India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade has expanded access to its ‘Source from India’ platform, enabling recognised start-ups to showcase products internationally and strengthen the country’s export ecosystem with a focus on innovation-led growth.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade has widened access to its “Source from India” feature, opening the service to DPIIT-recognised start-ups in a move designed to give younger firms a clearer route into overseas markets. The change, notified in Trade Notice No. 16 on August 6, gives eligible start-ups the ability to build dedicated microsites on Trade Connect, the Commerce Department’s digital buyer-discovery platform, and to appear with a distinct start-up badge for international buyers. According to the notice, the aim is to improve the visibility of innovation-led businesses and support India’s export ambitions.
Trade Connect is intended as a single digital gateway linking exporters with trade services and institutional support, while “Source from India” allows approved sellers to present products and company details in a format that foreign buyers can browse directly. The latest step builds on an earlier expansion of the service to exporters who met prescribed export realisation criteria and held valid Importer-Exporter Codes. Reporting on the update, Maritime Gateway said the new rules are meant to deepen India’s global trade footprint by bringing more technology-focused firms into the export ecosystem.
The government has also introduced a lighter onboarding route for early-stage exporters. DPIIT-recognised start-ups with an active Importer-Exporter Code that is not on the Denied Entity List may join even if they do not yet satisfy the usual export performance threshold, provided their details are verified through the DGFT’s IEC database. Start-up users already registered on Trade Connect and linked to eligible codes will be able to create their microsites from their dashboard, with a user guide available to assist registration.
The broader policy shift fits into a wider pattern of DGFT easing access to the platform. Centax Online and other trade advisory outlets have reported that the “Source from India” micropage feature was first extended to status holder exporters and later opened more widely to valid IEC holders without Denied Entity List restrictions. The newer start-up provision goes a step further by recognising that young companies may have strong products and growth potential even before they have built the export track record traditionally used to judge eligibility. In practical terms, the government is betting that stronger digital visibility will help smaller, innovative firms reach foreign buyers sooner and diversify India’s export mix.
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