AIC Banasthali

This is the way in for an outside founder. The centre invites applications from startups on a rolling basis and says startups across stages are encouraged to apply. It is also the door you have to come through before the NIDHI Seed Support Scheme, which requires three months of incubation here first.

What you get

• Mentorship from domain experts.
• Business support services.
• Market access through corporate and government connects.
• Funding opportunities from the centre and its investor network.
• Technology transfer, and help with regulatory work, compliance and certifications.
• Access to research labs at Banasthali Vidyapith, covering biotech, pharmacy, electronics, mechatronics and AI.

Who can apply

• Women-led startups. The centre says it solely supports women-led startups.
• Startups in science and technology or deep tech — biotechnology, life sciences, medtech, manufacturing, IoT.
• Startups at any stage.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the incubation page, which opens the centre's general application form. No deadline or intake dates are published, so it reads as rolling.

A once-a-year programme reserved for the university's own alumni. The intake published on the centre's page opened on 1 July 2026 and closed on 15 July 2026, with the programme running from early August to December 2026 — so it is between intakes unless a new one is announced.

What you get

• One-to-one mentorship with domain experts.
• Access to research facilities and faculty expertise at Banasthali.
• Co-working space.
• Support with intellectual property and technology commercialisation.
• Peer-to-peer learning and a founder community.
• Funding readiness support and the chance to pitch to investors.
• Continued support after the programme through the Banasthali entrepreneurial network.

Who can apply

• Startups, entrepreneurs and innovators who are alumni of Banasthali Vidyapith.
• Any sector.
• At prototype, validation or early-growth stage.

How it runs: hybrid — four physical sessions of two days each, usually on weekends, plus six virtual learning sessions and one-to-one mentoring. There is a programme fee.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the alumni incubation page when the next intake opens.

The centre runs the Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0) programme in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It has two sub-tracks, each supporting two women innovators or startups a year over a one-year period.

What you get

• Entrepreneur-in-Residence: support to turn an idea into a proof of concept over a year.
• Seed fund: support to build a minimum viable product or commercialise, over a year.
• Mentoring, co-working space, incubation and acceleration support.
• Access to labs at Banasthali.
• Access to the centre's network and follow-on funding support.

Who can apply

• Women innovators and women-led startups.
• With a technology-based idea at proof-of-concept or MVP stage.
• Working in ICT-enabled areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, environment, cleantech and clean energy.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the scheme page. No deadline is published; the page describes an annual cadence.

The centre says it is Rajasthan's first and only NIDHI PRAYAS centre supported by the Department of Science and Technology. PRAYAS is aimed at the gap between an idea and a working prototype, so it is for people who have not yet built the thing.

What you get

• A prototyping grant to develop a proof of concept, minimum viable product or ready product.
• Access to lab facilities at Banasthali.
• Physical infrastructure, technical guidance and business mentorship.

Who can apply

• Women-led innovators at idea stage.
• With a physical product offering that needs prototyping.
• Knowledge-based and technology-driven ideas.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the scheme page, which also links to the full eligibility criteria. Funded cohorts are listed by cycle — 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2024-25 — so it runs in rounds rather than continuously.

The centre's partnership with the Department of Science and Technology under the NIDHI Seed Support Scheme. It is the one route here where the centre takes a stake, and it is only open to startups already inside the incubator.

What you get

• Seed support for day-to-day operating costs and proof-of-concept studies.
• Hiring and professional consultancy.
• Mentoring, market research and IP costs.
• Validation studies or extra data needed to secure the next round.
• Gap or next-level funding in selected cases.

Who can apply

• A company registered in India, with at least three months of incubation at AIC Banasthali already completed.
• Indian promoters holding at least 51 per cent. Not for Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies; OCI and PIO holders count as Indian citizens.
• For seed support from this centre, the largest shareholding should be with women founders.
• Sector agnostic and stage agnostic, from MVP upwards. Primarily but not only science and technology startups.

How selection works: decisions are made by the centre's Seed Support Management Committee. Investment is made as equity or equity-linked instruments, and the centre places a board nominee director and/or observer.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the scheme page. Questions can go to aic@banasthali.in.

The centre says it is one of a few incubators in Rajasthan supported by the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme of DPIIT. The scheme covers proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialisation.

What you get

• Seed funding to scale an early-stage venture.

Who can apply

• Early-stage women-led innovators, per the centre's stated objective for the scheme.
• The page links out to the scheme's own eligibility criteria rather than restating them, so read those before applying.

How to apply: through the Apply Now button on the scheme page. The page lists 22 startups funded so far.

Run with the MeitY Startup Hub under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It is built around getting a round closed, so it only makes sense if you are already in the market and raising.

What you get

• Expert diagnostic sessions on market research and product positioning.
• Mentoring by technology vertical.
• Legal help with IP, compliance and other matters.
• A shared platform for connected learning and networking.
• Weekly co-learning meets between the founders in the cohort.
• A demo day with venture capital and angel investors.
• Help negotiating and closing investment deals.

Who can apply

• DPIIT-registered startups.
• At least 51 per cent owned by Indian nationals and a woman founder.
• Technology and knowledge-based.
• At MVP or early-revenue stage.
• Looking to raise, or currently raising, investment.

