Academic institutions backing Indian startups

PIEDS functions as an academic technology business incubator, operating from BITS Pilani. This organisation is dedicated to supporting deep-tech startups, focusing on areas such as IoT, semiconductors, healthcare, and renewable energy. It is backed by both DST and NITI Aayog. PIEDS offers various funding opportunities to Indian startups, including both grant and equity options through its programs. - SMT. Raj Kumari Jain Seed Fund for Innovation at PIEDS BITS Pilani: Provides grants ranging from ₹30L to ₹50L. - GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) Program Cohort 2: Offers grants up to ₹10L. - Saksham – Women Entrepreneurship Support Program: Provides grants up to ₹10L. - PIEDS x 1811 Labs : Gen AI Accelerator: Offers grants up to ₹10L. - PIEDS SIDBI iDEX Fund - BITS Pilani PIEDS: Provides grants up to ₹1.5Cr. - Mookerji Innovation Fund (MIF): Offers equity funding from ₹5L to ₹50L. - PIEDS Acceleration Opportunity: Provides grants up to ₹10L.

SIIC IIT Kanpur is an academic provider supporting startups. Further details can be found on their website, https://siicincubator.com. This entity offers grant funding for various initiatives. Their programs include: - IITK FinTech Spark Program at SIIC IIT Kanpur: Provides grants up to ₹4L. - IITK FinTech Spark Program: Offers grants up to ₹6L. - RKVY-RAFTAAR Scheme Student Agripreneurs – SIIC IIT Kanpur: Grants available up to ₹4L. - UDAAN Drone Acceleration Program – SIIC IIT Kanpur (Cohort 3): Grant amounts vary. - RKVY-RAFTAAR Agritech Startup Scheme: Offers grants ranging from ₹5L to ₹25L. - EngSUI Innovation Challenge: Provides grants up to ₹20L. - EngSUI Seed Fund: Offers grants up to ₹1Cr.

Agri-business incubator at ICAR-NAARM Hyderabad running the Agri UDAAN accelerator and supporting food and agriculture startups with mentoring, seed funding, and SIDBI partnerships.

IHFC, IIT Delhi functions as a Technology Innovation Hub dedicated to cobotics. This academic institution focuses on incubating startups within key advanced technology sectors. The hub supports emerging companies in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), drones, and medical devices. It offers grant funding through several distinct programs, including: - Bharat Safety: Design. Deploy. Deliver. by AIC IIT Delhi & Honda India Foundation, providing grants up to ₹10 Lakh. - Bharat Byte Semiconductor Accelerator at AIC IIT Delhi, with grants up to ₹10 Lakh. - KrishiTech Synapse 2026 by IHFC, IIT Delhi, offering grants up to ₹5 Crore. - IHFC–ARTPARK–Siemens Healthineers MedTech Call for Proposals 2026, providing grants up to ₹2 Crore. - IHFC–India Accelerator MedTech Impact Call 2026, with grants up to ₹5 Crore.

The IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre is an academic incubator that supports early-stage startups. Based at the IIM Lucknow Noida campus, the centre delivers programs that typically span 24 months, providing both seed funding and mentorship. It runs several programs for startups, including: - NIDHI Seed Support Program (NIDHI-SSP), which offers equity funding up to ₹25L. - UDBHAV 2.0 Program, providing grant funding. - UDBHAV 3.0 Blockchain Incubation — IIML EIC CoE, also offering grant funding. - ImpactNest 2.0 Accelerator Program, with grant funding up to ₹2.5L. - AgriTech Acceleration Program 2026, offering grant funding up to ₹1L.

Agri-food startup incubator at IIT Kharagpur, supported under the central RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme.

IIMA Ventures is an Academic funding provider. Its official website is https://iimaventures.com. This organisation offers equity funding to Indian startups. It runs several programs designed to support various sectors. These include: - The "Women's Economic Empowerment" program, which provides equity funding from ₹45L. - The "Bharat Inclusion Initiative by IIMA Ventures", also offering equity funding from ₹45L. - The "IIMA Ventures Aerospace & Defence Acceleration Fund", which provides equity funding up to ₹3.7Cr.

IIMK LIVE operates as the business incubator and entrepreneurship centre associated with IIM Kozhikode. It supports startups through various initiatives. The centre offers various programs for entrepreneurs, including incubation, a LIFE fellowship, and the FINN X accelerator. For funding, IIMK LIVE provides grants to Indian startups through specific programs: - The WeaveX Textile Incubation Program offers grants up to ₹50L. - The DST–NIDHI Seed Support Scheme (SSS) provides grants up to ₹1Cr. - The USHUS Seed Grant Program offers grants ranging from ₹10L to ₹30L.

