Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program

Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations is an incubation program run by NSRCEL, the startup hub at IIM Bangalore, in partnership with Capgemini. It targets social ventures that address gaps in India's skilling and livelihood ecosystem, with a strong focus on non-metro and rural areas. The program aims to help ventures create dignified and sustainable livelihood pathways by enabling them to innovate, implement, and scale their solutions.

Selected ventures benefit from structured incubation over 8–9 months, including access to domain experts, strategic guidance, and institutional networks. Key focus areas include refining value propositions and business models, preparing for alternate funding sources and fundraising, legal and compliance support, impact measurement readiness, leadership capacity building, and leveraging technology for scale.

The program supports both for-profit and non-profit ventures and offers grants of up to ₹12.5 lakhs. NSRCEL does not charge any fees or take equity from founders.

Sectors in focus encompass Youth Employment Innovation, Future-Ready Skills Development (including green skills and digital fluency), Entrepreneurship & Self-Employment (nano enterprises/MSMEs), Rural Income Enhancement (e.g., food processing, agri-value addition, arts & crafts, tourism, climate-resilient livelihoods with a special focus on women), and Inclusive Economic Participation (PWD, LGBTQAI+, and other marginalized groups).

• Up to ₹12.5 lakhs grant with no equity or fees taken.
• 8–9 months of structured incubation by NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore in partnership with Capgemini.
• Focus on skilling, livelihoods, and sustainability in non-metro and rural areas.
• Open to both for-profit and non-profit entities at MVP to early revenue stage.
• Must have a minimum of 1 year of operations, 3 employees, and at least one full-time founder.

Eligible applicants must be registered for-profit or non-profit entities that have been operational for at least one year. They should be at the MVP to Early Revenue/Growth stage with a proven proof of concept or pilots, and must demonstrate early traction or early customers. Each venture must have at least one full-time founder actively committed and a minimum of three employees. The venture should be impact-first, with direct potential to impact at least three UN Sustainable Development Goals, and must operate within the identified focus sectors of skilling and livelihood innovation.

Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

• Grants of up to ₹12.5 lakhs
• 8–9 months of structured incubation
• Access to domain experts, strategic guidance, and institutional networks
• Fundraising readiness support
• Legal and compliance support
• Impact measurement readiness
• Leadership capacity building
• Technology leveraging for scale
• No fees charged and no equity taken by NSRCEL

Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program is offered by NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, an academic institution. It is delivered directly by NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore as a grant. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

1. Submit the online application form.
2. Applications are reviewed by the selection committee.
3. Shortlisted ventures undergo an internal review and a 1:1 conversation with the program team.
4. Further shortlisted ventures present to an external panel through a 6–7 minute pitch.
5. Selected ventures undergo due diligence.
6. Final onboarding into the 8–9 month incubation program.

Before you apply to Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

Impact Orbit – Skilling & Livelihood Innovations Program is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹12.5L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.