AIC ISB

AIC ISB is an empanelled GENESIS incubator under MeitY Startup Hub, and runs the GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence fellowship for innovators from Tier-II and Tier-III cities working in electronics, IT, ICT and deep tech. Cohort 3 took applications until 3 September 2026; watch the programme page for the next call.

What you get

• Grant support for the fellowship, released in two halves — the first on onboarding and paperwork, the second on hitting agreed milestones
• A dedicated anchor mentor who works with you through the fellowship on technical and business milestones
• Access to the Makerspace at AIC ISB for product development, prototyping and testing
• Co-working space on the ISB Mohali campus
• Training sessions to build your core skills
• Networking events with investors, industry experts and other founders
• Help applying for further funding programmes afterwards

Who can apply

• Indian citizens who are early-stage innovators, or founders and co-founders of a startup
• If you already have a registered company, it must be under two years old on the date you apply
• The startup must be based in a Tier-II or Tier-III city
• Your innovation should sit at technology readiness level 1 to 4 — anywhere from an idea to a working prototype — and be technology-led
• DPIIT recognition is optional, and checked only if you hold it
• Full time only. You cannot do this alongside a job or another business, and final-year students are not eligible
• You must relocate: selected fellows are physically incubated at the ISB Mohali campus for the fellowship

How selection works: AIC ISB checks eligibility and shortlists in round one. Shortlisted founders then pitch to an evaluation committee of empanelled experts, an AIC ISB representative and the MeitY Startup Hub team, who score independently out of 100 across eight areas including problem-solution fit, technology readiness, market scalability, founder commitment, business model clarity, regional impact, pitch quality and IP. MeitY Startup Hub reviews and approves the final list.

How to apply: Apply on the MeitY Startup Hub portal and choose AIC ISB Association as your first-preference incubator. That choice is fixed once you submit, and you can only be onboarded with one incubator. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

NIDHI-EIR is a Department of Science and Technology fellowship run through NSTEDB, and AIC ISB is one of its programme partners. It exists to make it possible for a graduate to try a technology venture instead of taking a job. The programme page currently says cohort 3 applications are opening soon, so there is no open call today.

What you get

• A monthly fellowship paid over twelve months, sector agnostic
• Access to the Makerspace at AIC ISB for product development, prototyping and testing
• Mentoring from ISB startups, alumni and the mentor network on business model, strategy, sector and market
• Co-working space with basic amenities
• Training to build your core skills
• Networking with investors and industry experts
• Incubation support afterwards, and help applying for other funding programmes

Who can apply

• Indian citizens who have completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in science or engineering
• Final-year students are not eligible, and neither are PhD students already drawing a fellowship from their institution
• You must commit full time — this is not a gap between jobs, and the money cannot fund academic work
• You should be able to show you can build a scalable technology business
• You need a written business plan, a business presentation and an investment proposal ready
• Preference goes to ideas with real technical uncertainty or long gestation, ideas built on publicly funded or academic research, and ideas with strong social impact. Ideas without substantial technological innovation are discouraged

How selection works: AIC ISB, as the programme execution partner, checks each applicant's eligibility. Eligible applicants are then assessed by AIC ISB's own selection committee against the qualifying criteria, which picks the fellows.

How to apply: Fill the NIDHI-EIR form linked from the programme page when a cohort opens. SC and ST applicants also submit a caste certificate from a valid government department. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

AIC ISB was selected as an implementation partner for the NIDHI Accelerator, the Department of Science and Technology's accelerator umbrella run through NSTEDB, and shaped its edition around agriculture. Cohort 1 took applications from 10 July to 15 August 2025 and ran from September to December 2025, ending in a demo day, so this one is between intakes.

What you get

• Grant support for the top three startups
• Dedicated mentorship from experts
• Capacity-building support
• Partnership opportunities with corporates and the chance to run a pilot
• Industry connects, revenue acceleration support and fundraising support
• Tools and resources

Who can apply

• Ventures at least one year past incorporation
• Early-revenue stage with scalability potential
• Working in agriculture — the sub-themes named were precision agriculture and farm management, sustainable and regenerative agriculture, supply chain and market linkages, post-harvest and value addition, agri data and intelligence, robotics, and agri-fintech and insurance

How selection works: applications were shortlisted after the call closed, the shortlisted cohort went through the programme phase, and the cohort finished with a demo day.

How to apply: through the application form linked from the programme page when the next edition opens. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

The pilot component of MeitY's GENESIS initiative pays for a startup to actually execute a pilot project with a large customer, bridging the gap between an MVP and commercial sales. AIC ISB is a programme partner and the enabling partner that handles disbursement. The last call closed on 10 November 2025, so this one is between intakes.

