Startup grants & funding schemes in India

The AI by HER: The Impact Challenge for Women in AI is a global innovation challenge inviting women technologists and women-led teams to demonstrate AI solutions tackling large-scale or novel real-world public challenges. The initiative promotes inclusive innovation, gender equity, and Global South innovation. It aims to showcase scalable AI-for-Good applications at the India-AI Impact Summit in New Delhi (February 2026). Key benefits for top entries (up to 30 globally) include: * Funding

The Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) MedTech Mission is a Government of India initiative, managed by ANRF in collaboration with ICMR and the Gates Foundation, with a total budgeted outlay of **Rs. 750 crore** over 5 years. Its vision is to improve healthcare through equitable access to **high-quality, affordable, and innovative medical technologies** in India. The mission focuses on: * Supporting the development and commercialization of indigenous medical technologies. *

AIC - Anna Incubator is inviting applications for the **DST Seed Support Program (SSP)**, a major initiative by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. The program aims to empower technology-driven startups to transition from a ready **prototype to full commercialization**, accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in deep-tech and high-impact sectors. Key Benefits provided to selected startups: * **Funding:** Seed Support up to **Rs. 50 Lakhs**. *

**PropelX** is a flagship incubation initiative by the **IIT Ropar - Technology Business Incubator Foundation (TBIF)**, specifically designed to support **Deep Tech innovators**. The program offers an exclusive chance for **idea-stage and early-stage startups** to innovate, build, and scale by leveraging the IIT Ropar ecosystem. Program Benefits: * **Funding Support:** Seed funding/grant of up to **Rs. 2 Lakhs**. * **Incubation & Mentorship:** Dedicated incubation and expert mentorship. *

The **GENESIS Pilot Scheme**, under **MeitY Startup Hub (MSH)**, is a core component of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's national initiative to empower tech startups. The scheme is explicitly designed to enable startups, particularly those from **Tier-II and Tier-III cities**, to validate their **market-ready solutions** through **structured, real-world pilot projects** with large organizations. Key support mechanisms provided include: * **Financial Support:** Funding

The Scheme for "Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech sector (PRIP)" aims to transform India into a global R&D powerhouse in the Pharma MedTech sector. Key objectives include: * Enabling rapid discovery, development, and commercialization of drugs. * Enabling innovation in medical devices. * Promoting industry-academia collaboration. * Transforming growth from cost-based to innovation-driven. The scheme has a total financial outlay of Rs. 5000 crores. This includes support

The **GREAT Scheme (Grant for Research & Entrepreneurship across Accelerated Technology)** is an initiative under the **National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM)**, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Hosted by the Incubation Centre (IC) at IIT Patna, the scheme aims to support innovative projects focused on **Technical Textiles**. The program seeks to turn ideas into successful startups by providing incubation support and a comprehensive ecosystem. Key Offerings: * **Funding/Grant

The **Nitto Denko Startup Innovation Challenge** is a collaborative program between SINE IIT Bombay and Nitto Denko Corporation, focused on advancing innovations in **flexible sensing technologies** and enabling long-term strategic partnerships. The program aims to support startups that can leverage Nitto Denko's highly flexible and stretchable sensors (designed to measure angular displacement, flexing, strain, torsion, or force sensing) to create innovative solutions. The program duration is

The MeitY TIDE 2.0 EIR Program is a central government initiative, supported by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), designed to accelerate the idea-to-market journey of technology startups. Hosted by Maker Village, this 12-month program provides focused financial and technical support to innovators working on **ICT-enabled ideas** with high social relevance. The program support the development of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), facilitating IPR filings, and preparing

The IGNITE Program is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by **IDFC FIRST Bank** in partnership with **FITT-IIT Delhi**. It is designed for high-potential Deep-Tech startups. The program offers a **Grant of up to Rs. 30 Lakhs** to eligible ventures. IGNITE is envisioned as a structured initiative that combines: * **Funding** (Patient Capital) * **Mentorship** * **Outreach** and **Monitoring** It focuses on building a strong ecosystem of knowledge-sharing and capacity-building

The **LIC HFL - Social Trailblazer Program - Cohort 4** is the flagship Incubation Program of the IRMA ISEED Foundation, supported by LIC Housing Finance Limited's CSR initiative. The goal is to nurture the evolving ecosystem of **Indian Social Enterprises** by providing financial and technical assistance. The program is designed to incubate 10 startups, help them build capacity, become market-ready, and scale their business, addressing entrenched social and environmental problems. Key

The **Startup Ignition Grant 2025** is an initiative by the **SSU Innovation Tech Foundation (SSU I-TBI)**, supported under the **DST-NIDHI project**. The grant aims to support innovative, technology-driven startups ready to **build and scale** their ideas by providing: * **Funding:** Grant support of up to **Rs. 10 Lakhs**. * **Support:** Expert mentorship, incubation, and access to labs and resources. * **Exposure:** Opportunities for national and global exposure. The financial assistance