India’s Budget 2026 is being read by founders as more than an annual policy document. Gaurav Khatri, CEO & Co-Founder of Noise, argued the budget’s subtext is unmistakable: the era of celebrating “more startups” is giving way to demanding stronger startups, companies that can scale responsibly, survive cycles, and compete globally.
Khatri framed the moment as a shift in national mood, “action over ambivalence, reform over rhetoric” and pointed to three signals he believes speak directly to entrepreneurs building in India.
Budget 2026: Exports get a cleaner runway for smaller players
Khatri wrote, is the removal of the ₹10 lakh per-consignment cap on courier exports, which he described as a practical unlock for founders who sell beyond India through e-commerce.
The change, he said, could make it easier for small businesses, artisans, and startups to access global customers without the same friction that typically slows early export journeys.
The larger point behind it: in this reading of Budget 2026, exporting isn’t treated as a niche ambition, it’s positioned as a growth pathway founders should be ready to take earlier.
A sharper pipeline from SME to scale-up
Khatri also highlighted a proposed ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, aimed at helping businesses move from stability to scale. In his view, this is the missing bridge many companies struggle to cross, when day-to-day operations are working, demand is visible, but growth capital remains difficult, expensive, or poorly matched to the risks of expansion.
If executed well, the message to founders is straightforward: the system is nudging companies to think beyond launches and fundraising headlines, and toward repeatable scale, the unglamorous middle phase where businesses either mature or stall.
Capability-building returns to the centre
The third theme he highlighted is ISM 2.0, which he associated with “deeper capability building: equipment, materials, full-stack Indian IP, and resilient supply chains, backed by industry-driven research and training.”
these trends “urge founders to build lasting businesses, where competitiveness lies not merely in marketing and distribution, but in deeper product strength, supply chain resilience, and lasting technical capability.”
The subtext: durability beats short-term velocity
Khatri’s conclusion lands as both a compliment and a challenge to the ecosystem: founders are being pushed to graduate from chasing near-term growth to building businesses with staying power.
Khatri leads Noise, which he describes as a young, tech-driven startup that has risen to become India’s top wearable brand, driven by what the company calls best-in-class smart devices, a positioning that aligns neatly with the budget lens he is advocating: build for capability, scale, and endurance.
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