Government of Uttar Pradesh

The Government of Uttar Pradesh is the state government of India's most populous state and a rapidly growing economic and entrepreneurial force. Through its IT & Electronics department and the UP Startup Policy, the state has committed to building a large, distributed startup ecosystem spanning incubators across all its divisions.

UP Startup Policy. The policy sets out an ambitious goal of establishing a wide network of incubators and one of the country's largest startup bases, supported by dedicated funding, infrastructure and incentives. A flagship facility is the large incubator and innovation hub in Lucknow, complemented by incubators in Noida, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and other cities, often in partnership with academic institutions.

Support and funding.

• Sustenance allowance for incubated startups (monthly stipend support for a defined period), with enhanced support for women-led ventures.
• Seed and prototype grants routed through recognised state incubators.
• A state startup fund / Fund of Funds to channel capital into early-stage ventures.
• Incentives covering marketing, patents and reimbursement of incubation/infrastructure costs.

Focus areas. Agritech (leveraging UP's large agrarian base), manufacturing and MSME-linked innovation, IT/ITeS, fintech, edtech, healthtech and ODOP (One District One Product) linked enterprise.

Eligibility. DPIIT-recognised startups registered or operating in Uttar Pradesh and incubated at state-recognised incubators, with additional support for women entrepreneurs.

Who should apply. Founders based in or expanding to Uttar Pradesh seeking sustenance allowances, seed grants and incubation across a growing district network should engage with state-recognised incubators and track programmes at up.gov.in / startup.up.gov.in.