Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAT, has come out in support of commerce minister Piyush Goyal after his comments on Indian startup strategy drew ire and concern from entrepreneurs and businessmen across the country.
boAT was co-founded in 2016 by Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta. The company, which sells audio devices like headphones and speakers, has created ripples in its industry segment.
Taking to X, Aman Gupta said that Goyal is not against founders and only wants India to aim higher, claiming he was there when the minister gave his speech.
“It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger. But at Startup Mahakumbh, that’s exactly what happened. I was there. I heard the full speech. Hon. Minister @PiyushGoyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us. His point was simple: India has come far, but to lead the world…we need to aim higher,” he said.
He also drew comparison with his advice to entrepreneurs that come on his show Shark Tank India.
“It reminded me of something I say often on Shark Tank India, If you want to build a world-class product, you must know your competition. That applies to India too,” Gupta said.
The boAT co-founder added that benchmarking India against China or US is not ‘weakness’ but rather a ‘smart strategy’.
“Benchmarking against China, the US, or anyone else — isn’t weakness. It’s smart strategy. We’re already the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world and the fastest-growing major economy,” he said.
Aman Gupta further noted that to be on the top, India also needs more AI, deeptech and infra businesses among others.
“But if we want to be No.1 — We need to also go deep into AI, deeptech, climate, mobility, infra. We need LLMs and innovation stacks that compete on global standards,” he said, adding, “And to make that happen, we also need Scientific risk, More patient capital, Founder–policymaker collaboration and a long-term national vision.”
Aman Gupta said that India can become even bigger if it aims higher.
“Kyunki jab sapne bade hote hain, toh kadam bhi bade uthane padte hain (Because when dreams are big, you need to take giant leaps too). So, yes, what we’ve built is incredible. But what we can build… is far greater,” he said.
Aman Gupta joins Harsh Goenka
Aman Gupta joins RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka has in backing Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
He suggested that the minister was “simply asking” what India is really building through their remarks. “They were asking: What are we really building?” Goenka said in his post on X.
“If India wants to compete with the US or China, we can’t just focus on comfort, convenience, and brands. We need to build with ambition—AI, deep tech, robotics, clean energy—sectors that move the needle,” he added.
Piyush Goyal’s remarks
Piyush Goyal recently slammed Indian billionaire kids for opening ice cream and cookie businesses and calling them startups.
He also questioned Indian food delivery startups for turning unemployed youth into cheap labour.
If we want to be No.1 — We need to also go deep into AI, deeptech, climate, mobility, infra.
“Are we going to be happy being delivery boys and girls… Is that the destiny of India…this is not a startup, this is entrepreneurship… What the other side is doing — robotics, machine learning, 3D manufacturing and next generation factories,” he said on Thursday, pulling up a slide titled ‘India vs China. The Startup Reality Check’.
This has riled up several Indian startup founders, including Zepto’s Aadit Palicha, BharatPe’s Ashneer Grover and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal. Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai has also extensively spoken against his comments.
