Incubators and Accelerators for Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities
41 incubators, accelerators and programmes that list tier 2 and tier 3 cities as a focus. Open a profile to see the programme's stage, location and how to apply.
41 organisations, page 1 of 1
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
The Government of India's electronics and IT ministry, which backs technology startups through MeitY Startup Hub with the TIDE 2.0, GENESIS and SAMRIDH schemes.
Deshpande Startups
Technology business incubator in Hubballi with a second campus in Nizamabad, running incubation, acceleration and government funding programmes for non-metro founders.
AIC BAMU Foundation
Atal Incubation Centre at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, running pre-incubation, resident and virtual incubation with intakes twice a year, open to founders with no university link.
Jagriti Enterprise Centre
Enterprise incubation centre in Deoria, eastern Uttar Pradesh, run by Jagriti Sewa Sansthan for small enterprises across seven Purvanchal districts.
Marwari Catalysts
Startup accelerator based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, backing early-stage founders in Tier 2 and Tier 3 India with mentorship, investment and investor access.
IIMV FIELD
The incubation and startup hub of IIM Visakhapatnam, running women-focused, social and emerging-tech programmes from pre-incubation to acceleration.
JECRC Incubation Centre
Incubation centre at JECRC University, Jaipur — a MeitY TIDE 2.0 G2C centre running GENESIS grant routes for founders nationwide and a student-only incubation cohort.
AIC-RNTU Foundation
An Atal Incubation Centre at Rabindranath Tagore University near Bhopal, running staged startup programmes and implementing several government seed-funding schemes.
AIC-ADT Baramati Foundation
Atal Incubation Centre for agri and allied startups at Baramati, with a makerspace, a NABL-accredited analytical lab and a food innovation lab.
InFED, IIM Nagpur
The business incubator of IIM Nagpur, running national and state startup schemes plus district business centres across Vidarbha.
ACIC IIT (ISM) Foundation
The Atal Community Innovation Centre at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, incubating community-focused start-ups and innovators across Jharkhand.
KIT's Innovation and Research Foundation (KIT's IRF)
DST NIDHI i-TBI incubator in Kolhapur, hosted by KIT's College of Engineering, open to outside founders in agritech, manufacturing and healthtech.
Department of IT and E-Governance, Government of Jharkhand
The Government of Jharkhand's IT department, which runs the Jharkhand Startup Policy 2023 through the ABVIL startup portal in Ranchi: idea-stage stipends, prototype and scale-up grants, and reimbursements of rent, power, internet and patent costs for Jharkhand startups.
Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Punjab
Punjab's Department of Industries & Commerce, which runs the Punjab Start-up Cell and the state's startup policy benefits, including registration and seed grants.
ACIC VGU Foundation
Atal Community Innovation Centre at Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, backed by AIM and NITI Aayog and focused on Rajasthan's smaller cities.
Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH)
Andhra Pradesh's government innovation hub in Amaravati, with five spokes, running incubation, student and challenge programmes.
MASA Forum
Networking platform empowering MSMEs and startups for growth across India
Marathwada Accelerator for Growth & Incubation Council (MAGIC)
Industry association-led incubator in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, promoted by CMIA, with centres in Jalna and Shendra.
Anupam Innovation & Incubation Centre (AIIC)
Incubation centre of the LNCT Group in Bhopal, running MeitY's GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence programme for early-stage deep-tech and IT founders from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Government of Manipur
Manipur's state government promoting startups through its Startup Manipur initiative with incubation and funding support.
ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute
ICAR-IVRI's R-ABI incubator in Bareilly backs animal science startups through NAVODAYA for ideas and SAMRIDDHI for products ready to commercialise; all calls were closed at last check.
IIM Udaipur Incubation Centre
IIM Udaipur's incubation centre, backed by the Department of Science and Technology, running grant, fellowship and accelerator programmes open to founders across India.
IIMK LIVE
IIM Kozhikode's incubator in Kozhikode and Kochi, running incubation, deep-tech, maritime, textile and women-entrepreneur programmes.
IIT Tirupati Navavishkar I-Hub Foundation
DST-backed technology innovation hub at IIT Tirupati incubating startups in mapping, satellite navigation and precision sensing.
IITI DRISHTI CPS Foundation
IIT Indore's Technology Innovation Hub, now focused on digital-healthcare startups and technology commercialisation.
IRMA ISEED Foundation
IRMA's incubator at Anand for early-stage rural, social and collective enterprises, best known for the LIC HFL Social Trailblazer Program.
Centre for Next-Gen Entrepreneurship in Science & Technology Foundation (CNEST), KLE Tech
Technology business incubator at KLE Tech's Belagavi campus, backed by Karnataka's IT & BT department under TBI 2.0, for deep-tech founders in medtech, agritech, AI, manufacturing and electronics.
