BPCL

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), headquartered in Mumbai, runs Project Ankur to promote promising startups in the energy sector. Launched in 2016 with a corpus of Rs 25 crore as part of the Startup India initiative, the program supports innovative technology and business process re-engineering ideas with significant business potential, social relevance, and environmental focus.

BPCL supports selected startups through validated Proof of Concept via funding up to Rs 1.5 crore and intellectual mentoring, with acceleration and commercialization support post-PoC. Phase 2 of Project Ankur evolved from a pure grant model to a grant-plus-equity funding approach. BPCL has supported 30+ startups with Rs 28+ crore in total grant funding and recently launched the ELEVATE cohort for innovations in energy efficiency and city gas distribution.

Who Benefits

Energy sector startups working on innovation in fuels, lubricants, LPG, petrochemicals, city gas distribution, and energy efficiency. Early-stage ventures with promising technologies seeking PoC validation, grant funding up to Rs 1.5 crore, and a structured pathway to commercialization with one of India's largest oil and gas PSUs.