CSJM Innovation Foundation

Pick the right track

CSJMIF's intake form asks you to choose one of three tracks before you submit an idea:

• Pre-Incubation: for founders still at the idea stage; you don't need to be incorporated yet.
• General Incubation: for startups with an MVP that's ready for the market, based on or willing to work from the Kanpur campus.
• Virtual Incubation: the same MVP stage, for founders who live outside Kanpur and want to work with the foundation remotely.

How applications work

Applying is a two-step process. First, submit a short 'Submit Idea' form with your basic details, a description of your idea and a pitch deck, and pick your track. Startups seeking formal incubation then move to a longer 'Apply For Incubation' form that asks for company registration details (CIN, PAN), founder background and full-time commitment, product and market information, your business model, a mandatory pitch deck and KYC documents for each founder. A DPIIT recognition certificate can be uploaded if you have one, but it isn't required to apply.

What reviewers look for

The application form itself signals what CSJMIF checks for: whether all founders are working full time (and why not, if any aren't), a clear problem and solution, evidence of customer or problem validation, your differentiation from competitors, and a stated revenue model. The foundation notes plainly that submission doesn't guarantee selection or funding.

Getting in touch

For general queries, write to infocsjmif@csjmu.ac.in or use the contact form on the foundation's site.

CSJM Innovation Foundation (CSJMIF) is a technology-business incubator based at Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It is a Section 8 non-profit company promoted by the university, established in May 2022, and it is recognised by the Government of Uttar Pradesh under the state's Startup Policy 2020.

CSJMIF supports founders from around Uttar Pradesh, not only students and staff of the university. Its own leadership describes the foundation's mandate as covering both university stakeholders and youth from around the state, and one of its three intake tracks is built specifically for applicants who live outside Kanpur.

Who can apply

CSJMIF runs three tracks. Pre-Incubation is for founders still at the idea stage; the intake form doesn't require the venture to be incorporated yet. General Incubation is for startups that already have an MVP and are ready to go to market, and it places founders on the Kanpur campus. Virtual Incubation is for founders at the same MVP stage who live outside Kanpur and work with the foundation remotely.

Formal incubation follows initial screening: startups fill in an application covering company registration (CIN, PAN), founder background, product and market details, business model, and a mandatory pitch deck. Applicants can upload a DPIIT recognition certificate if they hold one, though it isn't a requirement to apply.

Separately, the university itself runs a Student Start-Up Promotion Policy and a Faculty Start-Up Promotion Policy, both dated 2019, for its own students and faculty. These cap incubation at ten companies at a time and five new companies per financial year, and sit alongside CSJMIF's open tracks rather than replacing them.

Programmes

Beyond its three standing tracks, CSJMIF has partnered with Bary Center Technology Pvt. Ltd. (BaryTech) on a joint programme for its own incubated and pre-incubated startups working in artificial intelligence, machine learning and sustainable technologies, offering financial support, mentorship and industry exposure; that programme's application window has closed. The foundation also organised AI Manthan 2.0, a state-level AI summit and innovation showcase open to AI startups, researchers and innovation teams from across India, with free exhibition stalls for up to 50 selected projects; registrations for that edition are also closed. It runs shorter paid courses too, in areas such as Android app development, digital marketing and UAV/drone training.

Facilities and support

Incubated startups get co-working space on campus, high-speed internet and IT infrastructure, and access to labs and prototyping facilities. The foundation lists a conference and seminar hall, a digital library, and a cafeteria among its on-site amenities. On the support side, it offers mentorship and expert guidance, legal and IP support, help connecting to funding and investors, training and capacity-building sessions, and compliance support.

Track record

CSJMIF's own homepage puts its incubated-startup count at more than 68, alongside more than 15 mentors and experts and more than 20 partner institutions and organisations. Its startup-portfolio pages separately list 66 named incubated companies and 44 named pre-incubated companies -- the pre-incubated count is higher than the homepage's own pre-incubated counter, which reads 26+. These are the foundation's own published figures rather than an independently audited count.

Who runs it

CSJMIF is led by CEO Dr. Divyansh Shukla and COO Dr. Anshu Singh, under Dean (Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Start-Up) Dr. Shilpa Deshpande Kaistha. Its board is chaired by CSJM University's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Vinay Kumar Pathak, and includes university officers alongside outside members such as an IIT Kanpur professor and the managing director of a knitwear manufacturer.

Locations

CSJMIF operates from the CSJM University campus at Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208024.