Digital India Foundation builds platform for failed startups

The Digital India Foundation, a Noida-based nonprofit, on Monday launched Phoenix Hub, a platform designed to help redistribute technology, innovations, and skilled workers from failed startups to new ventures.

The organisation plans to operate the platform as a neutral entity; it will not invest for an equity stake, nor acquire ownership of assets, said the foundation in a statement.

"We are already engaging with founders and teams from startups that have shut down, paused, or materially downsized. In several instances, we are documenting intellectual property, product architectures, and specialised capabilities that would otherwise remain dormant or be lost entirely," said cofounder Arvind Gupta .


A startup that developed a compliance automation solution but shut down could use the platform to register its intellectual property (IP) and connect its core team with another company that could integrate the technology, Gupta explained.

The platform targets startups that have moved beyond ideation and created tangible assets, including working products, deployable code, and patents. Many of these ventures fail not because of poor execution, but because capital cycles, shifts in market priorities, etc., he said.

The launch comes as several startups shut down in 2025, including quick commerce platform Dunzo and ride-hailing platform BluSmart. The Digital India Foundation plans to work with early-stage startups rather than those that raised significant capital.

The platform will focus on sectors such as digital public infrastructure, enterprise and software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, applied AI, and fintech infrastructure.