Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has proposed a Shark Tank style pitching series to connect Indian and Japanese startups.

He floated the idea on Wednesday, August 26, while speaking at a startup roundtable in Tokyo. Goyal said the format could work a lot like the popular television show, where young founders pitch their ideas directly to investors and walk away with real partnerships.

The plan, as Goyal described it, would let Indian startups pitch to Japanese investors, while Japanese startups pitch to potential partners in India. He pointed out that most of this could even happen virtually, given how easy it now is to connect over video calls from anywhere in the world.

Goyal wasn’t just talking about pitches though. He wants the relationship to go further, from early pitches to actual pilots, then investment, and eventually full scale business. That’s the real goal, not a one-time event but an ongoing bridge between the two startup ecosystems.

The minister also raised the idea of a Japan-India deeptech capital corridor. This would bring in what he called patient capital, funding that isn’t in a rush for quick returns, to support both early-stage startups and more mature ones already close to unicorn status.

More than 200 Indian business leaders are currently in Japan exploring opportunities on the ground. Goyal noted that Japan is already India’s fifth largest source of foreign direct investment, making it a natural partner here.

He also spoke about India’s existing $1.5 billion Fund of Funds, which he said has already helped bring in $10 billion worth of investments. Building on that, Goyal suggested Japan could co-invest in a second Fund of Funds focused specifically on deeptech.

Around half of India’s startups today come out of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, Goyal said, describing the country as an emerging technology hub with room for design, testing and deployment under one roof. He closed by inviting Japanese businesses to explore these opportunities, calling India and Japan natural partners in building a better future together.

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