Startup Grants for Idea-Stage Startups in India

a16z speedrun

a16z Speedrun invests up to $1M in early-stage global startups, providing capital, free credits, and expert support.

Bharat Startup Grand Challenge (BSGC) 2026

A DPIIT-approved national challenge for Indian startups with grants up to ₹5L, mentorship, and incubation.

IIMA Ventures Aerospace & Defence Acceleration Fund

IIMA Ventures Aerospace & Defence Acceleration Fund provides equity funding of ₹3.7Cr and mentorship for pre-seed/seed deeptech startups in aerospace, defence, and space-tech.

Jharkhand Startup Policy: Patent Filing Cost Reimbursement

Full reimbursement of patent filing costs for eligible Jharkhand startups with under ₹25 Cr turnover, fostering innovation and intellectual property protection.

Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program at IITM Pravartak

₹35,000/month stipend for up to 12 months for Indian innovators building CPS prototypes pre-incorporation at IIT Madras Pravartak.

Emergent Ventures India by Mercatus Center

Equity-free grant for Indian founders with bold zero-to-one ideas, from Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

IHFC READY Program

Deep-tech pre-seed incubation for final year students and recent graduates at IIT Delhi, offering up to ₹5L equity-free grant and lab access.

Bharat Inclusion Initiative by IIMA Ventures

USD 50K+ tranched grant capital plus incubation for fintech, livelihoods and skilling startups serving low-income India.

AIC Mahindra Incubation Program

Non-monetary incubation for early-stage founders with mentorship, campus facilities, and expert guidance. No equity taken.

NSRCEL Campus Founders Programme by IIM Bangalore

Equity-free grant up to ₹5L & incubation for student founders by IIM Bangalore.

Patent Reimbursement Incentives: Karnataka Startup Policy

Reimbursement of patent filing fees (₹2L–₹10L) for KBITS-registered incubated startups in Karnataka.

Zero Equity Incubation Program

Zero equity incubation for Indian startups in emerging technologies, with special support for female founders.

Soma Fellows

Global equity fellowship for early-stage founders with unicorn mentor access and SF/NYC office space.

DBDIC Incubation Cohort 2026

Incubation for deeptech, climate-tech & biotech startups across all stages in Gurugram.

Jharkhand Startup Policy - Rental Assistance for Startups

50% reimbursement for office rent in Jharkhand STPIs, SEZs, or IT Parks for eligible startups.

Idea Grant

Equity-free grant up to ₹3L for Kerala-based tech startups at idea, PoC, or MVP stage.

AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures

Patent Assistance

Reimbursement of patent filing costs up to ₹5 lakh for DPIIT-recognized MP startups.

EDII-TN Innovation Voucher Program — AIC RAISE Hardware Cohort

₹3L–₹7L innovation voucher for Tamil Nadu hardware MSMEs and startups via AIC RAISE.

Haryana Startup Policy 2022 Lease Rental Subsidy for Startups

Lease rental reimbursement up to ₹5L/year for DPIIT-recognized startups in Haryana; enhanced subsidy for women-led startups.

Thiel Fellowship — $250K Grant for Young Founders Under 22

₹2.25 crore equity-free grant for founders aged 22 or younger, drop out of college and build for two years.

DBDIC Incubation Cohort 2026

Research-to-market incubation for deep tech startups in climate, biotech, materials, and other emerging technologies.

Jharkhand Startup Policy: Sustenance Allowance

Monthly stipend for Jharkhand-registered startups with active full-time founders, turnover under ₹25 Cr, and less than 5 years incorporation.

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) For Startups

Government seed grant up to ₹20L and debt up to ₹50L for DPIIT-recognised Indian tech startups under 2 years old. Rolling applications.

Akash Coherent ImpactTech Program by AIC-IIITH Foundation

Equity-free grant up to ₹2.2L for TRL 3+ deeptech startups solving social or climate problems.

EngSUI Innovation Challenge

An equity-free grant of up to ₹20L by EIL & SIIC IIT Kanpur to turn novel ideas into working prototypes for Indian citizens and student innovators.

Andhra University Centenary Innovation & Impact Grant (AUCIIG) — RUSA 2.0

Up to ₹5L grant for Andhra University students, faculty, and researchers building innovations and startups.