India's first Atal Community Innovation Centre at a private university, incubating 140+ startups in Jaipur

ACIC-BMU Foundation is an academic organisation that supports early-stage startups. It operates as the Atal Community Innovation Centre at BML Munjal University. This foundation concentrates its efforts on empowering women entrepreneurship within the startup ecosystem. It primarily assists startups located in Gurugram. The organisation provides various funding opportunities for Indian startups. These include both grant-based and equity-based support through its initiatives: - BOSCH–BMU Innovation Challenge Cohort 2 (grant funding) - Women in Tech Accelerator by ACIC-BMU Foundation & Ideabaaz (equity funding)

Atal Incubation Centre at Indian School of Business, Mohali, accelerating early-stage founders with ISB's network and mentorship.

IIT Delhi's tech transfer and incubation arm — 280+ startups, ₹450 Cr+ funding facilitated since 1992.

Himachal Pradesh's first technology business incubator at IIT Mandi, supporting 600+ startups with Rs 24.7 Cr in funding disbursed.

DST-funded Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Palakkad focused on intelligent collaborative systems for energy and safety applications.

NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore operates as an academic provider. Its official website is https://nsrcel.org. This entity provides grant funding to Indian startups. Among its initiatives are: - Healthcare Incubation Program – NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, which offers grants of varying amounts. - NSRCEL Launchpad 30 at IIM Bangalore, providing grants up to ₹5L.

Agritech incubation initiative at ICAR-IARI Pusa, New Delhi, supporting startups commercialising agricultural research.

Technology business incubator at IIT Roorkee fostering innovation through the TIDES Ignition Program and SAKSHI acceleration initiative, with MeitY TIDE 2.0 funding for ICT startups.

DST-funded technology business incubator at VJTI Mumbai supporting cleantech, IoT, and cybersecurity startups.

AIC Banasthali is an academic institution operating as an Atal Incubation Centre at Banasthali Vidyapith. It is uniquely dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs across India. The centre provides seed funding to startups. Its offerings include the NIDHI Seed Support Program at AIC Banasthali (For Women Entrepreneurs), which offers equity funding. Through this program, startups can access between ₹25L and ₹50L.

Atal Innovation Mission-backed Section-8 incubator at IIT Delhi Technopark Sonipat, with 10,000 sq ft of makerspace and labs.

AIC RAISE functions as an academic organisation that supports startups. Further details are available on its official website, https://aicraise.com. This provider offers funding opportunities for startups, including the following program: - Sustainovation Challenge 2.0 at AIC RAISE, which offers grant funding up to ₹5L.

Hardware-focused Atal Incubation Centre at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, with partnerships with Dassault Systemes and HCL Technologies.

Pune-based Atal Incubation Centre with a 12-month incubation program and EMERGE pre-incubation track across EV, climate, AI, and healthtech.

Odisha's first Atal Incubation Centre at Nalanda Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar — seed fund up to ₹25 lakhs.

Award-winning incubator at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Kerala, funding startups up to Rs 1 crore with 208+ ventures incubated.

Early-stage incubation centre focused on futuristic and advanced technologies for Indian startups.

DST-approved startup incubation centre at COEP Technological University Pune, offering innovation labs, co-working space, mentorship, and virtual incubation programs.

One of India's largest academic incubators at IIIT Hyderabad, housing 80+ startups across deep tech, MedTech, and social tech with 40,000 sq ft of incubation space.

The Centre for Next-Gen Entrepreneurship in Science & Technology Foundation (CNEST), KLE Tech is an academic organization. Based at KLE Tech in Belagavi, Karnataka, it supports deep-tech founders. This foundation focuses on startups in areas such as AgriTech, MedTech, and AI/ML. CNEST, KLE Tech provides grant funding to early-stage ventures through its program: - CNEST TBI 2.0 — KLE Tech Belagavi, Karnataka: Offers grant funding up to ₹10L.

University-backed, sector-agnostic startup incubator at CSJM University, Kanpur.

Section-8 company under Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University promoting rural innovation, entrepreneurship, and grassroots-level startup incubation.

Bangalore-based healthcare-focused incubator at Dayananda Sagar University, supported by DST NIDHI, DBT-BIRAC, and MeitY, offering pre-incubation to acceleration programs.

The EDII, Tamil Nadu is an academic organisation that functions as Tamil Nadu's apex body. It is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship education, supporting startup incubation, and facilitating MSME development within the state. This provider offers grant funding to Indian startups through its initiatives. One such program is the EDII Tamil Nadu Innovation Voucher Programme, which provides grants ranging from ₹3L to ₹7L.

