eChai

Ludhiana

Punjab Agricultural University

46 startups on the map where they work.

Events

All
Next week 1 gathering
  1. Proposed eChai Startup Demo Day in Ludhiana
    6 pm - 8 pm
    1 of 20 interested
1 DEC 2025 · Ludhiana eChai's Ludhiana Startup Mixer
25 AUG 2019 · Ludhiana Indian Entrepreneurs Summit 2019 l Ludhiana

Meanwhile, across eChai

Ahmedabad · Thu 24 Sep eChai Startup Demo Day in Ahmedabad Ahmedabad · Thu 24 Sep eChai Startup Demo Day in Ahmedabad : SBR Edition Bengaluru · Fri 25 Sep The Great Product Festival 2026 Hyderabad · Fri 25 Sep AI Builders Meetup : Hyderabad edition Delhi-NCR · Sat 26 Sep eChai Startup Demo Day in Delhi-NCR Mumbai · Sat 26 Sep eChai Startup Demo Day in Mumbai

People

All 1
Yash Gupta
Yash Gupta
Founder · Let’s Barter

On the map

Dhandari Kalan 4

Rakh Bagh 4

Cheema Chowk 3

Civil Lines 3

Focal Point 2

Industrial Area C 2

  • Avon Cycles Learn about Avon Cycles, a pioneer in the bicycle industry since 1952.
  • Hero Cycles Know more about the birth story of Hero Cycles, its clients & efforts taken in becoming a global footprint in the cycle industry.

Miller Ganj 2

  • AN Infotech The Complete Business Accounting Software for Growing Businesses BUSY is a simple…
  • Neelam CYCLES Explore Neelam Cycles' range of Bicycles, E-Cycles, E-Scooter, E-Rickshaw, and E-Loader. Committed to quality and sustainability since 1964.

Samrala Chowk 2

Sarabha Nagar 2

BRS Nagar 1

  • Ascentia Labs Leading software development company specializing in custom software solutions, mobile app development, AI/ML services…

Bharat Nagar 1

  • Redcliffe Labs Ludhiana Redcliffe Labs is the best diagnostic centre in Ludhiana providing all pathology services with accurate results on time.

Chandigarh Road 1

Ferozepur Road 1

  • World With Web Learn Full Stack Development, Data Science, Digital Marketing & AI. 26+ years of excellence in IT training. Get certified and job-ready.

Field Ganj 1

  • Krsnaa Diagnostics We provide specialized diagnostic imaging Pathology, Radiology and tele-radiology services through our network of diagnostic across India

Fountain Chowk 1

  • Smaaash MBD Mall Ludhiana The Smaaash Entertainment Arcade gaming center is the best gaming arcade in India, first of its kind…

GT Road 1

Gurdev Nagar 1

Industrial Area B 1

  • New Swan Group Swan India is a trusted automotive components manufacturer in India and auto parts manufacturer…

Jamalpur 1

  • FANUC India Power your business with FANUC India’s automation & robotics expertise. Improve productivity with our trusted technology.

Jawaddi 1

  • Pancham Hospital Akses escobartoto adalah website yang menyediakan link untuk mendaftar dab

Kanganwal 1

  • Happy Forgings HFL specializes in high precision components for automotive and industrial applications, delivering reliable…

Kitchlu Nagar 1

Model Town 1

  • AUTOMATION SYSTEMS Automationsystems, provide industrial automation solutions for paper automation industry…

Pakhowal Road 1

  • Nature's Boon Nature's Boon is your go-to partner for crafting top-notch skincare,haircare, & personal care products.

