Is Startup India Down?

If you're experiencing issues with Startup India, try these troubleshooting steps:

Basic Steps

• 1. Verify your internet connection: Startup India is a web-based portal for DPIIT recognition, funding, and compliance. Ensure your connection is stable (test other websites) and your Wi-Fi or mobile data isn’t throttled.
• 2. Clear your browser cache & cookies: The portal handles sensitive forms and OTP verifications. Stale cookies often cause login loops or form submission errors. Clear them, then restart your browser.
• 3. Try a different browser or incognito mode: Use the latest version of Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Disable any ad-blockers or privacy extensions that might block the portal's scripts (e.g., for the dashboard charts or Aadhaar verification).
• 4. Check for scheduled maintenance windows: Startup India frequently updates its database for new schemes (e.g., Fund of Funds, tax exemptions). Retry after 15–30 minutes if you’re seeing a "Maintenance" banner or a 503 error.
• 5. Restart your device: A simple reboot clears DNS caches and background processes that might interfere with the secure SSL connection (https) the portal requires.

Intermediate Steps

• 1. Verify your DPIIT recognition status page separately: A common issue is that the main site loads, but the "My Startup" dashboard shows an error. This is often due to an incomplete profile or an unverified email linked to your incorporation (CIN). Log out, then log in using the exact email used during registration.
• 2. Check your browser's Developer Console (F12): Look for mixed content warnings or CORS policy errors. Startup India relies heavily on external services for document verification (e.g., for PAN or Aadhaar e-sign). If you see a red error related to 'api.startupindia.gov.in', your network’s firewall might be blocking those API calls—try switching to a mobile hotspot.
• 3. Clear the system’s DNS cache (Windows/macOS): If you can access the homepage but get stuck on the login page, flush your DNS (run ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS). This helps resolve older IP routes to the portal.
• 4. Test alternate document upload sizes: A common specific issue: the portal rejects PDF files above 2MB for your pitch deck or financial statements. Compress your PDFs and ensure they are not password-protected before re-uploading.

Still stuck? If the Startup India portal is still down or unresponsive after these steps, please click the 'Report Outage' button on this Is It Down Bro? status page to help us track the issue for other users.