BIRAC LEAP Fund at Venture Center

Entrepreneurship Development Center (Venture Center), BIRAC

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Details

Amount

₹0 - ₹1 crore

Deadline

February 27, 2026

Provider

Entrepreneurship Development Center (Venture Center), BIRAC

Type

funding

About this Opportunity

The BIRAC LEAP (Launching Entrepreneurial Driven Affordable Products) Fund at Venture Center is designed to catalyse promising, innovation-led startups and accelerate their journey from lab to market. Hosted by the Entrepreneurship Development Center (Venture Center) under the BIRAC LEAP scheme, the fund aims to support startups in piloting, validation, and commercialization of new and meritorious technologies.

The program provides capital assistance of up to ₹100 lakh per startup to reduce the gestation period for commercialization and enable faster real-world impact. The fund emphasizes biotech, biomed, and science-driven deeptech ventures with strong intellectual property and knowledge components. It prioritizes product-focused enterprises over service-based models.

The fund operates on an equity investment model and encourages co-investment from other investors. Selected startups become part of the Venture Center ecosystem, gaining access to mentors, innovation programs, networks, board-level advisory support, branding opportunities, and guidance for future fundraising rounds.

The initiative is supported by partners including DST-NSTEDB (GoI), BIRAC (GoI), DPIIT/Startup India Seed Fund (GoI), and TDB (GoI).

Eligibility

  • Must be an Indian startup with at least 51% ownership by Indian citizens (OCI/PIO not included)
  • Must be registered as a private limited company or be in the process of registration
  • At least one dedicated entrepreneur must be actively involved in the venture
  • Must have a formal business plan
  • The venture should be technology/knowledge-driven with strong IP potential
  • Must focus on product offerings (not purely service-based models)
  • The requested funding amount must be less than ₹100 lakh
  • Founders must be willing to share equity
  • Must meet EHS (Environment, Health & Safety) requirements
  • Must demonstrate potential and credibility for raising future investment
  • Selected startup must become a resident incubatee at Venture Center at the time of investment

Application Process