StartupTN

TANSEED is the Tamil Nadu Seed Fund, StartupTN's main seed scheme. It runs in numbered editions rather than continuously, so there is a round open or there is not. It is now described as a support equity-linked grant fund: StartupTN takes a small support stake and, alongside the money, puts the startup through a one-year accelerator. Higher assistance is set aside for green tech, rural impact and women-led startups, and a quarter of total assistance is earmarked for women-led startups.

What you get

• Seed support with a small support equity stake taken by StartupTN
• A one-year accelerator programme
• Mentorship
• Priority for networking events
• A place on national and international startup delegations

Who can apply

• The entity should be registered as a Private Limited Company. Companies currently registered as an LLP or partnership are still reviewed, taking into account their willingness to convert to a private limited company
• The entity should be a startup registered with TANSIM and Startup India, located and registered in Tamil Nadu
• Average profit over the last three years, or fewer if the company is newer, must be below the stated threshold
• You must have at least a proof of concept or a minimum viable product, and use technology in the core product or service, the business innovation model, the distribution model or the method of solving the problem. Pure service delivery does not qualify
• The entity must not have been formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business, or as a subsidiary, joint venture or associate of another company
• No pending dues with any government agency, and not blacklisted by any government agency in India
• The applicant may be incubated in an incubator for at least six months at the time of application
• Indian startups only. Indian subsidiaries of multinationals and foreign companies are excluded. Holders of Overseas Citizenship of India and Persons of Indian Origin count as Indian citizens here, and Indian promoters should hold at least 51 per cent
• Generally not given to service companies in traditional trade and commerce
• The money funds a prototype or a market-ready product or small pilot production, not general research

How to apply: click apply, which takes you to tanfund.in. Sign up and set up an account there, log in and share your startup's details, submit the application for the current edition, and track the status on the same site.

The Tamil Nadu SC/ST Startup Fund is a Government of Tamil Nadu scheme, run through StartupTN, to address financial exclusion of entrepreneurs from marginalised communities. It invests as equity, which makes the government a shareholder in the company. Applications are taken on a rolling, batch-wise basis rather than in dated rounds.

What you get

• Equity investment from the Government of Tamil Nadu

Who can apply

• The applicant, at the time of application, should conform to the definition of startup under the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy
• More than half the equity of the company must belong to one or more founders from the SC/ST community
• Control of the company must rest with the SC/ST shareholders
• The company must be domiciled in Tamil Nadu and its principal base of operation must be Tamil Nadu
• The SC/ST entrepreneurs applying should be natives of Tamil Nadu or of Tamil origin, and preference goes to those whose principal base of operations is within Tamil Nadu

How selection works: submit an expression of interest, which is assessed for initial eligibility and the potential of the business idea. Business validation then confirms feasibility and market fit. An investment committee reviews and approves proposals, and a project sanction committee authorises the selected projects. StartupTN says applications are processed batch-wise on a first-in-first-out basis, that the process may take four to six months from the date the application is accepted, and that acceptance does not guarantee a sanction. Receipt of applications may close once a threshold is reached.

How to apply: apply through the SC/ST fund page on the StartupTN site. Queries go to scstfund@startuptn.in.

The LangTech Startup Fund supports startups building language models and tools for Tamil using natural language processing and artificial intelligence. It is run jointly by the Tamil Virtual Academy, which sits under the Information Technology and Digital Services Department, and StartupTN, which sits under the MSME Department. Indicative areas are Tamil large language models and AI tools, machine translation, chatbot tools, and Tamil speech recognition, text mining and paraphrasing tools.

What you get

• Equity investment or grant support for product development and intellectual property creation
• Mentoring from experts in AI, research and industry
• Visibility within Tamil Nadu's language technology ecosystem

Who can apply

• Registered with StartupTN or Startup India
• Focused on Tamil language technologies

How selection works: proposals are submitted online through the Tamil Virtual Academy and StartupTN sites and screened. A first round at the investment committee checks eligibility, innovation and feasibility. A second round at the project sanction committee does final due diligence and approves funding. Selected startups then receive structured funding, mentorship and monitoring, and selected applicants must sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement covering business ideas, data privacy and ethical AI practice.