AI2 Incubator

Equity incubator for early-stage applied AI startups, up to ₹54M cash + $1M cloud credits.

Madhya Pradesh Startup Policy 2022: Sustenance Allowance for Startups

Monthly ₹10,000 sustenance allowance for DPIIT-recognized startups in Madhya Pradesh, disbursed via incubators.

iCreate Pro-Fund Gateway Prototype/PoC Funding Support

iCreate connects innovators and startups at the idea-to-PoC stage with government funding schemes from GoI and the Government of Gujarat, alongside mentorship, lab access, and on-campus incubation.

Cloud Storage Reimbursement

Reimburse cloud storage costs for DPIIT-registered startups in Haryana. Up to ₹2.5L annually, 75% of expenses.

Centre of Excellence for Sustainability & Climate Action at C-CAMP

C-CAMP's Centre of Excellence backs bio-based climate innovations in environment, health, and agriculture with funding, incubation, and mentoring.

D.E.S.I.G.N. for BioE3 Challenge

BE3 challenge: cash + RD grant for bio-concept proposals, Indian nationals.

Atoms X

Pre-seed program backing mission-centric founders with breakthrough technology, products, or business models.

Seed Funding for Startups

Seed grant for DPIIT-recognized Haryana startups, up to ₹10 Lakh.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Accelerate Charitable Giving

Gates Foundation grant funding AI solutions to boost charitable giving, focusing on global health and development.

Bihar Startup Policy 2022: Zero Patent Filing Cost Scheme

100% reimbursement of patent filing costs for Bihar-registered startups under the Startup Policy 2022.

Reimbursement of VAT/CST/GST on Goods Supplied to Incubatees: Karnataka Startup Policy

GST/VAT/CST reimbursement on goods supplied to physically incubated Karnataka startups with turnover up to ₹50 lakhs, disbursed annually for first 3 incubation years.

Punjab Startup Policy Lease Rental Subsidy

Lease rental reimbursement for DPIIT-recognized startups operating in Punjab.

StartinUp

Equity-free grants for DPIIT-registered startups in Uttar Pradesh, offering up to ₹18.35L in funding plus mentorship.

EWOR Applications

European equity investment platform backing exceptional individuals from pre-idea to early revenue stage.

Orbit — AIC T-Hub SpaceTech Incubation Program

Orbit is AIC T-Hub's 24-week paid SpaceTech incubation program offering mentorship from ex-ISRO scientists, lab access, and global market access, with a program fee of ₹50,000 plus GST.

The Forum Accelerator

Pre-seed $100K equity accelerator for B2B software startups with fractional co-founder support and Fortune 500 intros.

Haryana Startup Policy 2022 Patent Cost Reimbursement Scheme

100% reimbursement of patent filing costs for DPIIT-recognized Haryana startups.

Vision 2 Venture Incubation Program – IC IIT Patna

Incubation support with lab access, mentorship, and grant guidance for early-stage startups at IIT Patna.

EDII Tamil Nadu Innovation Voucher Programme

Grant up to ₹7 lakhs for manufacturing MSMEs/startups in Tamil Nadu.

Innovation Voucher Program

Grant for Tamil Nadu hardware-based startups/MSMEs to develop prototypes and commercialize products.

Assistance for Participation in Acceleration Programs

Reimbursement up to ₹2.5L/year for Haryana DPIIT-recognized startups joining acceleration programs.

Pre Seed Fund

Forum Ventures provides up to ₹9Cr in pre-seed equity investment for B2B SaaS and AI startups. The program offers strategic guidance, operational support, and a rich network.

Jharkhand Startup Policy: Marketing Assistance Grant

One-time marketing grant up to ₹10 Lakh for Jharkhand-registered startups under ₹25 Cr turnover and less than 5 years old.

NEEV Startup Kickstart Program – Pre-Incubation Cohort 2026

Pre-incubation for early-stage & student founders, limited cohort.

Startup Srujan Seed Support (S4) – Cohort 3

Grants of ₹2.5–10 lakh for student innovators in Gujarat to develop prototypes and reach market readiness.

BCDD Grant by KSUM & BCDD Kerala

Equity-free grants up to ₹10L for OBC graduates in Kerala building tech startups, offered by KSUM and BCDD.

