Startup grants & funding schemes in India

The NIDHI Seed Support Program (NIDHI-SSP) at IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre is an equity-based seed funding initiative implemented under the Department of Science and Technology's National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations. The program is designed to support and accelerate promising DeepTech startups by providing early-stage capital along with structured incubation and ecosystem support. Through this program, selected startups receive equity-based investment of

This initiative is designed to support Scheduled Tribe innovators who are building innovative and technology-driven business ideas with strong commercial potential. The program focuses on nurturing early-stage startups by providing equity-based financial support rather than loans, enabling founders to concentrate on product development and market validation without immediate repayment pressure. The scheme aims to empower young innovators, students, and early entrepreneurs from the Scheduled

PropelX 2.0 is a flagship startup support initiative by the Technology Business Incubator Foundation at IIT Ropar, aimed at nurturing visionary founders, researchers, and innovators working on cutting-edge technologies. The program is designed to help early-stage startups transform bold ideas into scalable and high-impact ventures by providing a structured incubation environment. Selected startups gain access to expert mentorship, advanced R&D laboratories, and strong technical infrastructure

The Investor Readiness Program (IRP) , Cohort 4 is a 24-week, equity-free and fee-free accelerator designed to prepare healthcare startups for successful fundraising. Supported as a **CSR initiative by Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd.**, the program focuses on enabling startups to raise **Rs. 1, 10 Cr within the next 12, 18 months**. ### Benefits - Assured **grant of up to Rs. 5 Lakhs** for selected startups - **1:1 active investor-led mentoring** aligned with fundraising goals

FutureSites Innovation Program is a joint initiative by DPIIT Startup India and the CII Centre of Excellence for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Startups, in collaboration with a leading Oil and Gas corporate retail business unit. The program is designed to accelerate next-generation retail technology solutions by enabling startups to solve real-world operational challenges in live retail environments. The program focuses on three strategic challenge areas including agentic store operations

WE START is a structured 3-month pre-incubation program by Kerala Startup Mission designed exclusively for women-led startups and aspiring women entrepreneurs. The program focuses on supporting founders in converting innovative ideas into functional MVPs through structured learning, expert mentorship, and practical guidance. Participants gain access to workshops, industry insights, and resources covering the entire early-stage startup journey, from ideation to market readiness. The

The Bosch-BMU Innovation Challenge is a 16-week innovation and prototyping program aimed at fostering solutions for safe, inclusive, and sustainable mobility. The program seeks to identify and support startups, innovators, and researchers working on impactful and scalable mobility solutions that reduce environmental impact, enhance road safety, and improve accessibility. Key focus areas include connectivity, synthetic fuels and clean technologies, electrification, innovative brake systems

Sustainovation Challenge 2.0 is a national-level climate and social innovation program launched by AIC RAISE Business Incubator in collaboration with Startup India and DPIIT under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge. The program is designed to accelerate startups building impactful solutions for a sustainable India by supporting climate-focused and socially inclusive innovations. Selected startups are onboarded into a 14-week structured incubation program that provides hands-on mentorship

WE-Escalate is a six-month acceleration program launched by Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre with the objective of empowering women-led startups in the life sciences ecosystem of Karnataka. The program is designed to help women innovators validate their technologies, accelerate product development, and enable faster deployment of solutions into real-world markets. The initiative focuses on nurturing early-stage women entrepreneurs while also supporting growth-stage startups to scale their

The Antler India AI Residency , 2nd Edition is a high-intensity, three-week residency program designed to help ambitious AI founders build and launch global companies from day zero. This residency is built for founders who want to move extremely fast, validate their AI startup idea, form strong founding teams, and secure pre-seed funding within weeks. The program culminates in a fast-tracked investment decision, offering selected startups an opportunity to raise Rs. 4 crore in exchange for

Titan Capital is actively partnering with early-stage founders building differentiated and high-conviction businesses. The firm focuses on backing startups at the pre-seed and seed stages with a long-term perspective rather than short-term hype cycles. Titan Capital follows a hands-on, founder-first approach by moving quickly on decisions and supporting portfolio companies with not just capital but also deep strategic insight. Founders benefit from access to an operator-led network of

The Avaana , Startup India Grand Challenge for Deep Tech Innovation 2025, 26 is a nationwide flagship initiative designed to identify and empower breakthrough deep-tech innovators building solutions for India's most critical strategic priorities. Now in its third edition, the Grand Challenge has emerged as one of India's leading platforms for frontier technology startups, backed by policymakers, industry leaders, academia, and capital providers. The program enables startups to accelerate