How to apply: submit a proposal online through the Tamil Virtual Academy and StartupTN sites. Applications received on or before 31 August 2026 formed the first batch; later applications are considered in subsequent batches, so this one does not simply shut.

Gramam Thorum Puthozhil is StartupTN's rural scheme, announced by the Tamil Nadu Minister for MSME, to create one hundred startups in one hundred selected villages. It is implemented by TANSIM with district administrations, StartupTN's regional hubs, incubators, institutions and industry associations. The ten regional hubs each cover ten selected villages, chosen for backwardness, potential and diversity in consultation with district administrations and local governance bodies, with awareness drives in all hundred villages emphasising women, SC/ST communities, differently-abled people and youth. One of its stated aims is to get rural founders ready for TANSEED and other government schemes.

What you get

• An equity-free seed grant
• Incubation support covering business model refinement, market validation, legal help, branding and pitch readiness
• Capacity-building and orientation programmes, which selected startups must attend
• Mentorship, infrastructure, networks and market access from CSR partners

Who can apply

• Rural entrepreneurs in the selected villages
• Eligibility for the seed grant follows TANSEED criteria and requires a recommendation from the designated evaluation committee

How selection works: startups are shortlisted on innovative potential, social relevance and feasibility, and selection follows the standard operating procedure of the TANSEED scheme. Progress is monitored through a central dashboard maintained by TANSIM, with periodic regional and state-level reviews.

How to apply: through the application form linked from the scheme's own StartupTN site.

The Tamil Nadu Space Tech Fund is a matching equity fund: the state invests an equal amount alongside a startup's private investors, with a cap per startup. Eligible areas are satellite systems, launch technologies, ground infrastructure, space data analytics, robotics, artificial intelligence, propulsion systems and allied applications.

This one carries a caveat. StartupTN's own website has no page for it — the only mention of space technology on the site is the sectoral forum name. What is known comes from news reports in December 2025 and from the Tamil Nadu government's information department, which reported that StartupTN had invited applications and that money had been allocated for the 2025-26 financial year. Confirm the current window with StartupTN before you build an application around it.

Who can apply

• Startups that have secured confirmed external funding from angel investors, venture capital firms, institutional partners or corporates, which the state then matches
• Registered in Tamil Nadu and recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
• Not formed by splitting or reconstructing an existing business, and not a subsidiary, joint venture or associate of another company
• Not an Indian subsidiary of a foreign or multinational firm

How selection works: eligible applications are assessed by an expert committee, which recommends startups for support.

How to apply: applications were reported to be taken online through StartupTN's portal.

TANFUND is a fund aggregator promoted by StartupTN. It connects startups across a wide spectrum of sectors with funding partners, and it also facilitates credit access by connecting startups with public and private sector banks and financial institutions for venture debt and working capital. In practice it is also the application system behind StartupTN's funding schemes, so most founders meet it as the place where a TANSEED or SC/ST fund application is filled in and tracked.

How to apply: sign up as a startup on tanfund.in.

Tamil Angels, also written AngelsTN, is a platform StartupTN runs to make it easier for Tamil Nadu startups to find angel investors and for local and global Tamil angel investors to invest. The aim is to bring angels from across Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora into one inclusive community. Founders can choose the syndicate with the lead investor, or the individual investors, they want to work with, and investors can pick a syndicate or specific startups. An expert network of partners handles mentoring, statutory services and due diligence.

StartupTN states plainly that the model does not commit the government or its agencies to co-investment or to any other legally binding relationship — so this is matchmaking, not a state fund.

Who can apply: the basics investors look for are a scalable business idea, passionate founders and team, a unique model, and an addressable market of a worthwhile size.

How to apply: register through the Tamil Angels page.

The StartupTN Accelerator gives founders access to a network of mentors and experienced entrepreneurs to refine the product, strengthen the business model and connect with investors. StartupTN describes the goal as fast-tracking growth through intensive mentorship, structured support and resources over a set period, and taking part means joining a community rather than just a course.

Who can apply

• Applicants are expected to have more than just an idea. Ideally you should have a prototype or a minimum viable product.

The Smart Card is a unique identification card issued to eligible startups registered through the StartupTN portal. It carries a StartupTN ID and a lifetime QR code, and acts as the entry point to StartupTN's services.

