Encubay

Choosing the right programme

• Women founders who want fundraising preparation: the Fempreneurs Accelerator Program is the closest match, but the site describes one completed cohort and no open intake.
• Women-led tech startups in India: the Tech FoundHER Challenge is the closest match. Its case study describes a completed challenge, so check the Encubay site for a next call.
• Founders who want help with visibility or fundraising: Influence Lab and fundraising support are by introduction or invitation.
• Founders seeking investment from women and men investors: the Encubay Angel Network is set up for female-led startups. The About page gives no entry route.

How applications work

• Most programmes are by introduction or invitation. Request access through the Request Access form on the network site.
• Most programmes do not state dates, fees or an open call. Confirm before planning around one.

How selection works

• The site does not describe its selection process. For the Tech FoundHER Challenge, the case study reports 30 startups shortlisted from more than 500 applications.

Encubay is a platform that connects founders, investors, financial institutions and innovation hubs. It runs programmes for founders in India, and its pages describe activity in other countries too, although the list of countries differs from page to page.

How programmes work

Most of Encubay's founder programmes run through introductions and invitations rather than an open application. Its pages describe a small number of named programmes, and a wider set of gatherings and networks.

The Fempreneurs Accelerator Program is a four-month programme for women founders, designed to prepare them for fundraising. Its sessions cover vision, scaling, networking, personal branding and fundraising, and are led by industry experts. The partner is named differently across the site: the homepage names the US Department of State, while the Our Work page names the US Consulate. The site describes one completed cohort of 30 members and gives no open intake date.

The Tech FoundHER Challenge is run with Prosus and VAIA Climate. It is a challenge-based accelerator for women-led tech startups in India, offering equity-free grants, mentorship and access to an investor panel. The case study says 30 startups were shortlisted from more than 500 applications. The challenge is described as completed, and no open call is stated.

Influence Lab is a curated programme that helps founders shape their narrative and visibility. Encubay also offers fundraising support through warm introductions to investors, narrative refinement and process discipline. Both are by introduction or invitation.

The Encubay Angel Network was launched so that women and men can fund female-led startups together. The About page does not give its current status, cheque size or entry route.

The site also describes dedicated programmes that connect early-stage founders with funders through pitch sessions, mentorship and direct investor introductions. It describes structured conversations between vetted founders and investors, invite-only roundtables for growth-stage founders, and invite-only gatherings for senior leaders. Its events calendar lists invitation-only international delegations for founders, investors and family offices, including upcoming events in Singapore and Davos. Fees, dates and entry routes are not stated for most of these.

Who can apply

The Fempreneurs programme is for women founders. The Tech FoundHER Challenge is for women-led tech startups in India. The Angel Network's focus is female-led startups. The pitch, roundtable and fundraising offers are for early-stage and growth-stage founders. Several gatherings are for investors, family offices and senior leaders rather than founders, and the site does not state eligibility for most of them.

Scale

The homepage says Encubay has accelerated more than 10,000 founders through its initiatives. It also lists over 600 investment partners, over 100 ecosystem partners and seven countries. The About page gives different figures: 1,000+ investors, 30+ countries, and 10,000+ ecosystem members across founders, investors and corporates, which it reports for 2024. It also says it has engaged 100+ corporate partners, and its Our Work page lists 30+ institutional engagements.

These are the organisation's own figures, and its pages do not agree with each other. They are reported here as claims, not verified totals.

Partners and collaborations

Its pages name collaborations with DIFC, Hub71, ADGM, HSBC, DBS and Barclays, and list EDB, the US Consulate and the Dubai Chamber as trusted partners. Case studies on the Our Work page cover work with Google for Developers, with OneValley, and a NETWORK HER conference with DBS, supported by Microsoft for Startups.

Who runs it

The About page credits Deeksha Ahuja with launching its ecosystem initiatives, including the angel network and a mentoring programme with the US Government. The About page gives 2020 as the founding year. A third-party directory gives 2019.

Locations

The site does not give a street address, so none is published here. Its pages describe operations across India, the UAE, the United States and Europe. The homepage also lists Singapore, which the privacy policy omits. Two third-party directories place the organisation in Pune, India; neither is the organisation's own statement.