The world is facing economic uncertainty due to the pandemic and war-triggered inflation.
Despite this, China and India have emerged as the second and third largest startup ecosystems in the world, next to the United States.
With a combined population of over 2.8 billion people, China and India make up a significant portion of the global population and both have thriving domestic consumer markets and strong, skilled workforces.
China’s Startup Ecosystem
In the last decade, China has slowly weaned its economy off of manufacturing and diversified into tech, with companies like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent leading the way.
Chinese society is now heavily reliant on Tencent’s WeChat platform.
Chinese startups raised a whopping 130.6 billion dollars in venture capital in 2021, which is three times more than the 42 billion dollars that Indian startups raised during the same year.
India’s Startup Ecosystem
While India’s startup ecosystem may not be as big as China’s in terms of access to venture capital, it is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world.
2021 was a period of immense and unexpected growth for India’s startup ecosystem, with 46 companies becoming unicorns in just 12 months.
Fundraising cycles that used to take years shrunk to just months, allowing startups to raise successive rounds and grow faster than ever before.
Conclusion
China’s startup ecosystem is mature and well-developed, while India’s ecosystem is still catching up.
However, with the right government policies, a young population compared to China’s ageing population, global aspirations, inexpensive internet access, and the massive potential of the “next 500 million” consumers, it’s possible that India will catch up with China sooner than most people expect.