What you get

• Products and services from partner companies at subsidised rates, chosen for what early-stage startups need
• Exclusive access to StartupTN and other departmental events, with networking, learning sessions and exposure to investors and partners
• One place to track your startup's data and metrics

Who can apply

• Startups registered through the StartupTN portal

StartupTN also invites service partners to join and offer discounts through the card.

MentorTN is a mentorship platform meant to bridge the gap between aspiring entrepreneurs and experienced industry experts. StartupTN pitches it both at founders in the early stages of a venture and at those further along who want guidance through a specific problem or opportunity. Sessions are booked through the platform.

S2G is StartupTN's route into government procurement. State government departments and undertakings may use the services of startups registered with TANSIM for low-value procurements, subject to the condition that the tender inviting authority buys no more than two products or services in a financial year from any one startup. StartupTN also acts as a tender and public procurement information centre for startups through its portal.

What you get

• S2G Buy Day, held by two or three departments or public sector undertakings every month with problem statements. Startups present their solutions and the shortlisted ones are issued orders
• S2G Sandbox, which began as a pilot in February 2021, showcases and demonstrates startup solutions to government departments and gives them test beds

The point of Buy Day is that it gives startups priority and keeps them out of open competition with much larger players.

Beyond TN is StartupTN's international arm. Global Coordination Centres are being established across the world in phases to give Tamil Nadu startups a soft landing and to attract investment from global investors. They also act as a gateway for NRIs and Tamils settled overseas who want to start a venture in Tamil Nadu.

The first is in Dubai, developed with Startup Middle East, aimed at startups exploring the Middle East market.

What you get

• Co-working space
• Business consultation
• Networking
• Legal and regulatory guidance
• Access to capital and strategic partnerships

LaunchPad supports a startup through the steps needed before, during and after the launch of a new product. StartupTN runs the events regularly at different locations, online and in person, with industry veterans taking part, and at least twenty products or services are launched at each.

Aadukalam is an intensive one-day training session on pitching. It gives founders plenty of practice on the basics and teaches them how to communicate an idea to investors, mentors and other people in the ecosystem. Around fifty startups take part in each session.

It is run periodically by StartupTN's regional hubs together with local ecosystem partners such as educational institutions, incubators and industrial associations, and sessions are either co-sponsored or co-organised with them.

Who can apply

• Startups, particularly those with a unique and strong idea that can be pitched with clarity

The Open Innovation Portal connects startups with industry-specific problems so that solutions get built faster. StartupTN pitches it both ways: at corporates that want fresh perspectives on a problem, and at startups looking for impactful problems to solve. StartupTN also runs open innovation challenges with host organisations.

Each sectoral forum gathers startups, R&D centres, academia, incubators, industry players, mentors, investors, policy makers and government departments around one sector. The forums build a sector-specific repository of support services with the detail of who provides them and who has benefited. Thirty sectors and further sub-sectors have been identified, and the named forums include blue economy, agriculture and food technology, healthcare and life sciences, aerospace, defence and space technology, industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing, climate tech and clean tech, fintech and insurtech, automotive, EV and smart mobility, textile technology and fashion, sports technology and gaming, media and entertainment, smart cities and e-governance, and social impact, rural livelihood and sustainability.

ScaleUp is for incubators rather than founders. It gives curriculum-based support through structured workshops, plus the chance of grant support from StartupTN to put the learning and action plan into practice. The aim is to help incubators see global best practice, reach networks and tools, close the gaps that stop an incubation centre scaling, and move towards a sustainable model of running one.

How to apply: get in touch through the ScaleUp page.

TN Catalyst assesses business incubators across the state against a set of parameters and assigns them maturity levels. StartupTN and an expert panel built the Tamil Nadu Maturity Model framework for this, drawing on the panel's input and on similar models used for incubators in India and abroad. Alongside the assessment, Catalyst gives incubators the resources to understand best practice and scale, whether they are new or already running.

StartupTN's hackathons are time-bound competitive events where teams, mixing technical and business skills, work intensively on a pre-defined problem statement. The aim is to design, build and present a solution and then pitch a final concept or prototype. StartupTN runs these together with Tamil Nadu government departments, which supply the problem statements.