What you get

• Funding to execute a pilot with a corporate, PSU or large enterprise
• One-on-one mentorship from ISB's network of entrepreneurs, industry leaders and experts on business model, go-to-market and pilot execution
• Capacity-building sessions on leadership, operations and market readiness
• Facilitated access to corporates, PSUs, investors and ecosystem enablers
• Prototyping labs, co-working space and expert sessions
• A one-on-one need assessment with the AIC ISB team and outside experts, producing a six to twelve month roadmap

Who can apply

• DPIIT-recognised startups registered as a Private Limited company or LLP
• A working prototype or MVP ready to be piloted
• A viable business plan and a full-time founder or co-founder
• A pilot work order or purchase order already in hand. The issuer must be a central ministry, department or autonomous body, a state government department or undertaking, a PSU, a Fortune 500 company or a recognised unicorn, and must meet a minimum turnover in its last audited year and have been operating at least five years
• Not a beneficiary of TIDE 2.0 (Scale-up) or SAMRIDH

How selection works: applications are screened and evaluated after the call closes, then go through due diligence and onboarding. An expert committee approves the funding, which is released in milestone-based tranches once a tripartite agreement is signed between the startup, AIC ISB and the corporate.

How to apply: through the application form linked from the programme page when the next call opens. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

The GENESIS matching fund tops up a raise that has already landed. AIC ISB is a programme partner for it. The last call closed on 30 October 2025, so this one is between intakes.

One thing to settle before you apply: the programme page describes the support as a one-for-one matching grant in one place and states that the funding instrument is equity in another. Ask AIC ISB which applies to the current call before you plan around it.

What you get

• A one-for-one match against external funds you have already received
• Access to mentorship, networks and resources through AIC ISB as programme partner

Who can apply

• A registered Indian Private Limited company with at least 51% Indian ownership
• Registered in a Tier-II or Tier-III city — this is mandatory
• A valid DPIIT certificate
• A market-ready product, preferably already generating revenue
• Working on a tech-based product or software in deep tech, AI or ML, cybersecurity, IoT, blockchain, fintech, edtech or healthtech
• Not involved in any legal disputes, and not previously supported under TIDE 2.0 (Scale-up) or SAMRIDH
• The raise you are matching must already be in your bank account. Commitments and signed term sheets do not count, government grants do not count, and a convertible debenture does not count — it has to be an equity instrument
• Startups with granted patents are preferred

How to apply: through the application form linked from the programme page when the next call opens. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

ArthX is AIC ISB's edition of HDFC Bank's Parivartan StartUp Grants, aimed at revenue-stage startups in Punjab working on sustainability. The last call ran from 2 January to 15 February 2026, with a pitch day at the end of February and grants released in March, so it is between intakes.

What you get

• Grant support for the startups selected at pitch day
• Access to strategic networks and ecosystem connects
• Mentorship and introductions

Who can apply

• Revenue-stage startups registered in Punjab, or with significant operations and impact in Punjab
• A validated product or solution, active customers or revenue, and clear intent to scale
• Working in one of the sustainability sub-themes: climate action, waste management, circularity, renewable energy and efficiency, sustainable agriculture, or sustainable materials and green manufacturing

How selection works: applications are scored on what you submit and how well you fit the programme. The top 25 shortlisted startups pitch to a jury on pitch day, and the winners receive the grants.

How to apply: through the application form linked from the programme page when the next edition opens. The last edition also ran two info sessions, one at the ISB Mohali campus and one in Ludhiana. Questions go to contact@aicisb.org.

This fellowship supported innovators working on battery energy storage for rural and urban communities, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and Innovation Norway and run in collaboration with AIC ISB and TERI in New Delhi. Twelve fellowships were on offer. Applications closed on 25 February 2025, so it is closed today.

It ran in two phases of three months each. Phase one covered mentoring on the Sustainable Development Goals, entrepreneurial skills and life skills, with fellows evaluated at the end on whether the innovation was useful and implementable for the local community, sustainable and environmentally sound, contributed to the circular economy, and could be commercialised or scaled. Those who passed went into phase two, an acceleration phase with a further grant to build prototypes, commercialise or implement in the community.

What you get

• A phase-wise grant, paid in two instalments per phase
• Mentoring from AIC ISB and TERI
• Personalised mentorship from subject-matter experts and introductions through local partnerships
• Help refining the idea into an actionable roadmap
• Preparation for putting the innovation into practice

Who can apply

• Indian citizens aged 18 or above, from any educational background, with a valid PAN card
• Resident or working in Punjab, or with an idea already implemented in Punjab or implementable there
• Preference to ideas at MVP stage; gender equity encouraged

How selection works: applications went through a verification check and then an interview, scored on relevance to the local community and whether it could be implemented, sustainability and environmental impact, contribution to the circular economy, and potential to commercialise or scale.

How to apply: applications were taken on the fellowship portal linked from the programme page. Mentoring was online, so no relocation was needed.