Chennai: Around 1,500 startup firms from Tamil Nadu have registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to supply goods and services to central and state government enterprises.

According to official data, Tamil Nadu has 12,171 registered startups. However, many small, micro, and emerging firms were earlier unable to participate in government tenders due to lack of awareness about the GeM registration and product catalogue uploading process.

Between 2016-17 and last year, Tamil Nadu accounted for only 5 per cent of the total government purchases worth Rs 40 lakh crore made through the GeM platform.

Following sustained outreach and training efforts by StartupTN, a state government initiative, 1,500 startups have now successfully registered on the portal. Officials said this is expected to significantly increase the participation of Tamil Nadu-based firms in government procurement and enhance their market visibility.