MeitY GENESIS Pilot Funding Program at CIIF
A programme by Chitkara Innovation Incubator Foundation (Chitkara Innovation Incubator Foundation)
Funding to deploy a market-ready product on a pilot with a large buyer, for Tier-II and Tier-III city startups that already hold the purchase order.
At a glance
| Best for | Tier-II and Tier-III city startups with a market-ready product and a pilot order in hand |
|---|---|
| Stage | MVP – Early revenue |
| Format | In person |
| Cost | Free |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology |
About MeitY GENESIS Pilot Funding Program at CIIF
This route is for the moment a large customer has agreed to try your product and you need to fund the deployment. The purchase order is the gate, not a nice-to-have.
What you get
- Funding support for product deployment on a pilot with a corporate, a public sector undertaking or a large enterprise.
- Mentorship, co-working space, labs and testing centres, investor and government networking, and training.
Who can apply
- A registered Indian private limited company with at least 51 per cent Indian ownership, registered in a Tier-II or Tier-III city, holding a valid recognition certificate from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
- Working in information and communication technology domains: information technology and artificial intelligence, electronic design and manufacturing, or technology and deeptech products.
- A minimum viable product or working prototype, a viable business plan, and full-time founders.
- A pilot work order or purchase order from the Government of India, a state government, a Fortune 500 company, a large corporate with several years of operations and substantial turnover, a public sector undertaking, or a unicorn startup.
- You must not have taken funding under the MeitY TIDE 2.0 scaleup investment route or the MeitY SAMRIDH scheme, and must not be in any legal dispute. Granted patents may count in your favour.
How to apply: through the application link on the programme page.
Where to apply
Other CIIF programmes
- CIIF Incubation ProgramCIIF's general, rolling intake for early-stage and growth-stage startups, in a resident or a virtual mode.
- DST NIDHI Seed Support ProgramSeed investment for startups already incubated at CIIF, decided by its seed support committee and taken as equity or a convertible instrument.
- NIDHI PRAYAS at CIIFPrototype grants for innovators building a physical product, run by CIIF under the DST NIDHI PRAYAS scheme. The last published deadline has passed.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme at CIIFCIIF is a portfolio incubator under the national Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, which supports proof of concept, prototyping, product trials and market entry.
- MeitY TIDE 2.0 Grant at CIIFA grant for turning a proof of concept into a prototype or minimum viable product, run by CIIF as a centre under MeitY's TIDE 2.0 scheme.
- MeitY TIDE 2.0 Entrepreneur in Residence at CIIFA monthly fellowship for graduates under 25 who want to test a startup idea full time, run by CIIF under MeitY's TIDE 2.0 scheme.
- MeitY GENESIS Entrepreneur in Residence at CIIFA fellowship for first-generation founders from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, run by CIIF as an approved partner incubator under MeitY's GENESIS scheme.
- MeitY GENESIS Matching Investment Program at CIIFEquity-based matching investment for Tier-II and Tier-III city startups that already have an angel or venture capital commitment.
- Chitkara XceleratorCIIF's own three-month cohort accelerator, taking startups from development to go-to-market and ending in a demo day. Between intakes — the last published dates are from 2023.