ADVAYA Plastic Circularity Innovation Launchpad - SIIC IIT Kanpur Cohort 2

• A good fit for startups at any stage working on circular-economy or plastic-waste-reduction innovation.

About this scheme

ADVAYA, the Plastic Circularity Innovation Launchpad, is a CSR-funded incubation and acceleration programme delivered together by Pernod Ricard India Foundation and the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur. Its second cohort looks for tech-led ventures tackling plastic waste and the circular economy, spanning collection, segregation, recycling, reuse, alternative materials, and traceability.

Money is tiered by maturity: ventures at the earliest stages get a grant of Rs. 8 lakh, while those moving from early to growth stage get Rs. 12 lakh. Disbursal is tied to milestones, with regular check-ins across the incubation period.

The programme adds far more than cash. Picks get residential training on the IIT Kanpur campus, the use of SIIC's incubation infrastructure, and continual mentoring from faculty, industry figures, and policy specialists. Real pilot routes open up through ties with urban local bodies, industry, and communities, and the structure builds in follow-on funding links to investors and ecosystem partners. Priority circularity themes include collection and segregation, material recovery, recycling and reprocessing, waste-to-value, reuse and refill systems, alternative packaging, and traceability technology, and applicants need to show they map to identified demand hotspots.

Who can apply

• The startup has to be incorporated and running in India.
• Only private limited companies that have all compliances in order may apply.
• It must work in at least one of: collection, segregation, or material recovery; recycling, reprocessing, or waste-to-value; reuse, refill, or alternative materials and packaging; or traceability, sortability, and circular-operations technology.
• Early-stage entrants should be at the idea, prototype, or MVP point with a clear plan to execute.
• Early-to-growth entrants should have a working product or prototype showing early validation, pilots, customer adoption, or revenue.
• There must be at least one full-time employee.
• The product or technology has to be original, proprietary, or properly licensed, not something off the shelf.
• A recognised legal entity structure is required.

Eligible entity types: Private Limited

Benefits & funding

• A non-dilutive grant of Rs. 8 lakh for early-stage startups or Rs. 12 lakh for early-to-growth startups, released in milestone-linked tranches.
• Residential incubation on the IIT Kanpur campus, with the use of SIIC infrastructure.
• Mentoring from IIT faculty and industry experts, market-access help via urban local bodies and industry partners, and follow-on funding links to investors and ecosystem partners.

How the application process works

The journey below is informational, compiled from the official program guidelines. Applications are submitted directly with Pernod Ricard India Foundation, in your own name.

1. 1

   The SIIC IIT Kanpur programme team screens and assesses each application.

2. 2

   Those shortlisted pitch to an expert jury for outside evaluation.

3. 3

   After final selection comes due diligence and onboarding, and milestone-based incubation then begins on the IIT Kanpur campus.

Documents checklist 4

• Pitch deck (ppt, pptx, or pdf, up to 50 MB)
• Resume or CV for each leadership team member
• Resume or CV for advisory team members
• Certificate of incorporation (PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, PNG, JPG, or JPEG)

Need help getting these in order? IncorpX provides assistance for incorporation, DPIIT recognition, MSME and GST registrations along with document preparation.

Frequently asked questions