Startup grants & funding schemes in India

The Business Accelerator Program , Cohort 2 is a six-month capacity-building accelerator designed exclusively for SC, ST entrepreneurs. The program is organized by AIC-InFED at IIM Nagpur in collaboration with the National SC ST Hub and is supported under the World Bank, backed RAMP Project of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. The accelerator aims to strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities and enable sustainable business growth through a structured mix

The Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation & Acceleration Program is a joint initiative by T-Works and HDFC Bank Parivartan, designed to support hardware startups that are transitioning from prototype to market deployment. This program focuses on startups that often stall just before commercialization by providing hands-on manufacturing, engineering, and capital support. Selected startups receive access to advanced manufacturing infrastructure, rapid prototyping facilities at T-Works, and

The **FICCI Mercedes-Benz Bharat Innovation & Business Ideas Challenge Programme** is a national-level innovation initiative anchored by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in partnership with Mercedes-Benz India, and supported by Startup India (DPIIT). The programme is designed to nurture early-stage and growth-stage startups building **future-ready, sustainable, and high-impact solutions** aligned with India's economic, social, and sustainability priorities. It

**FinNest 1.0** is a flagship fintech acceleration program focused on driving **financial inclusion** through innovative technology-led solutions. The program is jointly launched by **IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre (IIML EIC)** and **HDFC Bank** under the **HDFC Bank Parivartan** initiative. The program specifically supports startups working in the domains of **Agriculture, Climate, and Sustainability**, enabling them to scale impactful fintech solutions that promote green growth

**Digi-SAPNE 2.0 (Startup Acceleration Program for North East)** is an acceleration initiative by AIC SMU Technology Business Incubation Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The program is designed to empower early-stage entrepreneurs and startups from the North Eastern states of India who are solving regional challenges through technology-driven innovations. Digi-SAPNE focuses on building a strong startup ecosystem in the North East by

GINCELERATOR 3.0 is a flagship DST, NIDHI supported accelerator program by GINSERV, designed to help healthtech and medtech startups transition from validation to large-scale hospital adoption and commercialization. The program offers a structured 6-month accelerator journey focused on clinical adoption, real-world healthcare deployment, and market scalability. Selected startups receive direct access to hospitals and clinical experts, mentorship from industry and medical leaders, investor

The Meristems Student Grant-in-Aid Program is an agripreneurship orientation and support initiative run by the ANGRAU Poshan Incubator under the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubation Scheme, funded and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The program is aimed at students with innovative ideas or proof of concepts in agriculture and allied sectors who wish to build agri-startups as a career pathway. It offers a structured one-month training program

Agri YOCH is an Agripreneurship Orientation Program (AOP) implemented by the ANGRAU Poshan Incubator under the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubation Scheme, supported and funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The program is designed to support individuals with innovative ideas or early prototypes in agriculture and allied sectors through a structured one-month orientation programme. Participants undergo mentoring-cum hands-on internship alongside

Agri INVO is the Startup Agri-Business Incubation Program (SAIP) implemented by the ANGRAU Poshan Incubator under the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubation Scheme, funded and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The program provides seed-stage grant-in-aid support to agri-startups that have developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) based on innovative solutions, processes, products, services, or business models in agriculture and allied sectors. The

Samvardhan 2026 is a 6-month design-focused accelerator program created to bridge the gap between prototype and market for hardware-centric healthcare startups in India. The program is led by PIEDS (Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society) in partnership with Studio Carbon, with ecosystem access to BIRAC, Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, and BITSDES. It is designed for startups building affordable, scalable healthcare hardware solutions ready for

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) Program at IIT Tirupati Navavishkar I-Hub Foundation (IITTNiF) is designed to encourage aspiring innovators and first-generation entrepreneurs to pursue technology-based entrepreneurship by reducing early-stage risk and opportunity cost. Powered by Operation Dronagiri and the Geo-Intel Lab at IITTNiF, the program supports individuals with high-potential, deep-tech ideas to convert them into product-driven and scalable startups. The initiative focuses on

The CDFD Technology Incubator Program at BRIC-CDFD is a life sciences-focused incubation initiative designed to support academic entrepreneurs, individual innovators, and startups working in biotechnology and allied disciplines. Hosted at the BRIC-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad, the incubator provides access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure including advanced genomics and proteomics cores, an Experimental Animal Facility, greenhouse, and shared