National, September 24, 2026: WOI.ECO, a UAE-headquartered global ecosystem development company, has announced the launch of WOI India, marking its first formal entry into the Indian market. The initiative is being established as a national platform to connect entrepreneurs, investors, universities, research institutions, corporates, industry networks and policymakers through an integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem.
WOI India will be built around six interconnected pillars: Education, Venture Studios, Community, Centres of Excellence, Infrastructure and Capital. The model is designed to support entrepreneurs across different stages from learning and idea development to venture creation, fundraising, market access and business growth.
The launch comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is expanding across sectors and geographies. As of March 2026, more than 2.23 lakh startups had been recognised under the Startup India initiative, generating more than 23.36 lakh direct jobs. WOI India’s stated focus is to strengthen the ecosystem around this entrepreneurial momentum by improving access to knowledge, specialised expertise, physical infrastructure, capital and institutional networks.
Mr. Shafi Shoukath, Chairman, WOI.ECO, said, “India has already demonstrated that it can produce entrepreneurs, startups and world-class technology companies. The next opportunity is much larger. It is to build the ecosystem around them.”
He added, “Vision 2030 is our commitment to work on that architecture, education, venture creation, community, expertise, infrastructure and capital and connect these pieces into a system that can continue creating value long after any individual programme or organisation.”
As part of its India launch, WOI India has unveiled Vision 2030, a long-term framework with six measurable commitments. These include training 1 crore entrepreneurs, building 100 venture studios supporting 10,000+ startups, developing India’s largest entrepreneurial community, establishing eight specialised Centres of Excellence, creating 30 Startup Parks, 1,000 Startup Cafés and 10 Innovation Cities, and mobilising more than ₹10,000 crore in entrepreneurial capital by 2030.
The Education pillar will focus on building structured pathways for entrepreneurship through platforms such as Startup School, alongside planned initiatives including Business School, Investors School, Leaders School, Skill Univ and a Rural Entrepreneurship Mission. The objective is to support a journey from learning and experimentation to venture creation and scale.
Through its Venture Studios, WOI India aims to help convert ideas, research and market opportunities into viable companies. Its venture-building approach will include industry-focused, regional and cause-based studios across areas such as AI, deep tech, healthcare, robotics, space, defence and other emerging sectors. DayOne Venture Studio currently serves as an implementation platform for this pillar.
The Community pillar will connect founders with investors, angel networks, business leaders, corporates, universities, research institutions and industry bodies. Existing platforms such as CEO Square and VC Circle form part of this community architecture.
WOI India will also establish eight Centres of Excellence focused on practical capabilities required by early-stage and growing companies. These areas include sales and performance marketing, legal and finance, branding and PR, partnerships and networking, startup fundraising, market research, HR and leadership, and technology and AI automation.
Infrastructure will be another key focus area. Startup Park Bengaluru, a 150,000+ sq. ft. innovation campus, represents the first expression of WOI India’s infrastructure model, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, institutions and corporates. The long-term roadmap includes the development of Startup Parks, Startup Cafés and Innovation Cities, with an emphasis on extending entrepreneurial opportunities beyond established startup centres into Tier-II, Tier-III and emerging regional ecosystems.
The Capital pillar will focus on improving access to a wider range of funding sources, including venture capital funds, angel networks, family offices, corporate venture capital, government funds, university seed funds, impact funds, growth equity, international capital partnerships, and debt and revenue-based financing. WOI India aims to mobilise more than ₹10,000 crore in entrepreneurial capital through these pathways by 2030.
Mr. Amar Dixit, CEO, WOI India, said, “The founder in Bengaluru, the researcher in a university, the entrepreneur in a Tier-III city and the investor sitting in another part of the country should not be operating in completely different ecosystems. Our job is to build the connections between them.”
He added, “Vision 2030 gives us a clear framework. We know what we want to build, why each building block matters and what we want the numbers to look like by 2030. The next step is execution- building the institutions, partnerships and platforms that can make those numbers real.”
WOI India’s current ecosystem includes Startup School, DayOne Venture Studio, CEO Square, VC Circle, Centres of Excellence, Startup Park and WOI Angels, alongside additional platforms and ventures being developed across its six pillars.
The organisation plans to work with state governments, universities, corporations, investors, family offices, venture funds, research institutions, industry bodies, entrepreneurs and international ecosystem partners. Its approach is to build partnerships and institutions that can eventually operate independently while remaining connected to a wider national ecosystem.
With its India launch, WOI.ECO aims to contribute to the next phase of India’s entrepreneurial development by helping connect talent, research, capital, infrastructure, institutions and markets and by making entrepreneurial opportunity more accessible across geographies and sectors.
About WOI India
WOI India is the Indian chapter of WOI.ECO, a UAE-headquartered global ecosystem development company. It is being built as a national institution for founders across six interconnected building blocks: Education, Venture Studios, Community, Centres of Excellence, Infrastructure and Capital.
About WOI.ECO
WOI.ECO is a global ecosystem development company headquartered in Dubai, UAE, working across ecosystem development, venture building, infrastructure development, community building, education and talent, and capital and investment.
Building Better Worlds Through Better Ecosystems.