How selection works: the programme's matching contribution is released only once the startup confirms a successful venture capital or angel fundraise. Focus areas are medtech, healthtech, cleantech and other emerging technologies.

How to apply: through the application button on the programme page. No dates are published, so check before you start.

A programme for academics and researchers thinking about turning their work into a company, and for students in the same position. It deliberately starts before the business plan — with whether you are ready to be a founder at all.

What you get

• An online onboarding session.
• Three days of face-to-face workshops at Banasthali Vidyapith.
• An online webinar at the start of week two.
• Two or three online office hours per team with a GDC instructor.
• An online closing workshop on the final day.
• Coverage of entrepreneurial readiness, timing, business acumen, and how to identify and evaluate market opportunities.

Who can apply

• Teams only: at least two entrepreneur leads or co-founders, plus one faculty lead — a faculty member, scientist or principal investigator.
• The core team must have worked together for at least six months on the innovation or technology.
• Everyone is expected to attend all sessions and commit at least half their working hours across the 15 days.
• Participants are also expected to hold at least 20 conversations with experts and stakeholders during the programme, on top of desk research.

How to apply: through the application button on the programme page. The listed edition ran its campus workshop in late September 2026 and closed in early October 2026.

An outside course the centre gives access to, rather than a programme it designs. The intake published on its page closed on 26 July 2026 and started on 21 August 2026, so it is between cohorts.

What you get

• Live expert sessions with global business leaders.
• Structured online learning modules.
• Peer huddles and founder networking.
• One-to-one mentoring and feedback from experienced business leaders.

Who can apply

• A founder or co-founder working full-time on the startup.
• A startup registered within the last five years.
• Revenue in the band the programme page specifies for the last twelve months.

How selection works: applications are reviewed after the closing date, admission status follows about a week later, and admitted founders pay the fee and are invited to orientation before the programme starts.

How to apply: through the application button on the programme page when the next intake opens. It is part-time, fully online and paid.

Run with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and Innovation Norway, with fellows hosted at an Atal Incubation Centre and at TERI in New Delhi. Applications closed on 25 February 2025, so this is a past round — the page is worth reading if you work in energy storage and want to know what the next one would look like.

What you get

• Phase one, three months: mentoring from the incubation centres and TERI on the Sustainable Development Goals, entrepreneurial skills and life skills. Mentoring is online, so no relocation is needed.
• Phase two, three months: an additional grant to develop a prototype, commercialise the innovation or implement it in the community.
• Twelve fellowships are awarded in total.

Who can apply

• Indian citizens aged 18 or over, with a valid PAN card.
• Innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers in energy storage; students and working professionals are eligible, and applicants from underserved regions are encouraged.
• Women innovators and startups are preferred; a man may be the co-founder.
• Open to all educational backgrounds.
• You must live in Rajasthan, currently work in the state, or have an idea already implemented there or implementable there.
• Ideas at MVP stage are given preference.

How selection works: at the end of phase one, candidates are judged on whether the innovation is useful and implementable for the local community, sustainable and environmentally friendly, contributes to the circular economy, and shows potential to commercialise or scale. Those who pass move to phase two.

A campus programme, not an outside intake. The 2024-25 edition took applications until 27 November 2024 and announced its selection on 27 December 2024.

What you get

• Four weeks of teaching: entrepreneurship and startup fundamentals, idea generation and design thinking, the role of support agencies, pre-feasibility assessment, the lean canvas and business model canvas.
• Customer discovery with real interviews, marketing and market survey methods, goal setting and decision making, leadership and business communication, and team building.
• Intellectual property rights, commercialising technology from R&D institutions, book-keeping and accounts, break-even and balance sheets, loan formalities, taxes applicable to MSMEs and sources of funds.
• A final week working with mentors on a business model and plan, ending in a presentation and feedback.

Who can apply

• Students and research scholars of sciences, management and technology at Banasthali Vidyapith.
• Individually or as a team.
• Once enrolled, attendance at the whole programme and the assignments is mandatory.

How selection works: 40 ideas are chosen from all applications. There are two shortlisting rounds, with 50 to 60 shortlisted ideas each giving an elevator pitch in the second. Ideas are judged on social impact through technology, how well researched the idea is, business potential, market validation and the applicant's commitment to starting a venture.

A campus award run in three categories. The 2025 edition opened on 5 November 2025, closed on 20 November 2025 and ended with an award ceremony on 9 January 2026. Past winners and runners-up cannot re-enter the same idea, but may enter a new one.

What you get

• Recognition at a ceremony with the Vice Chancellor and external industry experts.
• Gift hampers for the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up in each category.

Who can apply

• Category A: faculty members of Banasthali Vidyapith. The innovation must be validated by a research publication, a patent, or customer validation or commercialisation.
• Category B: current students and research scholars of Banasthali Vidyapith. Validation can be a paper presentation, national or international recognition, an inter-university competition, a publication, a patent or customer validation.
• Category C: current school students of Banasthali Vidyapith, with a project, a model or an innovative idea.

How selection works: three rounds. An external panel of industry experts and senior academics shortlists the top 15 in each category. Mock presentations cut that to 10. The finalists present in person to the Vice Chancellor and an external jury, and the top three are picked. Entries are scored out of five on each of innovation and uniqueness, documentation and evidence, impact, solving a real-world problem, ease of use, and sustainability and resource efficiency.