Hero For Startups

Check you fit the stage

The programme takes startups that already have a proof of concept or a minimum viable product. A founder at idea stage should look elsewhere first.

Match your work to a focus area

Selection asks whether your solution addresses one of Hero's listed focus areas, with measurable impact. Lead with the mobility, clean-tech or deep-tech problem you solve and show how it connects to a vehicle, a rider or Hero's operations.

Show a team and a roadmap

The programme asks for a committed team with domain expertise and a clear roadmap. Show who builds the product, what they have already delivered, and what the proof of concept would prove.

Prepare for the jury

The final stage is a jury pitch on innovation, sustainability and impact. Plan a pitch that covers technical readiness, sustainability, and the path to integration into Hero's business.

Timing

The pages read did not give a current intake date. The programme brochure says applications open at the programme launch event. Email the support inbox to ask when the next call opens before you prepare.

Hero For Startups is a 12-month accelerator run by Hero MotoCorp, the two-wheeler maker based in New Delhi. It is aimed at startups that are building solutions for mobility, clean-tech and deep-tech, and it works mainly through paid proofs of concept with Hero's own engineering teams.

The programme is open to early-stage and growth-stage startups that already have a proof of concept or a minimum viable product. The company asks for a committed team with domain expertise and a clear roadmap, and for a solution that addresses one of Hero's focus areas with measurable impact. Startups with traction or pilot projects in a relevant domain are a stated fit.

How the programme works

Selected startups get non-dilutive grants to build proofs of concept, and the programme states that these are paid without giving up equity. Grants are released in tranches as milestones are completed. The programme page describes three stages after selection: onboarding, proof-of-concept development with ongoing support from Hero's technical teams and leadership, and a final showcase where startups present their work and discuss next steps with Hero MotoCorp.

Participants also join three bootcamp tracks on technology readiness, capacity and capability building, and a sustainability roadmap. The company says that successful proofs of concept will be evaluated for integration into its product line and its business and operational processes.

Focus areas

Hero lists a set of focus areas that a proposal should address. They include acoustic simulation, advanced simulation, hydrogen and other alternative fuels for two-wheelers, AR and VR training and showroom experiences, autonomous hub-to-hub mobility, battery technology, charging infrastructure, connected vehicles, customer and market intelligence, digital twin technology, disruptive EV technology, emerging mobility, human machine interfaces, Industry 4.0 and digital factories, LLMs on edge devices, material science, mobility platforms as a service, and sustainability.

Support on offer

Selected startups get access to executive mentorship from Hero's leadership and industry experts, and to technical help from specialised teams across the company. The programme says startups can use Hero's Center of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur for development work, and can draw on cloud infrastructure, testing vehicles and manufacturing facilities for product validation. Hero also describes access to its R&D facilities in Germany.

How selection works

Selection has three levels. The first is a basic screen of relevance, team structure and product stage. The second is an intermediate evaluation of technology scalability and alignment with Hero's focus areas. The third is an advanced evaluation in which startups pitch to a jury on innovation, sustainability and impact.

Scale and reach

The homepage's pan-India coverage panel lists 18 states, 21 roadshows and 500+ startups. It gives no date for these figures and does not say how many startups were selected or supported.

Who runs it

Hero For Startups is run by Hero MotoCorp Limited, with Dr. Pawan Munjal as Executive Chairman. The corporate office is at The Grand Plaza, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Enquiries go to the programme's support inbox.