Executive graduate school offering an MBA in Arts Innovation and social entrepreneurship

Greenovator Incubation Foundation (GIF), located at NIT Srinagar, operates as an academic incubator. This organisation functions as India's initial green-tech incubator, dedicated to supporting ventures in specialized sectors. It is a DST-backed iTBI, concentrating on startups within AgriTech, EnviroTech, and AlterTech domains. GIF aims to foster innovation in these critical areas.The foundation provides funding to Indian startups primarily through grant programs. These include: - Greenovator i-TBI Ignition Grant Cohort 3.0 — NIT Srinagar, offering funding up to ₹10L.

GUSEC functions as an Academic incubation hub, affiliated with Gujarat University. Based in Ahmedabad, it offers zero-cost incubation services to startups. Through its initiatives, GUSEC provides seed funding to emerging Indian ventures. One of its key programs is the NIDHI SSS Seed Support at GUSEC, which offers equity funding up to ₹50 lakh.

IIT (BHU) Varanasi's Technology Innovation Hub for Data Analytics & Predictive Technologies under NM-ICPS.

IIM Calcutta's Section 8 incubator supporting 1,000+ startups with business mentorship, funding access, and social impact programs.

IIM Udaipur's DST-supported incubator running cohort-based programs for startups in Rajasthan with mentoring and investor access.

IIMV FIELD is the incubation hub of IIM Visakhapatnam, operating as an academic provider. It offers pre-incubation, acceleration, and seed support. This hub specifically supports women entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. IIMV FIELD runs the "Naaripreneur for Her Program Cohort 2 – IIMV FIELD," which provides grant funding of up to ₹5L.

India's largest deeptech startup hub with 500+ incubated startups spanning robotics, AI, space tech, and advanced manufacturing.

IIT Ropar's DST-backed incubator providing seed funding, labs, and structured programs for deeptech startups in Punjab.

DST-funded Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Tirupati specializing in positioning and precision technologies for navigation and mapping.

The Incubation Centre IIT Patna is an academic incubator based at IIT Patna. This government-funded initiative is dedicated to supporting startups in Bihar, with a specific focus on areas such as electronics system design, medical devices, IoT, and deep tech. The centre provides essential resources like coworking spaces and prototyping support to its incubated ventures. Further information can be found on their website, https://iciitp.com. Among its offerings, the Incubation Centre IIT Patna administers programs designed to provide funding to emerging companies. These include: - Innovate with SSDI Program at Incubation Centre IIT Patna: This program offers grant funding, where the specific amount varies.

IIM Nagpur's incubation foundation supporting 65+ startups with programs including a dedicated Women Startup Program.

ISB I-Venture functions as an academic incubator, offering support to startups in India. Accessible through its website, i-venture.org, this organisation provides equity funding to new ventures. Among its programs, ISB I-Venture runs the ISB I-WIN Accelerator for Women-Led Startups (Cohort 5).

DST-supported deep-tech incubator at IIT Hyderabad, having supported 70+ startups since 2015 that have generated over 100 crore rupees in revenue and created 800+ jobs.

Design-business incubator at Karnavati University in Gandhinagar, integrating design thinking, technology, and business mentorship to support startups in robotics, cybersecurity, and health-tech.

Award-winning TBI at KIIT University — 380+ startups, ₹1,300 Cr+ follow-on funding raised.

DST-recognised technology business incubator (KLE-CTIE) in Hubballi, Karnataka, supporting 145+ startups in IT, electronics, and ESDM with funding and mentorship.

India's first hospital-based incubator funded by BIRAC BioNEST, supporting healthcare innovators in medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health at LVPEI Hyderabad.

MSInS-funded technology business incubator at Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Sangli, supporting 30+ startups in western Maharashtra with funding up to INR 10 lakh.

Runway Incubator, UPES is an academic incubator, supported by UPES in Dehradun. This incubator assists startups across various stages, from initial ideation to becoming investment-ready. It provides cohort-based programs and mentorship to help achieve these goals. Among its offerings, Runway Incubator, UPES runs the UPES DST-iTBI Ignition Grant 2.0 – Runway Incubator. This program offers grant funding up to ₹10 lakh for eligible ventures.

Sharda University's Section 8 incubator supporting startups across India and abroad

One of India's pioneering academic incubators at IIT Bombay, SINE has supported 245+ tech startups that have collectively raised over $940 million and produced unicorns like Gupshup.

DST-funded Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Hyderabad for autonomous navigation and cyber-physical systems, with a 135-crore mandate and India's first testbed for autonomous vehicles.

Uttishthati Foundation i-TBI is an academic incubation centre operating under NIT Hamirpur. This i-TBI receives support from the Department of Science & Technology (DST). Its website is https://nith.ac.in/ITBI/index.html. The foundation focuses on assisting founders, particularly those based in the Himachal region. It provides crucial support through ignition grants and access to essential prototyping infrastructure. Among its initiatives, the foundation offers the following program: - Uttishthati Foundation i-TBI Ignition Grant 2.0 — NIT Hamirpur, which provides grant funding up to ₹10L.