AFI Impact Catalyzer Program
A programme by Action For India
AFI's general online accelerator for tech-enabled, for-profit social enterprises; between intakes, with its last published cohort in 2024.
At a glance
| Best for | Tech-enabled, for-profit social enterprises past two years of operations |
|---|---|
| Stage | MVP – Early revenue |
| Duration | AFI states both six months and five months |
| Format | Online |
About AFI Impact Catalyzer Program
The Impact Catalyzer is AFI's cross-sector accelerator for tech-enabled social enterprises that want to scale their impact. It runs online. AFI's pages give its length as both six months and five months, and separately describe it as up to five hours a month per startup across about 500 hours for the whole cohort. The last cohort AFI has published is its first, in 2024, whose 23 startups spanned clean energy, healthcare, agriculture, education, livelihoods and waste management — among them Airth, GreenPod Labs, Godaam Innovations, Fuselage Innovations, Saltech Design Labs, myUDAAN and Woolah Tea. There is no current deadline, so treat it as between intakes and ask before applying.
What you get
- Individual mentoring with a specialist mentor mapped to your leadership, sector and business need
- Monthly Knowledge Building Sessions: webinars and hands-on workshops for the cohort
- Learning Community sessions, a closed peer group the cohort helps run
- AFI Huddle, a many-to-one mentor session for cross-sector input
- Product refinement, masterclasses with ecosystem experts, market access and a startup toolkit
- Investor connects and networking
Who can apply
- Early-stage, tech-driven startup companies
- For-profit social enterprises
- At technology readiness level 5 or beyond
- Operating for more than two years
- Having already received grants, awards or investment does not stop you applying
How selection works: AFI says it looks for a strong founding team, a solution that is innovative with social impact at its core, and a business that can scale.
How to apply: Use the apply link on the programme page. Questions, general or technical, go to events@actionforindia.org.
Where to apply
Other Action For India programmes
- AFI AI + ClimateTech Cohort 2026-27Online accelerator for founders using AI on climate, energy, water, emissions, waste and mobility problems, open until 1 October 2026.
- AFI Agri + AI Cohort 2026Accelerator for AI-in-agriculture founders; the 2026 cohort is running and applications for it have closed.
- AFI Agri CohortFive-month free accelerator for agritech founders, run twice so far; the last intake closed in August 2025.
- AFI i-TIC Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (AISEA)Accelerator AFI runs with IIT Hyderabad's i-TIC Foundation, funded by the Department of Science and Technology; two cohorts completed and no current intake published.
- Social Enterprise Advisory Program (SEAS)Paid, cohort-based advisory service covering fundraising, consulting, mentoring and introductions.
- Women in Social Entrepreneurship (WISE)Cohort programme for women-led social enterprises; only the 2021 cohort is published and no current intake is announced.
- Silicon Valley ChallengeAnnual business plan competition that sends selected Indian social enterprises to Silicon Valley for a two-week programme.
- AFI Annual ForumInvite-only two-day forum bringing 100 social innovators together with 100 investors, funders, government and industry people; the 9th has no announced date.