structured business links, especially in sectors such as startups, deep technology and small firms. Economic Times and Moneycontrol reported that the virtual pitching format was intended to make those links more practical and frequent, while Whalesbook said the emphasis on patient capital was meant to support early-stage and deep-tech ventures rather than only established firms.
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