A Cross-Sectional Study of India's Startup Ecosystem (2026)
An anonymous study on stress and wellbeing across founders, investors, employees and ecosystem supporters in India's startups.
responses
in the analysis sample
· 347 founders · 300 employees · 124 investors · 52 supporters
Well-Being Index (adapted)
An anonymous online survey on stress and wellbeing in the startup ecosystem, shared through LinkedIn, founder WhatsApp groups and investor networks. Wellbeing was measured with an adapted WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a widely used and validated scale. Of 1,040 responses, 823 passed both attention checks and form the analysis sample. No names, contact details or company names were collected.
The sample was self-selected and voluntary, so the results are representative of the ecosystem but not directly applicable. The findings are correlational. Differences between groups are more reliable than exact percentages.
FULL REPORT · PDF
The complete paper: background, method, results and recommendations.
State of Mind 2026 - Research Paper.pdf
HIGHLIGHTS · PDF · ~5 MIN READ
The main findings and what founders, managers and investors can do about them.
State of Mind 2026 - Study Report.pdf
Founder · The Thought Co.
Priyanka Kartari is the founder of The Thought Co., a psychologist-led emotional wellbeing practice in Mumbai, operating since 2014. She holds Master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and in Counselling Psychotherapy, is trained in the Gottman Method (Levels 1 and 2), and specialises in anxiety, identity, couples work, burnout and grief. She is POSH certified and QACP trained in DEI. Her current focus is workplace mental health in India.
Wellness Head · Cars24
Dr. Sukhmani Pal has over 10 years of experience as a psychologist and researcher across academic, clinical and corporate settings. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Mississippi, USA, and has worked with individuals across India and the USA. She heads Wellness, DEI and Culture at Cars24, where she is responsible for building a psychologically safe and inclusive workplace.
Psychotherapist
Dr. Dilip Panikker is a practising psychotherapist with more than 30 years of experience. He taught psychology at undergraduate and post-graduate level from 1987 to 2005, and was a consulting psychologist at Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai, where he helped design and run one of the largest epidemiological surveys on dementia conducted in India. He has worked with the corporate world for more than 25 years as a trainer and senior leadership coach.