Kashmir’s startup ecosystem is emerging as a powerful force of innovation and resilience. In the last decade, over 1,150 startups have sprung up in the valley, shifting the narrative from conflict to creation. 

Curve Electric, founded by Sheikh Yameen and Zubair Bhat, launched an e-bike sharing service in Srinagar and Ganderbal in 2023. Today, it has clocked over 80,000 rides and 800,000 km, and is expanding into other Himalayan cities while selling its own bikes pan-India.

FastBeetle, a Srinagar-based logistics startup, caters to 18,000+ pin codes across India, delivering half a million shipments monthly. It’s the region’s first startup to raise external funding, with a seed B valuation of $5 million in 2024.

Agricultural innovation is on the rise as well. Zarin exports Himalayan rainbow trout across India, empowering farmers in Pulwama, Anantnag, and Kulgam with a 30–35% income boost. Meanwhile, Efruitmandi leverages cold-chain logistics and predictive analytics to reshape the apple supply chain in the Valley.

This boom is supported by policy momentum: the number of DPIIT-registered startups in J&K surged from 237 in 2020 to 917 in 2024, a 287% growth, underpinned by the new Startup Policy (2024–27) and robust incubation efforts. Despite persistent challenges security disruptions and connectivity limitations the ingenuity of Kashmir’s founders, backed by evolving infrastructure and investor networks, is recasting the Valley as a beacon of entrepreneurial resolve.