New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Every conversation I have with India's small and medium businesses reinforces the same belief: the founders building India's next wave of growth are not waiting to be discovered. They are out there, moving fast, embracing digital tools, experimenting with AI, reaching customers beyond their hometowns, and redefining what it means to be a small business in India.

The MSME of 2026 looks nothing like the one policymakers wrote safety nets for. India's D2C sector crossed $60 billion in GMV in 2025. Think of the jewellery brand from Jaipur that built a 200,000-strong community on Instagram before it ever had a website. Or the home decor label from Indore running its entire business - discovery, orders, customer service -...