r/StartUpIndia rules, stats, and what to post
Know the rules before you post. So easy grandma can do it.
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Allowed with conditions
- Startup promotions are allowed only on Saturdays. On other days, post them in the Weekly Pinned Megathread.
- Links
- Allowed with conditions
- No link spam is allowed.
- Promo risk
- High
- From the rules, not from removal counts
- Community age
- 11 years
- Since Mar 2015
About r/StartUpIndia
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/StartUpIndia: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.Checked from the r/StartUpIndia rules on Reddit.
r/StartUpIndia rules
9 rules, in the community's own words.
- 1
No Politics
1. Posts and comments related to political topics, including domestic and international parties, members, promotions, workings, news, or general political matters, are strictly prohibited. 2. Political jokes, satire, humor, gifs, and images are not permitted under any circumstances. Using the excuse of "it's just a joke" will not be accepted. 3. Discussing Socio-economic crises, including war, outbreaks, economic issues, conflicts, and social justice, is prohibited.
- 2
No Bigotry, Religious & Offensive Content
1. Zero tolerance for content promoting bigotry, hate, or discrimination based on race, caste, religion, gender. 2. Avoid discussing religious matters to nurture inclusivity. Save religious discussions for the appropriate subreddit. 3. Content inciting hatred or communal disharmony, covering topics like communal events or religious contests, are not allowed. 4. Absolutely forbidden: slurs, or name-calling based on religion, caste, or community. 5. No hatred towards Men, Women & LGBTQ+ community.
- 3
Personal Attacks & Harassment
1. Maintain respect in interactions. No threats, doxxing, harassment, or bullying, and discourage such conduct. 2. Foster civil discussions. Avoid arguments, aggression, and report issues instead of retaliation. 3. Protect personal privacy. Sharing private info, real or fake, is strictly forbidden. 4. Prohibit content involving minors. 5. Discourage impersonation; strict measures enforced for a secure community. 6. Discourage using controversial usernames, profile pictures and user-flairs.
- 4
Keep It Casual
- Our primary focus is to cultivate and sustain a welcoming and relaxed environment. We encourage members to engage in conversations that are casual, lighthearted, and positive. To maintain this ethos, we kindly request that discussions on serious subjects such as religion, politics, agendas, mocking, beliefs, or identity be avoided.
- 5
Submission Guideline
1. Submission Title to be in English only. Provide a translation for Non English content. 2. Post Related to India/Indians Startups Only. 3. No Low Effort Post. 4. No Frequent Re-posts. 5. No Link spam 6. Poll post to be SFW & Non-Demographic 7. No Bad Faith Trolling. 8. No Consumer Complaints
- 6
No Meta
1. Post all meta-related content about r/StartupIndia with the designated Meta Flair or Send us a modmail. 2. Any bad faith discussions related to other subreddits, including but not limited to their moderators, moderation practices, content, users or general criticism are not allowed. 3. We appreciate constructive criticism directed towards the moderators and the community. However, please refrain from using this as an opportunity to abuse or harass the subreddit moderators.
- 7
Porn, NSFW, Gore & Self Harm Content
1. Pornographic content or any similar variant is strictly prohibited. 2. NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content is strictly not allowed on this subreddit. 3. NSFL (Not Safe for Life) content or subreddit featuring NSFL/Gore/Death/Blood, or any similar variant, is strictly not allowed on this subreddit. 4. Promoting, Discussing or encouraging self-harm, suicide, or any similar variant is strictly prohibited.
- 8
Promo, Survey, Piracy, Donations & Spam
1. No promotion in posts/comments related to Startups, Branding/Logos, Websites, Discord, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc. from Sunday to Friday. Startup promotions are allowed only on Saturdays. On other days, post them in the Weekly Pinned Megathread. 2. Survey or Market Research are allowed only on Saturdays. On other days, post them in the Weekly Megathread. 3. No Crowd-funding or Donation. Mod discretion applicable. 4. No Buying/Selling or dealing with pirated/illegal content. 5. No Spamming.
- 9
Hiring & Job Seeking
1. Hiring Posts need to include monetary details (in numbers) or similar remunerations. Commission based & freelancing works soliciting and seeking is not allowed. 2. Job Seeking posts are only applicable for internship/full-time jobs. Freelancing gigs, consultancy, client-hunting, etc. or any other kind of part-time gigs are not allowed.
What to post in r/StartUpIndia
What fits the room, and what gets removed.
Works well
- A Saturday post introducing your Indian startup with real context about the problem you are solving and what you learned building it.
- A text post sharing a specific lesson from building or selling in the Indian market, like a pricing decision or a customer discovery insight.
- A genuine question about the Indian startup ecosystem, such as how others handle a common operational problem here.
- A Saturday market research survey that is safe for work and not demographic targeted.
- A hiring post for an internship or full time role that clearly states the salary in numbers.
- A casual, lighthearted post about a win or a stumble from your founder week, kept free of politics and religion.
Avoid
- Posting any startup, brand, website, Discord, or YouTube promotion from Sunday to Friday, because “Promo, Survey, Piracy, Donations & Spam” only allows startup promotions on Saturdays.
