JewelStart is the first startup-focused, acceleration platform specifically targeting gems, jewellery and allied startups, unveiled by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). It was launched at the IIJS Bharat Signature 2026 exhibition in Mumbai, which represented the turning point of an industry that had long been founded on legacy systems but now turned to organised innovation and entrepreneurship.

Framework and strengthening the startup ecosystem

JewelStart is envisioned as an industry-driven, venture-level platform, designed to turn untested ideas into scalable market-ready businesses. The initiative aims at achieving closer cooperation among the industry veterans, academia, global investors and the government agencies by meeting the special needs of the gem and jewellery value chain. The main objective is to strengthen India as the Jeweller to the World by injecting agility and digital-first into the ecosystem.

To cement this multi-stakeholder partnership, GJEPC has entered into a sequence of strategic Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) at the roll-out. These deals include reputable institutions and financial organisations, such as the Society of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) at the IIT Bombay, the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, and India Accelerator (IPV).

The JewelStart programme is anchored on three key pillars of architecture, which are: Market Access, Mentorship and Capital. Chosen startups will be given a personal introduction to the most popular international trade fairs of GJEPC, like IIJS Bharat Premiere, Signature and Tritiya. The industry leaders and domain experts will guide entrepreneurs to fill the gap between the traditional heritage craftsmanship and indigenous modern technology. The site focuses on pairing founders with investors, offering the so-called belief capital to get out of the concept phase and into a commercial one.

A multi-stage journey

The programme will work in a multi-stage process that will start with identifying particular problems through the direct identification of issues by the industry stakeholders. After identifying the challenges, the chosen startups will undergo a serious incubation process, prototype development, and market testing. With the diverse infrastructure and network of GJEPC, one day these ventures will undergo a scale-up phase, which will mean that innovation will be democratised and available to MSMEs instead of the large organisations, where innovation is restricted.

Kirit Bhansali, Chairman of GJEPC, emphasised that with India aiming to achieve a market of 100 billion jewellery exports, there was a need to transform the industry. JewelStart is the effort that aims to fill this gap and align the old craftsmanship with the pace and the disruptive possibilities of the new-age technology.

Conclusion

With JewelStart coming into the picture, innovation is put right at the centre of the gem and jewellery story in India. GJEPC is not only encouraging individual businesses, but it is also defining the future of the so-called Brand India at the international level by providing a systematic platform of technology-based problem-solving. With the initial generation of startups embarking on this expedition in the coming months, JewelStart will be crucial in creating the next generation of jewellery businesses that integrate both the past and the future with the level of scalability and future-readiness thought.