Rajguru Nagar 1

  • Dainik Bhaskar Ludhiana Dainik Bhaskar (दैनिक भास्कर) Hindi News Samachar - Find all Hindi News and Samachar, News in Hindi…

Urban Estate 1

Vishwakarma Chowk 1

Across the city 4

  • BRANDBORN Premium Marketplace & Quick Commerce Launch Specialists. From Myntra to Blinkit – We Launch Brands Everywhere.
  • Duke Fashions (India) Discover the latest in fashion and lifestyle at Duke India.
  • Soft Tech Renewable Energies Climate / clean energy
  • VARDHMAN GROUP Vardhman and its businesses along with its highlights, advantage, management speak, corporate film, resources and new collections

Where the city gathers

Campuses 36

Cafes 9

Communities 9

Coworking spaces 4

  • IA Spaces Find modern coworking space in Ludhiana with private cabins, flexible desks…
  • IA Spaces Find modern coworking space in Ludhiana with private cabins, flexible desks…
  • MyBranch Modern coworking in Ludhiana with furnished offices, private cabins, meeting rooms & GST-ready virtual offices for your business.
  • Regus Coworking space in Industrial Area C

Investor 1

Startups

All 23
Happy Forgings Manufacturing

Paritosh Kumar Garg (founder & MD); Ashish Garg

Incorporated 1979; India's 4th-largest engineering-led maker of complex, safety-critical heavy forged and precision-machined components (crankshafts, transmission parts) for CVs, tractors and off-highway. IP...

Sportking India Manufacturing

J.C. Avasthi (founder); Raj Avasthi & Munish Avasthi

Established 1977 under J.C. Avasthi; a vertically integrated yarn, fabric and apparel manufacturer with seven facilities across Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Announced a ~Rs 1,000 cr greenfield spinning expan...

Burger Bae D2C

Rohan Kashyap (founder); Ojasvee Kashyap & Janvi Sikaria

D2C streetwear brand founded 2019 (grew from a viral Instagram page); bold-graphic hoodies and streetwear for Gen Z. Raised ~Rs 2 cr on Shark Tank India from Kunal Bahl, Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta. Revenue...

Intervue SaaS

Rahul Arora (founder & CEO); Pushpender S. Rautela, Rahool Benji

Founded 2020; a cloud-based technical-interview / on-demand interviewer SaaS platform for tech hiring, appeared on Shark Tank India. ~$300K raised across seed/angel rounds (2am VC, QED, Titan Capital). Ludhi...

Black Eye Technologies Deeptech

Founded 2018; develops AI-based IoT devices/solutions. A small deep-tech/hardware startup in Ludhiana, aligned with the city's manufacturing base and a rare local IoT play.

Findyourkicks E-commerce

Simar Singh, Harshdeep Singh, Danish Chawla

Online marketplace for authenticated second-hand / resale sneakers, with early seed funding (~$160K). A small e-commerce startup representing Ludhiana's nascent consumer-internet layer. ~9 employees.

Freshleaf D2C

Muneet Arora & Balkirat Singh (Co-founders)

Founded 2022; an internet-first premium tea brand offering ethically sourced blends, raising small seed rounds (~$120K cumulative) across 2023-24. One of Ludhiana's genuine new-economy D2C startups, though s...

Rudra Ecovation Cleantech

Akhil Malhotra (founder)

Early-stage plastic-recycling / cleantech venture — manufacturer and supplier of recycled plastic and recycling-plant solutions. Raised ~$0.75M (early stage). Among the highest-funded of Ludhiana's genuinely...

Up Money Fintech

Fintech (founded ~2014) offering lending and financial services aimed at rural and semi-urban customers in the Punjab belt. An early example of a Ludhiana-based fintech serving the region's agrarian/MSME bor...

Cotton County Retail D2C

Nahar Industrial Enterprises (Oswal group)

Cotton-focused apparel brand (a subsidiary of the Nahar/Oswal group), built around breathable, natural cotton casualwear. A second branded-apparel arm of the Nahar textile empire beyond Monte Carlo, run out ...

Highway Industries Manufacturing

Umesh Munjal (founder); Amol & Ankur Munjal

Founded 1971, began with cold-forged components like bicycle freewheels and grew into precision forged and machined auto/tractor components. Another Munjal-lineage engineering firm in Ludhiana's dense forgin...

Majestic Auto Manufacturing

Hero Group (Munjal family)

Hero Group engineering company rooted in Ludhiana, historically a maker of bicycle and moped/two-wheeler components and complete vehicles (Hero Majestic moped). Part of the Munjal manufacturing complex that ...

