Women in Tech incubation programme (2024) — closed
A programme by DTU Innovation and Incubation Foundation (DTU-IIF)
A past women-led cohort under the DST route, now closed — useful as a guide to what a future call may look like.
At a glance
| Best for | Idea and early-stage women entrepreneurs across India |
|---|---|
| Stage | Idea – Prototype |
| Format | In person |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | Department of Science & Technology, Government of India |
About Women in Tech incubation programme (2024) — closed
This call is closed; applications shut on 15 January 2024 and the cohort ran that year. It is still published on the foundation's site, so check the current scheme pages rather than this one.
It invited idea-stage and early-stage women entrepreneurs from across India and ran under the Department of Science and Technology's NIDHI i-TBI route. Selections were held at the end of January 2024, followed by a face-to-face programme at DTU in February and a demo day where startups presented to a jury. The best technology startups received funding.
One detail worth noting if a similar call reopens: this call asked for at least 50 per cent cumulative equity held by women, while the standing scheme page asks for 51 per cent.
Where to apply
Other DTU Innovation and Incubation Foundation (DTU-IIF) programmes
- DTU-IIF Incubation ProgrammeThe foundation's main incubation door, open to early-stage founders building technology-driven ventures, with no requirement to be from the university.
- NIDHI i-TBI seed support for women-led startupsA Department of Science and Technology route giving milestone-based grant support to women-led technology startups, with its own Ignition Grant guidelines for building a physical prototype.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme at DTU-IIFDTU-IIF is one of the incubators you can name on the national Startup India seed fund application, for DPIIT-recognised startups incorporated within the last two years.
- Co-Innovation Centre with IHFC, IIT DelhiA deep-tech centre on the DTU campus run jointly with I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics at IIT Delhi, which mentors and reviews proposals for IHFC's funding calls.
- YUKTI route for DTU innovatorsThe campus-only path: DTU students, alumni, faculty and staff submit ideas to the national YUKTI repository, and verified entries are referred into DTU-IIF for incubation.
- MSME Innovative Scheme guidanceGuidance, not a programme of its own — DTU-IIF helps innovators and MSMEs navigate the Ministry of MSME's own incubation, design and IPR scheme.
Everything about DTU Innovation and Incubation Foundation (DTU-IIF)