An Empirical Study of Role of Artificial Intelligence in Mobilising the Start-up Ecosystem in Maharashtra

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in the global start-up ecosys-tem, enabling ventures to scale operations, optimise decision-making, and create novel value propositions. Maharashtra, being one of India’s leading start-up hubs with over 15,000 DPIIT-recognised start-ups, presents a unique context for examining the empirical role of AI in mobil-ising entrepreneurial growth. This study investigates the extent, nature, and impact of AI adop-tion among start-ups across six key sectors in Maharashtra—FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, EdTech, E-Commerce, and SaaS/IT. Employing a mixed-methods research design with a strat-ified random sample of 220 working professionals and founders across these sectors, the study combines quantitative survey data with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. Chi-square tests reveal statistically significant associations between AI adoption levels and start-up performance metrics including revenue growth (χ² = 18.72, p < 0.01), customer acquisition efficiency (χ² = 15.34, p < 0.01), and operational scalability (χ² = 12.89, p < 0.05). The find-ings indicate that 67.3% of surveyed start-ups have integrated AI into at least one core business function, with SaaS/IT and FinTech sectors leading adoption. However, significant challenges persist, including high implementation costs (72%), scarcity of skilled AI talent (68%), and data quality constraints (65%). The study proposes an AI Mobilisation Framework for start-up ecosystems, identifying critical enablers, barriers, and policy interventions. Results contribute to both entrepreneurship theory and practice by offering empirical evidence on AI’s catalytic role in regional start-up ecosystems.