Government of Karnataka

The Government of Karnataka is the state government of India's leading technology and startup hub, home to Bengaluru — often called the country's Silicon Valley. Through the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T and Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), the state runs one of India's earliest and most generous startup-support programmes.

Elevate. Karnataka's flagship Elevate programme provides grant-in-aid of up to ₹50 lakh to innovative early-stage startups selected through a competitive idea-to-product evaluation. Elevate has supported thousands of startups and includes dedicated tracks such as Elevate Women and scale-up cohorts.

Funding and infrastructure.

• Karnataka Startup Policy with a state Fund of Funds investing through SEBI-registered AIFs.
• Idea2PoC grants for proof-of-concept development.
• New Age Innovation Network (NAIN) supporting student and academic innovation across districts.
• A network of incubators, Centres of Excellence (AI, robotics, cybersecurity, aerospace, animation/VFX, biotech) and the Beyond Bengaluru initiative spreading the ecosystem to Mysuru, Hubballi and Mangaluru.

Focus areas. Deeptech, AI/ML, SaaS, biotech and life sciences, fintech, cleantech, aerospace & defence and emerging technologies.

Eligibility. DPIIT-recognised, Karnataka-registered startups within prescribed age and turnover limits, with relaxed criteria for women-led and student ventures.

Who should apply. Founders building IP-rich ventures and seeking substantial non-dilutive grants (Elevate, Idea2PoC) and Fund-of-Funds access should register on the Karnataka startup portal and track Elevate cohorts via karnataka.gov.in / startup.karnataka.gov.in.