Agri. & Food Business Incubator

Choosing the right route

• If you are at idea or prototype stage, the AgriFood Startup Seed Camp is the entry point.
• Funding under the RKVY schemes is open only to startups that have gone through the seed camp.

How applications work

• Applications for the Seed Camp are made through the F6S link on the Application Form page of the incubator's site.
• The Application Form page showed Cohort 10 as open when it was checked.
• Applications open two to three times each year, so check the site when a call is announced.

How selection works

• Open calls are reviewed and shortlisted startups are invited to pitch.
• Startups that complete the seed camp can then be assessed for the RKVY funding schemes.

What reviewers look for

• A legally registered or DPIIT-recognised Indian startup for the funding schemes.
• Progress and milestones since the seed camp, and a clear business plan.

AIC Anand Foundation is a not-for-profit company that runs the agrifood startup incubator at Anand Agricultural University (AAU) in Anand, Gujarat. It was established by the university to support innovation, entrepreneurship and startup growth in agriculture, agritech and allied sectors, and it runs its incubation work from the AAU Incubation Centre in Anand.

What they support

The incubator works with early-stage innovators, entrepreneurs, students, researchers and startups in agriculture, food systems and allied sectors. Its focus areas include food processing, dairy and animal health, agriculture inputs, natural farming, precision farming, farm mechanisation, plant protection, bio-agents and bio-fertilisers, and waste-to-wealth. Early-stage ideas, prototypes and MVP-stage startups are welcome.

Programmes

The main programme is the AgriFood Startup Seed Camp. It is a one-month hybrid incubation programme, with in-person sessions at the AAU Incubation Center in Anand and online expert sessions. Applications open two to three times a year. It covers startup fundamentals, product validation, business model development, market strategy, financial planning and investment readiness, and selected startups get mentoring from domain experts and industry mentors.

The programme is offered free of cost to selected startups. Beyond the one-month programme, the page says a small equity stake may be taken in exchange for continued incubation support under a SAFE arrangement, decided case by case.

Selected Seed Camp startups can also be considered for seed-stage and pre-seed funding under the RKVY Innovation and Agripreneurship Programme. The page describes two schemes: Pallav, for idea and pre-seed stage support, and Prasoon, for seed-stage funding. Both require the startup to complete the seed camp and to stay enrolled in incubation. The Prasoon page also says a startup must be a legally registered entity in India and must qualify as an Indian startup under DPIIT guidelines.

The site also lists an agripreneurship mentor development programme, a seven-day residential certificate course for faculty, scientists, mentors and consultants. Its only dated run on the page was in June 2024, so it is shown as a past cohort. The homepage also links to an idea bank where founders can submit ideas.

Facilities and support

The incubator offers an incubation workspace and access to university labs and testing facilities through Anand Agricultural University. Technical experts and faculty support are available to selected startups. Pilot-scale food processing lines and a food packaging station are listed on the facilities page. Those lines are described as set up by the university's College of Food Processing Technology and Bio-energy, so access is shared rather than owned by the foundation.

Track record

The homepage reports 248 agri-startups incubated and more than 80 funded startups. These are self-reported figures and the page does not give a date for them. It also lists about twenty named portfolio startups, including Manjha Technologies Private Limited, Fermedicius Labs Private Limited, Harisons Venture Private Limited and Pianta Blossoms LLP.

Who runs it

The foundation is promoted by Anand Agricultural University and its team includes university office holders, including its Director and Executive Director. The foundation also states it is the state-level RKVY agribusiness incubation centre for Gujarat, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare's Innovation and Agripreneurship Programme, and that it operates through an Atal Incubation Centre supported by the Atal Innovation Mission.

Locations

The incubator is based in Anand. The programme is hybrid, so startups from across India can apply, but at least one key founder must attend in person at the AAU Incubation Centre in Anand for week-long workshops, evaluations and review meetings.