See all 23 Startups

VCs

All 3
Ludhiana Angels Network (LAN) Ludhiana

An LLP-based angel network committed to building an organized startup ecosystem in Punjab, technology-agnostic but focused on manufacturing and supply chain — a natural fit for Ludhiana's industrial DNA. Runs structured programs (AARAMBH...

Punjab Angels Network Platina Tower, Phase 8B, Sector 74, Mohali (serves Ludhiana / North India)

Regional angel network under the Bharat Angels umbrella, connecting investors with early-stage startups across Punjab and northern India via mentorship, funding and education. Physically based in Mohali (flagged — not Ludhiana) but the n...

Chandigarh Angels Network (CAN) Chandigarh / Mohali (serves Ludhiana & North India)

One of North India's most active angel networks (since 2015) — a community of entrepreneur-turned-investors offering funding, mentoring and acceleration, with weekly founder sessions across Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. Chandigarh-ba...

Incubators

All 6
STEP Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Gill Park, Ludhiana

Science & Technology Entrepreneurs' Park (STEP) hosted at GNDEC Ludhiana, one of the oldest engineering colleges in northern India. A Department of Science & Technology (DST)-funded incubator that trains, incubates and helps launch techn...

CT University Technology Business Incubator (CTUTBIF) CT University, Sidhwan Khurd, Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana

Technology Business Incubator established 2019 as a self-governing unit of CT University, Ludhiana. Offers co-working space, fully furnished offices for incubatees, conference room and a central laboratory. Provides mentoring and reports...

PCTE Incubation Centre (Punjab College of Technical Education) PCTE Group of Institutes, Baddowal, Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana

Campus incubation centre run under PCTE's Entrepreneurship Cell, recognised by Startup Punjab and the Institution's Innovation Council (Ministry of Education). Guides student and early-stage founders from idea to funding, and co-hosts ev...

Innovation Mission Punjab (IMP) Innovation Mission Punjab, Sector 74, Mohali (serves Ludhiana)

Public-private catalyst organisation (founded 2020) partnering the Government of Punjab with private capital to build the state's innovation ecosystem. Runs a ~3-month accelerator, the PINE incubator network and an investor network conne...

Startup Punjab (Govt. of Punjab, Dept. of Industries) Dept. of Industries & Commerce, Govt. of Punjab, Chandigarh (state programme; serves Ludhiana)

Punjab government's flagship startup programme offering seed grants (up to INR 3 lakh), interest subsidy on loans, lease-rental reimbursement and incubation support, plus the student-entrepreneurship scheme. Its 'Neuron' innovation hub w...

Invest Punjab (Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion) Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion, Chandigarh (state body; serves Ludhiana)

Single-window state investment-promotion and facilitation agency handling approvals, incentives and the startup collateral/incubator directory for Punjab. Chandigarh-based state body (flagged — not Ludhiana), but the key government inter...

Coworking

All 1
MySoho F Block, SBS Nagar, Ludhiana

Ludhiana coworking brand offering private offices and shared workspace positioned as premium local coworking for professionals and small teams.

Communities

All 12
TiE Chandigarh (Ludhiana satellite office) Ludhiana satellite office (HQ Chandigarh)

TiE Chandigarh — one of TiE Global's most active chapters (20+ years, 340+ charter members, covering Punjab, Haryana, HP, J&K) — inaugurated a satellite office in Ludhiana to bring mentorship, TCHAI angel funding and global networks to l...

Ludhiana Seed Funding Ludhiana (Meetup group)

A small grassroots Meetup group (~70+ members) organized by Amandeep Sedhey around early-stage seed capital, crowdfunding and founder networking. Low cadence and modest scale, but a signal of bottom-up demand for founder gatherings in th...

CICU E-648A, Phase V, Focal Point (near BSNL Exchange), Ludhiana

Ludhiana's leading MSME industry chamber, founded 1968, with 1700+ direct members and 38 affiliated associations. Non-profit, industry-led body running a Skill Development Centre, a NABL-approved calibration centre, export/Certificate-of...

FICO Ludhiana, Punjab

Not-for-profit federation of Ludhiana entrepreneurs advocating on industrial infrastructure, power, taxation and MSME policy. Leads international trade delegations (US, Germany, France, China, Italy and more), negotiates corporate/fuel d...

