ANGRAU Agri Innovation Foundation

Check the geography first

• The latest brochures for all three programmes say to apply only from Andhra Pradesh. Older pages on the website do not mention this. If you are outside the state, ask the incubator whether you can apply before preparing an application.
• The last intake closed on 17 January 2026. Watch the website for the next window.

Choose the right programme

• An individual with an agri idea and an initial plan: Agri YOCH. No minimum qualification and no startup registration needed, but you must commit full time.
• A registered startup with a working MVP: Agri INVO. You must meet the DPIIT definition of a startup and not have taken government grant-in-aid before.
• A student with an idea or proof of concept: MERISTEMS. Startup registration is not required.

How applications work

• Each programme has its own online form, linked from its page on the incubator's website.
• The brochures list a dated application window. Outside that window the forms may not accept responses, and we could not confirm their status.
• For enquiries, use the contact details on the incubator's website. The office is open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm.

How selection works

• Training comes first, and grant-in-aid is considered only after the one-month programme.
• For Agri INVO, applications are reviewed by the incubator's own committee, then by a committee with the Knowledge Partner, and finally by a selection committee of the central agriculture department.
• For MERISTEMS, consistent performance during training is reviewed by the Knowledge Partner committee.
• Grant-in-aid is paid in instalments for project costs, and startups in Agri INVO contribute a share of the project cost themselves.

What reviewers look for

• A clear agri or allied-sector idea. The idea should use technology, a service or a business platform to make agriculture more efficient.
• Evidence that fits the programme. An initial business plan for YOCH, a working MVP for INVO, a prototype or proof of concept for MERISTEMS.
• Full-time commitment. The brochures say only full-time agripreneurs are accepted.
• No overlapping government grant for the same project.

The ANGRAU Poshan Incubator is an agri-business incubator hosted by Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) at its Regional Agricultural Research Station in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Its own website calls the unit the Agri Innovations and Entrepreneurship Development Cell, and its guideline documents are headed ANGRAU Agri Innovations and Entrepreneurship Development Foundation. It is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the RKVY-RAFTAAR agribusiness incubation scheme, which is why it is also described as an R-ABI.

The incubator works only with agriculture and allied sectors. Its latest brochures invite applications only from Andhra Pradesh, and the last intake window ran from 15 December 2025 to 17 January 2026. No later window had been announced when this page was last checked.

How the programmes work

The incubator runs three programmes, each for a different kind of founder. Agri YOCH, also called the Agripreneurship Orientation Programme, is for individuals with an agri idea and an initial business plan. Agri INVO, the Startup Agri-Business Incubation Programme, is for registered startups that already have a minimum viable product. MERISTEMS is for students who want to turn an idea or a proof of concept into a prototype.

All three begin with a period of training. The current guidelines and brochures give this as one month. Older pages on the same website describe an eight-week or two-month programme, so the exact length may differ from one cohort to the next. After the training, selected participants are evaluated for grant-in-aid towards their project. The grant-in-aid is provided through the scheme, and it is routed through a Knowledge Partner, MANAGE Hyderabad, with final approval from the central agriculture department. Its pages do not state a fee for any of the three programmes, and they do not say the incubator takes equity.

Applications are made through an online form for each programme. The brochures number the latest intake as the ninth cohort for YOCH and INVO and the second cohort for MERISTEMS.

Who can apply

Agri YOCH is open to youth, farmers, women and any other interested individuals. There is no minimum qualification, but the applicant must not be a minor, must plan to work on the idea full time, and must have an initial business plan. Someone already receiving a government grant for the same project is not eligible.

Agri INVO is for startups registered as a legal entity in India that meet the DPIIT definition of a startup and have a working MVP. It is not meant for Indian subsidiaries of multinational or foreign companies. A startup that has already received grant-in-aid from a state or central government body, in part or in full, is not eligible, and a startup supported once cannot apply for a second round of seed support. Startups where a woman founder from a rural area holds a majority of the equity are eligible for additional assistance. Older pages on the website said an unregistered but operating startup could take part and register later. The current guidelines ask for registration up front.

MERISTEMS is for students, and the students do not need to be registered as startups. Applicants must be from Andhra Pradesh. Anyone already incubated at the ANGRAU Poshan Incubator can also receive this funding after the one-month training, based on performance review. A startup that has been supported by another R-ABI is not eligible for the student category or seed support here.

The geography rule is stated differently in different places. The current brochures and the MERISTEMS guidelines restrict applications to Andhra Pradesh. The older question-and-answer page and the programme pages mention no state restriction. Founders from other states should treat the Andhra Pradesh rule as the current one and confirm with the incubator before applying.

Facilities and support

The incubator lists shared office space, laboratory access, tele and video conferencing, a reference library and a cafeteria. MERISTEMS participants are also offered co-working facilities for building a prototype into a product that fits the market.

Support services listed on the website include mentoring, intellectual property services, technology commercialisation assistance, customer relations development, legal and regulatory help, technical assistance, linkages to strategic partners, marketing and network help, and fund raising with access to investors. Agri INVO grantees also attend a 15-day incubation workshop after the orientation training.

Areas of focus

The sectors listed for Agri INVO include agricultural biotechnology, post-harvest technology, food processing, precision farming, micro irrigation, seed production, and the use of IoT, AI and machine learning in agriculture. The incubator states that the programme is only for agriculture and allied sectors.

Scale and track record

The website publishes lists of selected incubatees for six cohorts. The numbering on those lists does not match the brochures, which call the latest YOCH and INVO intake the ninth cohort. One list is also headed with a different cohort number from the one on its link. Because of this, and because the lists name individual applicants rather than give totals, we have not stated how many startups the incubator has supported.

Who runs it

The unit is led by its Principal Investigator and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kadiri Mohan. The Agri Innovations and Entrepreneurship Development Cell was established at ANGRAU in June 2019 as a project funded under RKVY-RAFTAAR. Its website does not give details of a separate registered entity.

Location, contact and careers

The incubator is on the S.V. Agricultural College campus, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Chandragiri Road, Tirupati, Chittoor District. Its office hours are Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm. Its recruitment page listed no openings when it was last checked.