Investors are showing a strong interest in the country's startup ecosystem, with annual funding’s into startups increasing from USD 11 billion to USD 36 billion in the last year, according to a top government official on Saturday. Anurag Jain, Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), stated that the share of investments coming to startups in India from all over the world, including domestic investments, has increased to 6% from 4% previously. "The level of interest shown in the startup investment climate" Annual investments in startups have increased from USD 11 billion to USD 36 billion in the last year," he said at the National Startups Award event. Speaking at the online event, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal urged startups to come up with more ideas on how to reduce regulatory burdens and make it easier to promote the startup story. "I understand that in the first nine months of 2021, there were over 1,000 deals with a total funding of USD 23 billion." "It demonstrates the tenacity of our startups," Goyal said. To take innovation to the next level, the minister suggested focusing on five areas. The focus areas include developing solutions and content in Indian languages, encouraging products and solutions with a larger social and economic impact, promoting startups in every district, creating innovation zones at various local levels where universities can serve as incubators, and adopting best practices from around the world to boost India's competitiveness.