MeitY Matching Fund (GENESIS Investment 2.0)
A programme by Deshpande Startups
A one-for-one matching investment against private capital a startup has already received, plus a structured acceleration programme.
At a glance
| Best for | DPIIT-registered startups from smaller cities that have already raised from investors |
|---|---|
| Stage | Early revenue – Growth |
| Run with | MeitY Startup Hub |
About MeitY Matching Fund (GENESIS Investment 2.0)
This programme matches, one for one, money a startup has already raised from investors, and pairs it with an acceleration track. It is aimed at startups whose product is validated in the market and who now need to scale and raise properly. Only investor money counts towards the match: government grants, schemes and foreign direct investment are excluded, and the funds have to be in the bank already, not merely committed or agreed on paper.
What you get
- A matching investment against private capital received
- Investor connect and fundraising support
- A structured acceleration programme covering design thinking, go-to-market, unit economics, compliance, fundraising and demo-day preparation
- One-to-one expert guidance and access to investor and corporate networks
- Market exposure, customer linkages and support for pilots and commercialisation
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
- A valid DPIIT certificate
- A technology product or software in a domain MeitY promotes; service platforms are discouraged
- A market-ready product, preferably already generating revenue
- No legal disputes; granted patents are a stated preference
- No earlier support under MeitY TIDE 2.0 Scale-Up, SAMRIDH, or GENESIS EiR before graduation
How to apply: apply on the MeitY portal, complete the application and name Deshpande Startups as your first implementing agency preference. Enquiries go to etprograms@dfmail.org.
Where to apply
Other Deshpande Startups programmes
- IncubationA twelve-month, sector-agnostic programme for startups past the prototyping stage, run on the Hubballi campus.
- AccelerationA sixteen-week cohort programme for early-revenue, market-ready startups, focused on growth, distribution and investment readiness.
- YUVA ValidateA free five-week hybrid programme that helps student founders test whether their startup idea is worth building.
- Grind2GrowthA six-month entrepreneurship development programme for early-stage founders from North Karnataka.
- NIDHI EIRA Department of Science and Technology fellowship that pays a monthly stipend so a technical founder can work on their venture full time. Between intakes.
- NIDHI PRAYASA prototyping grant with lab access, for turning an idea or proof of concept into a working prototype.
- MeitY GENESIS EiRMeitY Startup Hub's entrepreneur-in-residence track, with grant support and on-campus incubation for early technology innovators from smaller cities.
- MeitY GENESIS PilotEquity-based funding to run a paid pilot with a large corporate, PSU or unicorn. Between intakes.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)Seed funding from the national scheme, disbursed to selected startups through Deshpande Startups as an approved incubator. Between intakes.
- Bridge2Bharat HubballiA soft-landing package for growth-stage startups opening operations in Hubballi.
- Infinity Innovation LabsFour hardware labs on the Hubballi campus - mechanical, PCB assembly, 3D printing and electronics - open to startups and small manufacturers.