Startup grants & funding schemes in India

The AI & AgriTech Innovation Center, launched under the Maha Agri-AI Policy 2025, 2029 by the Government of Maharashtra, aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, and frontier digital technologies across the agricultural value chain. Track 1, 'Discovery & Ideation', is designed to accelerate innovation at the earliest stages by supporting novel ideas and prototypes leveraging AI and data technologies to solve key agricultural challenges. This track encourages out-of-the-box

This initiative, led by GCI-BIRAC, is a grant program aiming to support **transformative women's health innovation** by creating locally relevant, affordable, and acceptable **vaginal health solutions** for over 400 million Indian women of reproductive age. The initiative seeks to bridge the critical gap between cutting-edge vaginal formulation science and ground-level implementation. It encourages applications that combine scientific rigor with user-centered design to deliver products that

Pulse AI for Fintech is a 24-week accelerator program jointly launched by SanchiConnect and ThinKuvate. It is designed to provide quick term sheets and fast-track the growth of 4-6 selected startups leveraging AI for FinTech solutions. The program offers an upfront investment of INR 2-3 Crore per startup, along with a focus on market access through Go-to-Market strategies, partner connects, pilot opportunities, and participation in an offshore global demo day. Key benefits include one-on-one

The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award is an annual, global award that recognizes an exceptional young leader, aged 18 to 30, who is using technology, innovation, and social impact solutions to advance the United Nations Global Goals and contribute to ending extreme poverty. The award provides a **USD 250,000 grant** which is paid directly to the legally registered organization affiliated with the winning applicant. This funding is intended to support scaling innovative

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