Startup grants & funding schemes in India

The Grant for Agroecology Program (GAP) Fund , Challenge Round 6 is managed by ACCESS Development Services on behalf of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It supports enterprises working within agroecology value chains to establish or expand high-impact, sustainable business projects. The program provides grant investments between INR 100 lakhs and INR 200 lakhs (up to INR 2 crore) to Producer Organization Enterprises (POEs) and Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs). These

The Imagine H2O Accelerator supports early-stage water startups by offering tailored, zero-equity support to help them develop, pilot, and scale innovative water technologies. Startups receive sector-specific guidance, expert mentorship, and access to global markets. The program provides industry training, personalized development support, and introductions to customers, partners, and investors. Participants also benefit from increased visibility at major industry events, digital

This program supports innovative and scalable startups through the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. IIM Udaipur Incubation Centre offers investment support of up to Rs. 50 lakhs through Convertible Debentures, helping startups accelerate growth, refine their solutions, and expand their market presence. Selected startups also gain access to expert mentorship, guidance from industry leaders, and a strong network of investors and ecosystem partners.

The IndiaAI Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Challenge is a national initiative aimed at developing a robust, scalable, accurate, and secure AI engine for advanced document processing. The program seeks solutions leveraging OCR and NLP to extract, segment, structure, and analyse critical information from diverse document types, including certificates, affidavits, identity cards, transcripts, disciplinary proceedings, and more. The challenge focuses on building AI systems capable of

The DST NIDHI Start-to-Scale Startup Support program, powered by the DERBI Foundation, is a 3-month acceleration program designed as a launchpad for massive growth in the HealthTech sector. It specifically targets founders with market-ready products (TRL 9) to transform India's Healthtech landscape through structured mentorship, prototyping support, and market access. **Key Benefits:** * **Funding:** Deployment Grants up to Rs. 10 Lakhs. * **Connects:** Strategic Customer Connects and

* This is an official Pre-Summit Event for the **AI Impact Summit 2026**, focused on **'Building Inclusive AI for India and The World'**. * Selected teams get an **opportunity to showcase** their work at the Pre-Summit Event on January 23, 2026, at R&I Park, IIT Delhi. * The call for proposals is aimed at innovative AI startups and research teams with solutions across key sectors. * Promising projects may be considered for **incubation and funding** up to **Rs. 2 Crore** by IHFC. * **The

Fortify to Scale is a national nutrition-focused grand challenge launched under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge. It aims to empower startups working in nutraceuticals, fortified foods, functional foods, and dietary supplements. The program supports ventures addressing India's massive nutrition gap by enabling them to scale safely and scientifically. Powered by Jubilant Ingrevia Limited and backed by Bharat Impact's incubation ecosystem, the program provides access to technical expertise

The **Shell-GDC I-GNITE Program** is a global accelerator initiative focused on identifying and nurturing promising **AI-based STEM innovations and startups** in India that are working on **decarbonisation-related challenges**. The program supports teams at **Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 2, 4** through entrepreneurship training, business mentorship, and access to Shell's technical network and manufacturing resources. The core focus is on **AI for Science**, integrating generative learning

Meta Pragati AI for Impact is a 12-month structured program designed to accelerate the adoption and scaling of technology and AI-driven nonprofit solutions across India. The program focuses on strengthening the technology-for-impact ecosystem by supporting innovative AI pilots and scaling proven, non-commercial technology solutions for social good. It aims to unlock the potential of digital and AI innovation to drive inclusive and sustainable development. Selected organisations receive both

**AgriNext** is a flagship initiative under the **Kerala Climate Resilient Agri Value Chain Modernization Project (K-CRVAMP)**, a collaboration between the Government of Kerala and the World Bank. The Startup Innovation subcomponent, led by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), aims to support **150 agri-tech startups** with funding and incubation. The objective is to help commercialize products and integrate them into the agri-value chain by connecting them with over 40,000 farmers and

AGRI UDAAN is a dynamic Food and Agribusiness Accelerator program designed specifically for start-ups supported by NABARD. Organized by a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM, the program aims to empower innovative start-ups in the agribusiness sector by providing them with necessary resources, mentorship, and funding pathways to scale their ventures successfully. **Program Offerings:** * Strategic Mentoring: Tailored business mentorship focused on market validation and investor readiness. * Case-study based

An initiative to support innovators in the development of **5G infrastructure and next-generation 5G applications** that have the power to drive Industry 4.0 era and create the ecosystem of the future. The program aims to nurture next-gen innovators in Advanced Communication Systems.