Startup Grants & Funding for Minority-Owned Startups

Minority-owned startup grants and loans in India route primarily through the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), which provides concessional loans of up to ₹30 Lakhs for self-employment and microenterprise via state channelising agencies. Stand-Up India is open to SC/ST founders with greenfield project loans of ₹10 Lakhs to ₹1 Crore. NSIC, KVIC, and PMEGP schemes are widely used in manufacturing, handicrafts, and services — these are not minority-restricted but commonly accessed. Sector-specific support also flows through Hunar Haat (handicrafts) and TRIFED (tribal commerce).

Showing 1176+ programs for Indian startups

NaaViC, ICAR-NIVEDI

Up to ₹4L

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

Grant

Up to ₹4L grant-in-aid for student entrepreneurs building agri-startups from idea to prototype , NaaViC, ICAR-NIVEDI.

IIMV FIELD

Up to ₹5L

Naaripreneur for Her Program Cohort 2 – IIMV FIELD

Grant

11-month incubation for women-led startups and ventures building solutions for women , IIMV FIELD, CSR-backed by NBCC India Ltd.

Notion — workspace, docs and AI for startups

NITA-FIIE, NIT Agartala

₹2L – ₹5L

DST-iTBI NIT Agartala Call for Incubation & Ignition Grant

Grant

NIT Agartala's DST-iTBI incubator offers early-stage hardware/deeptech startups an equity-free ₹2–5 lakh ignition grant plus a 6-month incubation program.

Incubein Foundation (RTMNU BIC), Nagpur

Up to ₹10L

Incubein Foundation (RTMNU BIC) — Call for Applications

Grant

Funding support up to ₹10 Lakhs for early-stage startups, student innovators, and aspiring entrepreneurs in various tech sectors.

Apollo — B2B sales intelligence and lead database

BIRAC

Up to ₹2Cr

BIRAC GCI — Screening & Diagnosis Innovations Open Call

Grant

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

Hub71

₹3L – ₹5L

Access Programme

Grant

Abu Dhabi-based program for pre-seed to Series A tech startups offering cash, in-kind incentives, and market access.

Technology Development Board (TDB)

Up to ₹2.5Cr

Technology Development Board (TDB) India-Finland Joint Innovation Call 2026

Grant

Joint India-Finland R&D grant for sustainable energy, digital tech, and microelectronics projects.

T-Works

Varies

ASTRA 1.0 (Advanced Solutions in Technology for Resilience & Autonomy)

Grant

3-month defence tech accelerator for PoC-ready/early-revenue Indian hardware startups.

Semrush — SEO and online marketing toolkit

Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

₹1L – ₹25L

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

Competition

BioE3 Challenge for Indian citizens with biotech concept proposals.

EDII, Tamil Nadu

₹3L – ₹7L

EDII Tamil Nadu Innovation Voucher Programme

Grant

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

Cashfree — payments and payouts for Indian businesses

Invention Engine

Up to ₹90L

ACE $100k High-Touch AI Accelerator by Invention Engine

Grant

High-touch, founder-first accelerator for early-stage AI and deeptech startups. Provides up to $100K in capital and six months of co-founder-style support across product, GTM, and fundraising, with a very small cohort for deep engagement.

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹15L

Seed Fund Scheme - Kerala Startup Mission

Debt

Seed funding (loan) for early-stage Kerala startups working on innovative tech products.

n8n — workflow automation for technical teams

IIMA Ventures

₹45L+

Bharat Inclusion Initiative by IIMA Ventures

Equity

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

iCreate

₹2L – ₹30L

iCreate Pro-Fund Gateway Prototype/PoC Funding Support

Grant

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.

Unbounce — landing page builder and conversion optimization

IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation

₹4L

Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program at IITM Pravartak

Grant

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

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹3L

Idea Grant

Grant

Early-stage funding for innovative tech startups based in Kerala.

Emergent — build full-stack apps with AI

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹7L

Productisation Grant

Grant

Grant by KSUM for technology startups converting MVP to market-ready product, up to ₹7 lakhs.

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹5L

Women/Transgender Productization Grant

Grant

Grant for women/transgender-led startups in Kerala to productize MVP, up to ₹5 lakhs.

Razorpay — payments and banking for Indian startups

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹10L

Market Acceleration Grant

Grant

Supports early-revenue tech startups in Kerala with up to ₹10L for market acceleration.

Kerala Startup Mission

Up to ₹15L

Scaleup Grant

Grant

Supports technology-based startups with market validation ready to scale operations, up to ₹15 lakhs.

Make — visual automation and workflow builder

StartupTN

Up to ₹50L

TN Space Tech Fund by StartupTN

Equity

Matching equity fund of up to ₹50 lakh for DPIIT-recognised space-tech startups in Tamil Nadu, covering satellite tech, GIS, AI for space, orbital logistics, and downstream space applications.

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)

Varies

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

Equity

C-CAMP's Centre of Excellence for Sustainability backs bio-based climate innovations at the intersection of environment, healthcare, and agriculture — offering funding, incubation, mentoring, and deployment support.

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