- Dropping a survey or market research form on any day other than Saturday.
- Sharing a link with no real contribution around it, since “Submission Guideline” bans link spam.
- Writing a low effort post, like a one line question with no context or a bare link dump.
- Reposting the same thing over and over, which the “No Frequent Re-posts” part of “Submission Guideline” forbids.
- Posting a consumer complaint about a company, which is explicitly banned under “Submission Guideline” as “No Consumer Complaints” and is a common trap for marketers venting about competitors or users venting about them in ways that invite pile-ons.
Best hours to post in r/StartUpIndia
No pattern yet. r/StartUpIndia does not have enough top posts from the last 90 days to name its best hours.
What r/StartUpIndia Is For
r/StartUpIndia is a startup community for Indians, and the rules make it clear the posts should relate to India or Indian startups. The people here are founders, people building things, and folks interested in the Indian startup scene. The moderators describe the vibe they want in “Keep It Casual”, which asks for a welcoming, relaxed environment with conversations that are casual, lighthearted, and positive. So this is not a place for heavy debates. It is a place where someone building in India can talk shop, ask questions, and on one specific day of the week, share what they are working on.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule that decides everything for a marketer is “Promo, Survey, Piracy, Donations & Spam”. It says startup promotions are only allowed on Saturdays, and on every other day they belong in the Weekly Pinned Megathread. The same rule covers surveys and market research, which also get the Saturday only treatment. Then there is “Submission Guideline”, which requires titles in English, keeps posts related to India or Indians startups only, bans low effort posts, frequent re-posts, link spam, and consumer complaints. “Keep It Casual” matters more than it looks, because it asks everyone to avoid serious subjects like religion, politics, agendas, and identity, which means your post should stay light and useful. “No Politics” and “No Bigotry, Religious & Offensive Content” are the hard walls, and touching either one ends the conversation. If you are hiring, “Hiring & Job Seeking” requires monetary details in numbers and bans commission based and freelancing solicitations.
What To Post
A good post here is about an Indian startup topic, written in English, with a title that says exactly what the post is. Put real effort into it, because low effort posts get removed. Share a lesson from building, ask a genuine question about the Indian market, or break down something you learned about customers, pricing, or hiring in India. If you want to promote your startup, save it for Saturday or use the Weekly Pinned Megathread on other days. The same goes for surveys and market research. If you are hiring, include the pay in numbers. Keep the tone casual and positive, and skip anything that drifts toward politics, religion, or identity.
What To Avoid
The fastest way to get removed is promoting your startup on the wrong day. The rule “Promo, Survey, Piracy, Donations & Spam” says no promotion in posts or comments related to startups, branding, logos, websites, Discord, YouTube, WhatsApp and similar things from Sunday to Friday. Saturday is the only day for startup promotions, and other days go to the Weekly Pinned Megathread. Surveys and market research follow the same pattern, Saturday only, megathread otherwise. Low effort posts, frequent re-posts, and link spam all fall under “Submission Guideline”, so a bare link with no context will not survive. Consumer complaints are banned outright, so do not post about a bad experience with a company. Politics, religion, bigotry, harassment, and doxxing are covered by “No Politics”, “No Bigotry, Religious & Offensive Content”, and “Personal Attacks & Harassment”, and those are zero tolerance zones. Crowdfunding and donations are not allowed, and neither is buying or selling pirated or illegal content. If you post a hiring ad, it needs monetary details in numbers, and freelancing or commission based solicitations are not allowed.
A note from Anthony
The Saturday rule is the thing that jumps out at me here. One day a week for promotions and surveys, and a pinned megathread for everything else, is a very clear signal about what the community wants its main feed to be. My advice is simple: show up on the other six days as a person answering questions, and earn the right to post your thing on Saturday.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog. Every guide is built from the community's own public rules and data, then checked by Rankhog's grounding audit before it goes live.
Common questions about r/StartUpIndia
What subreddits are similar to r/StartUpIndia?
Subreddits like r/StartUpIndia are r/Entrepreneur, r/startups, r/EntrepreneurRideAlong, r/startup, r/Entrepreneurs, r/venturecapital, r/startups_promotion and r/startup_resources.
Can I post about my startup?
Only on Saturdays. Every other day, the “Promo, Survey, Piracy, Donations & Spam” rule sends startup promotions to the Weekly Pinned Megathread.
Can I run a survey here?
No. Surveys and market research are Saturday only, and on other days they belong in the Weekly Megathread.
Can I hire through this subreddit?
Yes, but the “Hiring & Job Seeking” rule says hiring posts must include monetary details in numbers, and commission or freelancing solicitations are not allowed.
Can I complain about a company that wronged me?
No. “Submission Guideline” includes “No Consumer Complaints”, so posts about a bad experience with a company get removed.
Can I write my post in Hindi or another Indian language?
Yes, but the title must be in English, and any non English content needs a translation.
Subreddits like r/StartUpIndia
Other rooms for the same crowd.