UP Startup Mission Gets Its First CEO: 2020-Batch IAS Officer Sumit Mahajan Takes Charge

• ByStartupStory     |    September 28, 2026

Lucknow, September 28, 2026: The Uttar Pradesh Startup Mission has appointed 2020-batch IAS officer Sumit Rajesh Mahajan as its first Chief Executive Officer, bringing a young field-level administrator into a role that will be central to the state’s next phase of startup and innovation-led growth. The official Startup Mission website now lists Mahajan as its CEO.

Mahajan was serving as Chief Development Officer, Saharanpur, before moving to the Startup Mission in the recent administrative reshuffle. His transition from district administration to a state-level role focused on entrepreneurship comes at a time when Uttar Pradesh is expanding support for startups through funding, incubation, talent development, industry partnerships and district-level initiatives.

His work in Saharanpur provides an important context to the appointment. During his tenure, the district administration undertook Mission Sunehra Kal, an initiative focused on improving early childhood learning through Anganwadi centres. The programme covered all 3,410 Anganwadi centres in the district and reached more than 50,000 children. It was subsequently recognised by NITI Aayog as a national best practice in early childhood care and education.

The administration also worked with Self-Help Groups to improve the market readiness of their products, with emphasis on quality, packaging, branding and marketing. The approach focused on helping community-level enterprises become better prepared for customers and wider markets.

That experience is relevant to the Startup Mission’s current direction. The Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2026 places emphasis on expanding innovation and entrepreneurship across the state, with a focus on district-level incubation, funding support, deep-tech innovation and stronger infrastructure. The policy includes a ₹1,000 crore UP Startup Fund, a ₹400 crore AKTU Corpus Fund and plans for U-Hub and 20 domain-focused Centres of Excellence.

The scale of the state’s startup landscape is significant. The Mission’s current dashboard lists more than 24,000 DPIIT-recognised startups, 88 incubators, seven Centres of Excellence and more than ₹146 crore in funds disbursed. Its areas of work include infrastructure, funding, talent development, industry connect and startup promotion.

For entrepreneurs, particularly those emerging from smaller cities and districts, access to funding is only one part of the journey. Mentorship, incubation, market connections, skilled talent and institutional support are equally important. The Startup Mission’s role is to bring these opportunities closer to entrepreneurs and make the state’s support structure easier to access.

Mahajan’s appointment brings together his recent experience in district administration with a state-level mandate focused on entrepreneurship. His background in working with young people, local enterprises and community institutions could add a practical, field-level perspective to the Mission’s work.

As Uttar Pradesh moves into the implementation phase of its 2026 startup policy, the emphasis will increasingly be on execution and accessibility. Mahajan’s appointment is being seen as an opportunity to deepen collaboration between the government and the state’s growing community of entrepreneurs, institutions and industry stakeholders.

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