UCPMA Near Campa Cola Chowk, Gill Road, Ludhiana

Founded 1969 and billed as Asia's largest single-trade association, representing Ludhiana's bicycle and bicycle-parts manufacturers (Ludhiana produces the bulk of India's cycles). Runs events, workshops and training, facilitates member c...

CII Chandigarh Startup Conclave Chandigarh (regional; Ludhiana catchment)

CII's regional startup conclave in Chandigarh (2025 edition addressed by the Governor), convening founders, investors and corporates from across the tricity and Punjab. A formal, corporate-leaning event that draws Ludhiana entrepreneurs ...

TiECON Chandigarh Chandigarh (regional)

TiE Chandigarh's flagship — billed as the largest business conclave in North India — bringing entrepreneurs, investors and global leaders together. The premier regional entrepreneurship event for Punjab founders, including those from Lud...

PHDCCI Conference on Technical Textiles (Ludhiana) CICU Complex, Focal Point, Ludhiana

A one-day conference under the National Technical Textiles Mission, organized by PHDCCI with the Ministry of Textiles and supported by CICU and the Knitwear Club, mapping innovation, sustainability and skilling for the sector. Illustrate...

GMMSA Expo (Garment & Hosiery Machinery) Ludhiana

A major Ludhiana trade expo connecting garment and hosiery machinery manufacturers, suppliers and buyers — a hub for the city's apparel-manufacturing innovation. Large industry footfall; relevant to manufacturing-tech and supply-chain fo...

CICU 360° Industrial Safety Expo & Conference Ludhiana (CICU-organized)

CICU's recurring industrial-safety expo bringing together industry leaders, safety experts and the NDRF to push a stronger safety culture across MSMEs. Part of CICU's steady stream of sector conferences that define Ludhiana's B2B/industr...

See all 12 Communities

Women founders

All 4
women-01 textile

Mridula Jain (Shingora Textiles)

Ludhiana's flagship woman entrepreneur. Started Shingora in 1986 with eight handlooms; built it into one of India's leading luxury shawl/scarf/stole export brands (~Rs 100 cr turnover, ~1,000 employees, ~100...

women-02 knitwear

Ruby Marjara (Waves / The Yellow Tree)

Textile-design postgraduate from a Ludhiana hosiery family (G.K. Marjara Hosiery Mills lineage). Launched her own women's knitwear label "Waves" in 2004, and in 2010 founded "The Yellow Tree," a premium bien...

women-03 women-network

FICCI FLO Ludhiana (community)

The Ludhiana chapter of FICCI FLO (one of ~20 pan-India FLO chapters), the women's wing of FICCI. Runs entrepreneurship, mentorship and visibility programs ("Dream Chasers & Women in Business"), skill develo...

women-04 women-network

WICCI Punjab (community, regional)

State/regional chamber for women entrepreneurs, businesswomen and professionals; WICCI's Northern Region spans Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, HP, UP, Uttarakhand, J&K and Ladakh. **HQ-FLAG:** WICCI Punjab is a...

Neighbourhoods

All 4
Focal Point Industrial Estate

Ludhiana's largest planned industrial estate, laid out in phases on the south eastern side of the city off the GT Road and Chandigarh Road. Thousands of units here make auto and cycle components, hand and machine tools, forgings and agricultural equipment. CICU, the city's leading MSME chamber, keeps its complex in Phase V, which makes this the address most of Ludhiana's industry conferences run from.

6 companies

Strong in Manufacturing, D2C

Gill Road & Miller Ganj

The core of the hosiery and textile processing belt in north central Ludhiana, with spinning, knitting, dyeing and readymade garment units along Gill Road, Miller Ganj and Giaspura. Industry bodies put the knitwear cluster at roughly 10,000 units employing about 400,000 people. The same GT Road stretch carries some of the city's oldest large plants, including Hero Cycles at Hero Nagar, and Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College and its STEP incubator sit on Gill Road.

