PRAGATI Micro-Accelerator
A programme by AWaDH, IIT Ropar
A six-week micro-accelerator for early-stage agriculture and sustainability startups, run as a CSR initiative with Puri Oil Mills; currently between intakes.
At a glance
| Best for | Early-stage agriculture and sustainability startups that can commit a few hours a week for six weeks |
|---|---|
| Stage | Prototype – MVP |
| Duration | 6 weeks, about 2 hours per week |
| Format | Hybrid |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | Puri Oil Mills Limited |
About PRAGATI Micro-Accelerator
PRAGATI is a short, tightly structured accelerator run as a CSR initiative of Puri Oil Mills with AWaDH. It is aimed at early-stage startups working on agriculture and sustainability, and it is the one AWaDH programme that publishes its funnel numbers in advance. The last timeline on its page is from an earlier intake, so it is between rounds, but a PRAGATI report from 2025 suggests it has run since.
What you get
- Personalised mentoring from domain experts to sharpen the idea and the strategy.
- Funding support for selected startups, as a grant at lower amounts and as a loan or equity above that.
- Networking with industry leaders, investors and other startups.
- Access to advanced R&D facilities and IIT Ropar's Central Research Facility.
Who can apply
- Early-stage startups and innovators working on agriculture and sustainability.
- Solving one of its problem statements: climate-resilient farming, AI and data-driven agricultural tools, sustainable resource management, yield and crop health prediction, or IoT and big data integration.
- Individuals may apply; women founders are encouraged; patents and IP preferred.
How selection works: twenty-five startups are shortlisted in the first phase, ten go through to a pre-demo day, those ten run a six-week accelerator at two hours a week, and the programme ends with a final demo day. Selected startups sign an incubation agreement before the accelerator begins.
How to apply: through the registration route on the PRAGATI page when the next intake opens.
Where to apply
Other AWaDH, IIT Ropar programmes
- SPRINTRolling-intake incubation for researchers and first-time founders turning a deep-tech idea into a startup or getting a technology commercialised.
- SAMRIDHIAWaDH's accelerator for growth-stage deep-tech startups, running in numbered editions and ending in a demo day before external investors.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme at iHub – AWaDHAWaDH is a participating incubator for the national seed fund scheme, taking DPIIT-recognised startups through its own seed management committee.
- 100 Startups 100 DaysA mission-mode push run with ANNAM.AI and IIT Ropar TBIF to back a hundred early-stage deep-tech startups ahead of the India AI Impact Summit.
- MeitY GENESIS at iHub – AWaDHAWaDH delivers MeitY's GENESIS programme for technology startups based in smaller Indian cities; the last published round has closed.
- DTC Accelerate – ClimateTechA climate-tech cohort accelerator run with NASSCOM's Deep Tech Club, covering agriculture and water technology; the published round has closed.
- REAL — Real Estate Acceleration LaunchpadA sector accelerator for real estate, construction and property technology run with Omaxe; the published round closed in mid-2025.
- SWACHAn accelerator for water, sanitation and waste startups with at least one commercial pilot behind them, run with Innovation Mission Punjab and the India Sanitation Coalition; closed.
- WATER Innovation ChallengeA water and agriculture innovation challenge run with HDFC Bank Parivartan; winners have been announced and the call is closed.
- IdeathonAn inclusive ideathon with reserved places for Scheduled Caste participants, open to startups, students, faculty and researchers; it has concluded.