Sivarajah Ramanathan has resigned as the Mission Director and Chief Executive Officer of StartupTN, bringing to an end a tenure of more than four and a half years at the helm of Tamil Nadu’s startup promotion agency. The Tamil Nadu government has accepted his resignation.
During his tenure, StartupTN significantly expanded the state’s innovation ecosystem. The number of DPIIT-recognised startups in Tamil Nadu grew from just over 2,000 in 2021 to more than 14,700, making the state one of India’s fastest-growing startup hubs.
Ramanathan also played a key role in introducing the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy 2023 and launched initiatives focused on seed funding, incubation, deep-tech innovation, women-led startups and rural entrepreneurship. Nearly half of the state’s recognised startups are now women-led.
In a public message, Ramanathan said he was leaving with “gratitude, pride and fulfilment” and would continue supporting Tamil Nadu’s startup ecosystem in his personal capacity while preparing for his next professional chapter.