CNEST TBI 2.0 — KLE Tech Belagavi, Karnataka

Up to ₹10L equity-free seed support + TBI 2.0 incubation at KLE Tech Belagavi — for MedTech, AgriTech, AI/ML & Smart Manufacturing founders across Karnataka, Goa & Maharashtra.

NUZEN Agri-Startup Grant for Student Innovators – NaaViC (ICAR-NIVEDI)

NUZEN Agri-Startup Grant by NaaViC/ICAR-NIVEDI awards up to ₹4L non-dilutive grant to student innovators for agriculture and allied sector ideas at idea-to-prototype stage.

Greenovator i-TBI Ignition Grant Cohort 3.0 — NIT Srinagar

Prototype grant up to ₹10L from NIT Srinagar's DST-iTBI incubator (GIF) for science & tech-based startup ideas.

ELEVATE Aspire 2026 — Startup Karnataka Grant (Beyond Bengaluru)

One-time grant up to ₹50L for Karnataka startups registered outside Bengaluru Urban.

Samsung Mobile Advance 2026 — SRI-B & SRI-N

Up to ₹45L equity-free PoC grant for Indian startups to co-create next-gen mobile innovations with Samsung R&D India.

ELEVATE 2026 — Startup Karnataka Grant-in-Aid Program

Government of Karnataka grant up to ₹50L for proof-of-concept. Non-dilutive, milestone-based, with mentoring support.

Uttishthati Foundation i-TBI Ignition Grant 2.0 — NIT Hamirpur

Seed grant up to ₹10L for early-stage startups in deeptech, energy, agritech, and healthtech.

SRIJAN - R-ABI Student Entrepreneurship Programme

Non-dilutive student grant for agri-business ideas: up to ₹4L per student, no DPIIT registration needed. Open to students in Uttar Pradesh.

AP Build Grant — Build with AI: RTIH Startup Sprint

₹3–5L equity-free grant + 4-week AI prototype sprint for Andhra Pradesh startups & MSMEs.

USHUS Seed Grant Program at IIMK LIVE

Maritime startup seed grant of up to ₹30 lakhs from IIMK LIVE and Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

ELEVATE Shakti 2026 — Startup Karnataka Women-Led Grant

One-time grant up to ₹50L for women-led Karnataka startups (51%+ women equity).

BIRAC GCI — Screening & Diagnosis Innovations Open Call

BIRAC GCI grants up to ₹2 crore for breakthrough screening & diagnostics innovations in TB, emerging pathogens and enteric disease.

ANKURAN - R-ABI Agri-Entrepreneurship Orientation Program

Non-dilutive pre-seed grant up to ₹5L for farmers, students, youth with agri-business ideas.

UPES DST-iTBI Ignition Grant 2.0 – Runway Incubator

Up to ₹10L grant for early-stage innovators in DeepTech, AI/ML, AgriTech, and Sustainability by Runway Incubator, UPES DST-iTBI.

iDEX Open Challenge by DIO

Up to ₹1.5 crore equity-free defence grant for Indian startups, innovators, and MSMEs.

SMT. Raj Kumari Jain Seed Fund for Innovation at PIEDS BITS Pilani

Seed funding of ₹30–50 lakh for BITS Pilani students and recent alumni building innovation-led startups, combining non-matching and matching capital with institutional support from PIEDS.

Naaripreneur for Her Program Cohort 2 – IIMV FIELD

11-month incubation for women-led startups and ventures building solutions for women, by IIMV FIELD with CSR support from NBCC India. Offers mentorship, capacity building, and equity-free grants up to ₹5L.

DBT-BIRAC Joint Call for Proposals on Bio AI for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing under BioE3 Policy

DBT-BIRAC joint call under BioE3 to set up Bio AI hubs for high-performance biomanufacturing. Open to startups, LLPs, academic SIROs. Rolling applications until June 30, 2026.

ELEVATE Unnati 2026 — Startup Karnataka Grant for SC/ST Founders

A one-time grant of up to ₹50 lakh for Karnataka-registered startups where SC/ST founders hold at least 70% equity.

TiE Women – Pune Chapter

An equity-free grant platform for early-stage women founders with at least 33% equity, offering ₹45L in prize money and TiE mentorship.