ICICI Lombard Hosts ‘Startup Shield – The Risk Readiness’: An initiative to help Indian start-ups build resilient, investor-ready businesses
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, January 21, 2026: As India’s startup ecosystem continues to scale rapidly, founders are increasingly navigating a complex risk landscape spanning cyber threats, regulatory scrutiny, people-related challenges, and operational disruptions. While innovation and growth remain the primary focus, a single unforeseen incident can significantly impact business continuity, reputation, and investor confidence if risks are not planned for early.
Recognising this gap, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, India’s leading private general insurer hosted ‘Startup Shield – The Risk Readiness’, a focused awareness initiative designed to help Indian start-ups identify, assess, and mitigate key business risks through structured risk planning and appropriate insurance solutions.
The exclusive event brought together over 100 participants, including startup founders, private equity and venture capital investors, CXOs, industry experts, and risk professionals, for interactive discussions on building resilient and future-ready businesses. The initiative aimed to move the conversation beyond risk avoidance, encouraging founders to adopt a proactive approach to risk preparedness as they scale.
The event saw participation from prominent voices across the start-up ecosystem, including representing the investor and broader ecosystem perspective. The presence of founders and investors at different stages of the startup lifecycle enriched discussions around practical risk planning and long-term business resilience.
Startup Shield focused on risk preparedness across different growth stages, highlighting how early planning can strengthen governance, improve operational resilience, and enhance investor confidence. Sessions addressed emerging and critical risk areas such as cyber and data security, employee health and wellness, professional indemnity, directors and officers (D&O) liability, asset protection, and business interruption.
Experts from ICICI Lombard shared real-world case studies demonstrating how timely insurance coverage and structured risk management have helped startups recover from unexpected disruptions, manage legal and financial exposures, and continue their growth journeys with minimal impact on operations.
The discussions also underscored how risk readiness is increasingly becoming a key consideration during investor due diligence, enterprise partnerships, and board-level decision-making, positioning it as a growth enabler rather than a compliance exercise.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Sandeep Goradia - Chief Corporate, International & Bancassurance, ICICI Lombard, said, “India today is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with over 1.8 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups driving innovation, employment, and global competitiveness. As Indian startups build ambitious, high-growth businesses, their exposure to unforeseen risks is also rising. Through Startup Shield, we aim to shift the conversation from reacting to risk to anticipating it — helping founders protect their people, strengthen their businesses, and build lasting stakeholder trust. In doing so, we aspire to become their long-term risk partners, enabling them to scale with resilience, responsibility, and sustainable profitability.”
Through Starup Shield, ICICI Lombard reinforced its commitment to supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable business growth in India. The initiative forms part of the company’s broader efforts to engage with the startup ecosystem and enable founders to build resilient businesses that are prepared not just to grow, but to withstand uncertainty.