2 companies 1 coworking

Strong in Manufacturing

Dhandari Kalan & Sahnewal

The industrial and logistics gateway on the south eastern edge of the city. Dhandari Kalan, listed as Industrial Area C, packs engineering, textile processing and manufacturing units, and the inland container depot at Sahnewal runs block trains to Mundra Port around 1,300 km away, which is how the city's hosiery, cycles and engineering goods reach export markets.

1 company

Strong in Manufacturing

See all 4 Neighbourhoods

eChai elsewhere

All cities
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad 4 upcoming Bengaluru Bengaluru 5 upcoming Pune Pune 1 upcoming Hyderabad Hyderabad 3 upcoming Mumbai Mumbai 2 upcoming Delhi-NCR Delhi-NCR 1 upcoming Surat Surat 1 upcoming Indore Indore 1 upcoming Vadodara Vadodara 1 upcoming Rajkot Rajkot 1 upcoming

Answers about the Ludhiana startup scene

What does the startup ecosystem in Ludhiana look like?

It is a manufacturing ecosystem with a small startup layer on top. Industry and manufacturing is by far the largest vertical here, followed by D2C and the apparel and knitwear brands built on the city's own factories, and only a handful of companies look like venture backed technology startups. The companies list above shows who is building what, filterable by vertical.

Why is Ludhiana called the Manchester of India?

Because of hosiery. The city is India's woollen knitwear capital, making sweaters, thermals, shawls and T shirts at a scale industry bodies estimate at around 10,000 units and 400,000 workers, and the Knitwear Club alone represents roughly 14,000 MSMEs. The second cluster is bicycles and cycle parts, where Ludhiana makes the bulk of India's cycles.

Who are the best known companies from Ludhiana?

Hero Cycles, founded in 1956 and the world's largest bicycle manufacturer by volume, is the anchor. Vardhman and Trident are textile majors of national scale, Monte Carlo is the country's leading branded woollen player, Deepak Fasteners owns the Unbrako fastener brand worldwide, and Happy Forgings, which makes crankshafts and heavy forged components, listed in December 2023.

Are there many funded startups in Ludhiana?

Not many, and it is worth saying plainly. The genuinely venture or angel funded names are few, among them the streetwear brand Burger Bae, which raised on Shark Tank India in 2025, the tea brand Freshleaf, which raised a seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures in 2024, the ayurvedic brand Add Veda, picked for the first Innovation Mission Punjab cohort, and the SaaS company Intervue. Most of the scale in the city sits with manufacturers rather than startups.

Which incubators and coworking spaces are in Ludhiana?

The incubators are campus hosted. Punjab Agricultural University runs the strongest of them, an agri business incubator plus a NIDHI-TBI, and Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, CT University and PCTE each run their own. The coworking section below lists the private spaces, most of them around Ferozepur Road and Feroze Gandhi Market and oriented towards small firms and trading offices as much as startups.

Are there investors and VCs in Ludhiana?

Ludhiana Angels Network is the one investor body based in the city, technology agnostic but tilted towards manufacturing and supply chain, and it runs a Startup Samagam showcase. Beyond that there is no local venture fund, so early cheques usually come from Chandigarh and Mohali through Chandigarh Angels Network, Punjab Angels Network and Innovation Mission Punjab. The investors section below lists what reaches founders here.

Does eChai run events in Ludhiana?

Not at the moment. eChai Ludhiana has one event on record, in 2019, and the chapter has been quiet since. The events section shows anything upcoming, and if you would like to help start it up again, get in touch.

How do I join the startup community in Ludhiana?

Most convening here runs through the industry bodies rather than startup meetups. CICU, founded in 1968 with more than 1,700 members, FICO, UCPMA, founded in 1969 for the cycle trade, and the Knitwear Club all hold expos and conferences through the year, TiE Chandigarh has opened a satellite office in the city, and PAU runs boot camps for its incubatees. eChai is free and open wherever it runs, with no application or membership fee.

Want to help restart eChai Ludhiana?

eChai has one Ludhiana event on record, back in 2019, and the chapter has been quiet since. If you are a founder or community builder who wants to convene free, open meetups here again, get in touch. TiE Chandigarh now keeps a satellite office in the city and PAU runs the incubator, so there are people to build it with. No membership, no fee.

Get in touch
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