Allenhouse Startup and Incubation Foundation (ASIF)
Section 8 incubator on the Allenhouse campus in Kanpur, offering resident and off-campus incubation to incorporated startups, and pre-incubation to the college's own students and alumni.
CCIE — Centre for Commercialisation of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Centurion University
The incubator at Centurion University in Paralakhemundi, Odisha — a Startup Odisha recognised incubator that says it takes applications at any stage and in any sector.
AIIH Foundation — Acropolis Innovation and Incubation Hub
A Section 8 incubator on the Acropolis campus in Indore, open to outside founders with a working prototype.
Sona Incubation Foundation
Sona Incubation Foundation is a DST-backed incubator on the Sona College of Technology campus in Salem, open to founders from outside the college.
Annamalai Innovation and Incubation Research Foundation - EDII
A university-hosted incubator in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, with its own 3D printing, electronics and EV testing labs, open to outside founders as well as students.
NEC Business Incubator (DST i-TBI)
DST-supported inclusive technology business incubator at National Engineering College, Kovilpatti, with an open cohort call for circular economy, agritech and IoT startups.
CURAJ Incubation Foundation
Section 8 incubator hosted by Central University of Rajasthan at Bandarsindari, Ajmer; listed on DST's NIDHI inclusive TBI register.
CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation (Startup Oasis)
Startup Oasis, the CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation in Jaipur, is a government-recognised technology business incubator for startups and social enterprises from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
FounderPassion Foundation
Coimbatore foundation that runs AgInvest, a pitch summit for agri start-ups and investors, plus a bootcamp, an agri hackathon and incubation for early ideas.
SGBAU
University incubation centre of Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University in Amravati, Maharashtra. A non-profit Section 8 company offering incubation, pre-incubation and open innovation.
Jagriti Enterprise Centre - Purvanchal (JECP)
A rural enterprise incubation centre in Deoria, eastern Uttar Pradesh, for first-time founders and small enterprises, run as an initiative of Jagriti Sewa Sansthan.
Buddha Innovation Council
Incubation centre on the Buddha Institute of Technology campus in Gorakhpur, with a Fab Lab and coworking space for student-led and early-stage startups in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Innoscale Global Foundation
A public trust that runs a 12-month startup incubation programme across sector hubs, with a registered office in Dwarka, New Delhi, and a Gorakhpur address on Uttar Pradesh's recognised-incubator list.
InnovHer
Jaipur venture-building ecosystem with an 18-month accelerator, InnovACE, and Studio-I, a coworking and founder hub.
Most funding and mentoring in India concentrates in a few metros, so a founder in a smaller city has fewer places to go. Programmes that list tier 2 and tier 3 cities as a focus are set up to reach those founders, often through a college, a state government body or a scheme aimed at smaller cities.
Many of them run virtual or hybrid tracks, so you may be able to join without relocating. The profile and the programme's own site say whether you need to be physically present, and for how long.
A local programme can offer things a metro one cannot: lower costs, a network of nearby customers and suppliers, and mentors who know the regional market. Weigh that against the investor access a metro programme gives.
The numbers on this page
- 41 of the 2429 incubators, accelerators and programmes we list in India (2%) are on this page.
- By organisation type, the most common are Incubator (34), Academic (13) and Government (6). One organisation can carry more than one type.
- By stage focus, the most listed are Ideation (36), Validation (33) and Early Revenue (26).
- By sector, the most listed are AgriTech (18), HealthTech (18) and Social Impact (13).
- By state, most are in Rajasthan (7), Maharashtra (6) and Uttar Pradesh (5).
- By city, most are in Jaipur (4), Delhi (2) and Deoria (2).
- 28 of 41 offer coworking space on site.
What to confirm before you apply
- Do you have to live in the city, or is there a virtual option?
- Is the programme tied to a state scheme with its own eligibility?
- Which sectors does it focus on, and does it match your business?
- What investor access does it provide, and where are those investors based?
- Does it take equity?
- How many startups has it supported, and are they still running?
Frequently asked questions
How many programmes for tier 2 and tier 3 cities are listed?
We list 41 organisations on this page, each listed under tier 2 and tier 3 cities. The count changes as profiles are added and checked.
Do I have to move to join?
Not always. Some of these programmes run virtual or hybrid tracks. Check the profile and the programme's own site for what is required.
Is a local incubator enough to raise money?
It can give you a start, a network and sometimes seed funding, but investor access is often thinner than in a metro. Many founders use a local programme to build, then approach investors elsewhere.
Does the tag mean every programme at the organisation is for this group?
No. It means the organisation says it supports this group. Some run a dedicated programme and some include it among several. Open the profile to see what is on offer.