5 Startup Grants and Funding Programs Newly Listed This Week — October 2026

Five new funding and support programs for startups, including grants and incubation opportunities, have been listed this week. Notable organizations offering these programs include the Government of Karnataka, i-Hub Gujarat, IIITB Innovation Centre, and Goldman Sachs.

These initiatives target various stages of startup growth, from intellectual property protection and early-stage funding to large-scale manufacturing incentives and executive education for scaling ventures.

Newly Listed This Week

Karnataka Production Linked Incentive (Government of Karnataka)

The Karnataka Production Linked Incentive (Industrial Policy 2025-30) enables manufacturing enterprises to opt for a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) based on their net sales turnover, as an alternative to a capital subsidy. This policy, part of Karnataka's Industrial Policy 2025-30, focuses on high revenue-generating industries.

Incentive rates vary by zone within Karnataka. Zone 1 offers 2.5% of net sales turnover for seven years, capped at 60% of the value of fixed assets (VFA). Zone 2 provides 2.0% of net sales turnover for seven years, also capped at 60% of VFA. For Bengaluru Rural district, classified under Zone 3, the incentive is 1.0% of net sales turnover for seven years, capped at 30% of VFA. This program is available to medium, large, mega, and ultra-mega manufacturing enterprises in Karnataka that select the PLI option.

i-Hub SSIP 2.0 IP Support Grant (Gujarat Student Startup and Innovation Hub)

The Gujarat Student Startup and Innovation Hub (i-Hub), under the Education Department, Government of Gujarat, offers the i-Hub SSIP 2.0 IP Support Grant. This initiative is part of the broader Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0), backed by a corpus of INR 500 Crores to support early-stage student innovators and startups.

The grant provides financial assistance, up to ₹5,00,000, for securing Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). It aims to alleviate the financial burden of IP protection and help innovators transition from idea and Proof of Concept (PoC) to the product or market stage by enabling the protection of their innovations.

COMET 5G Spring Board 6 (IIITB Innovation Centre)

The COMET 5G Spring Board 6 program is an initiative of the COMET Foundation, IIIT Bangalore, supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). This program targets deep-tech innovations.

It invites startups, innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurial teams developing solutions in 5G/6G, Cyber-Physical Systems, AI, IoT, Edge Computing, Digital Twins, Autonomous Systems, and related domains. Applicants must review 25 specific problem statements, ranging from AI-native 6G resource management and private 5G for Industry 4.0 to mining safety, drone communication, and disaster-resilient networks, and identify which their solutions address. The program offers up to ₹1,00,00,000 in funding, with applications closing on 25 October 2026.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women India (Goldman Sachs)

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women India program is a global initiative aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs to foster economic growth. Since its launch in 2008, it has supported over 320,000 businesswomen globally with business education and strategic networking.

In India, the program is a fully funded executive education initiative delivered in partnership with IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Lucknow. It is designed for growth-ready women business owners seeking to scale their ventures through an intensive three-month executive education program. Applications for this program close on 30 November 2026.

ELEVATE Minorities 2026 — Startup Karnataka Grant for Minority Founders (Startup Karnataka)

Startup Karnataka, through the Department of Electronics, IT, BT & S&T, has announced ELEVATE Minorities 2026, an extension of its ELEVATE grant-in-aid scheme. This program provides a one-time grant of up to ₹50,00,000 to startups requiring early-stage funding for prototype development, market development, and scaling.

The grant is specifically for founders from minority communities as defined by the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation: Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Parsis. To be eligible, at least one Director or Partner must belong to one of these communities and, along with any other minority members, hold a minimum of 51% of the equity. This equity holding must be maintained from the application date throughout the project period; any dilution breaking this condition will lead to disqualification or grant termination. The application deadline is 13 November 2026.

Before Applying

Several newly listed programs target specific founder demographics or industrial sectors. The ELEVATE Minorities 2026 grant, for instance, requires founders to be from specific minority communities as defined by Karnataka, with a minimum 51% equity holding. Similarly, the Karnataka Production Linked Incentive is designed for medium to ultra-mega manufacturing enterprises within the state, while the i-Hub SSIP 2.0 IP Support Grant focuses on student innovators and early-stage startups in Gujarat.

Applicants should note the varied application timelines. While the Karnataka Production Linked Incentive and i-Hub SSIP 2.0 IP Support Grant have rolling or unspecified deadlines, programs like COMET 5G Spring Board 6, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women India, and ELEVATE Minorities 2026 have specific closing dates in October and November 2026, necessitating timely submissions.