Karnataka Government First Initiative — pitch deck format & template

What this deck has to do

Funding on offer

up to ₹25 lakh · equity-free — the program takes no stake

Focus areas it funds

Government Solutions · Karnataka Startups · Deeptech · E-Governance · Public Service

• Direct work order up to ₹25 lakh
• Pilot with Government of Karnataka
• Early market access and validation
• Open to deeptech and non-deeptech startups
• Solutions with TRL >= 7 required
• Focus on public service problem statements

Where your deck actually goes

Your deck is not read once. These are the stages Karnataka Government First Initiative puts it through, and each has a different reader — which is why a deck that clears the first screen can still fail at the committee.

1. 1

   Develop Solution Docket & Pitch DeckYou

   Prepare a detailed solution document and pitch deck according to the prescribed format.

2. 2

   Solution EvaluationProgramme

   Shortlisted startups will present their pitch deck in an in-person pitching session.

3. 3

   Final SelectionProgramme

   A selection committee will choose the winning startups for each problem statement.

Slide-by-slide: what to put in a Karnataka Government First Initiative deck

1. 1.Title & one-line positioning

   Company name, a single sentence a non-specialist understands, and your contact details. Reviewers read dozens of decks in a sitting — make the category obvious in the first five seconds.

   Name the focus area you fit — this program funds Government Solutions, Karnataka Startups, Deeptech. A deck that doesn't visibly sit in one of those is screened out before anyone reads slide two.

2. 2.Problem

   Who has this problem, how often, and what it costs them today. Quantify it with a source rather than an adjective.

   This program's screening explicitly weighs market size, so anchor the problem in an addressable number you can defend, not a global market headline.

3. 3.Solution & product

   What you built, shown rather than described — a screenshot, a photo of the device, a short demo frame. Keep the mechanism legible to a non-specialist reviewer.

4. 4.Technology & differentiation

   What is genuinely hard about this, and why a well-funded competitor cannot copy it in a quarter. IP, data advantage, or a technical moat.

   Innovation potential is named in this program's screening criteria, so make the technical claim specific and verifiable.

5. 5.Traction & validation

   Whatever you actually have: pilots, letters of intent, users, revenue, clinical or field validation. Real small numbers beat impressive vague ones.

6. 6.Market & go-to-market

   Your addressable market, built bottom-up, and the first channel you will actually use to reach it.

7. 7.Team

   Why this team, for this problem. Name the relevant domain depth and the gaps you know you have.

8. 8.Use of funds & the ask

   The amount you are asking for, broken into the milestones it buys. Tie every line to something the reviewer can check later.

   This program funds up to ₹25 lakh, on equity-free — the program takes no stake. Ask inside that band and show the milestones it buys — an ask above the published ceiling signals you have not read the guidelines.

9. 9.Milestones & roadmap

   What the next 12–18 months look like, with dated, checkable milestones rather than themes.

What gets decks rejected here

Ignoring the published format

Karnataka Government First Initiative publishes a template, and reviewers score against the sections they asked for. Restructuring it into your investor deck makes their job harder and reads as though you did not open the file. Fill in their format; keep your own deck for investors.

An ask that ignores the published band

This programme funds up to ₹25 lakh. An ask above that ceiling is one of the fastest screening-out signals there is, because it says you did not read the guidelines — and an ask with no milestone breakdown is nearly as bad, since the committee cannot check what the money buys.

A deck written for the wrong reader

Government and institutional programmes are not VCs. They are assessing feasibility, national or sectoral relevance and your ability to execute a funded plan, not just upside. A deck that leads with hockey-stick projections and thin technical substance performs worse here than one that leads with the problem, the evidence and a credible plan.

Numbers that disagree with each other

The figure on your ask slide, the total in your budget sheet and the amount on the application form must match exactly. Reviewers cross-check them, and a mismatch reads as carelessness on the one document where carelessness is least forgivable.

Leaving eligibility to inference

Screening is a filtering exercise before it is a judging one. State your fit with Government Solutions, Karnataka Startups, Deeptech explicitly and early rather than making a reviewer work it out from your product description.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official pitch deck format for Karnataka Government First Initiative?

Yes. Karnataka Government First Initiative publishes its own pitch deck template, which you can download on this page with a free Startup Grants India account. Where a program publishes a format, use it as-is — reviewers score against the sections they asked for, and a restructured deck makes their job harder.

How many slides should a Karnataka Government First Initiative pitch deck be?

If the program's own template sets a slide count, follow it exactly. Where it does not, 10–12 slides is the working norm for an early-stage application deck — enough to cover problem, solution, technology, traction, team and the ask without padding.

How much funding can I ask for in a Karnataka Government First Initiative deck?

Karnataka Government First Initiative funds up to ₹25 lakh, equity-free — the program takes no stake. Your ask slide should sit inside that band and break the amount into milestones. An ask above the published ceiling is one of the fastest ways to get screened out.

What does Karnataka Government First Initiative look for in an application?

The program focuses on Government Solutions, Karnataka Startups, Deeptech, E-Governance, Public Service. Your deck should make the fit with one of those areas explicit on the first slide rather than leaving the reviewer to infer it.

How is a Karnataka Government First Initiative pitch deck evaluated?

The selection process for the Government First Initiative involves a multi-stage evaluation designed to identify the most innovative and impactful deployment-ready solutions. Following the submission of the online application, the process commences with Stage 1: an **Eligibility Check and Document Verification** to ensure all criteria are met and submitted data is sufficient. Startups that clear t…

Do I need to pay to download the template?

No. The template is free — you only need a free Startup Grants India account so we can keep the download available and tell you when this program's next cycle opens.