NSE Takes 'Idea to IPO' to Varanasi as 764 SMEs Raise Over ₹24,520 Crore on Emerge

Varanasi, October 9, 2026: The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is stepping up efforts to help small and medium businesses access stock-market funding, holding an 'Idea to IPO' workshop in Varanasi on October 8 in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

The numbers behind the push are striking: 764 companies have listed on NSE's Emerge platform so far, collectively raising over ₹24,520 crore, with a combined market capitalisation of approximately ₹2.78 lakh crore, according to NSE.

The Varanasi workshop brought together entrepreneurs, business owners, finance professionals and capital market participants to educate them on raising capital through public listings. Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer at NSE, said the exchange has seen growing participation from Uttar Pradesh and plans to continue such programmes regularly with the state government. Pranjal Yadav, Secretary, Department of MSME and Export Promotion in the UP government, said the initiative would help local businesses understand the opportunities public markets offer.

The outreach matters because the IPO route has historically belonged to large corporates and metro startups. With SME platforms listing dozens of companies every month and NSE actively expanding into tier-2 cities, founders outside the traditional startup hubs now have a realistic path from idea to public markets — the workshop is designed to make that path legible.

For founders, the SME route offers a fundraising option that does not dilute control the way equity rounds do, while adding the credibility and visibility of a stock-exchange listing. As NSE's own figures show, it is no longer a niche experiment.