JECRC Incubation Centre

The JIC Incubation Program is the centre's flagship cycle and it is open to JECRC students only. It is sector agnostic and runs from idea to early revenue. The most recent call, Cohort 8.0, listed a deadline in September 2026 that has now passed, so treat it as between intakes and check for the next call.

What you get

• Idea-to-MVP validation: problem-solution fit diagnostics, customer discovery sprints and a rapid prototyping framework
• Weekly one-to-one office hours, a paired domain expert and an alumni founder advisory network
• Grant access through JIC's internal corpus and government schemes
• Co-working, prototype and lab access, high-performance compute and workstations, hardware and IoT maker labs, and a 24/7 dedicated co-working zone
• Trademark and patent advisory, Private Limited incorporation support, founder agreements and regulatory filings
• Campus customer testbeds, corporate partner pilot deployments and B2B vendor onboarding guidance
• Pitch clinics, including live mock pitches before angel networks
• A slot at JIC Demo Day

Who can apply

• All current students of JECRC, from any year and any department
• An innovative idea, a prototype or an early revenue venture. A finished product is not required
• Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged
• A commitment to attend mentoring sessions and diagnostic sprints

How selection works: registration, then a masterclass, then one-to-one mentorship, then mock pitching.

How to apply: through the cohort page on JIC's site. There is a programme fee, with a scholarship for JECRC students.

An in-person accelerator run at JECRC for people starting out. Its page has not been refreshed since 2024 and gives no current intake, so treat it as between intakes. Its own copy and the home page disagree on whether it runs for six weeks or ten, and on whether it is open nationally or to JECRC students, so confirm both before applying.

What you get

• Knowledge sessions and workshops with industry experts
• One-to-one mentoring and a weekly Q&A
• Access to partner benefits and investors
• A pilot opportunity
• A certificate on completion
• Seed funding for the most eligible startups

Who can apply

• Anyone wanting to start a venture and pursue entrepreneurship as a career
• No prior startup experience needed

How selection works: applicants are shortlisted, and the fee applies to shortlisted participants only.

How to apply: through the accelerator page on JIC's site, which also lists two programme leads and their phone numbers.

JIC's online accelerator, run twice a year over four weeks. It is the one JIC programme that is open nationally without a Tier-II or Tier-III location requirement. No dates are published, so watch the page for the next intake.

What you get

• Help going from an idea to an investable startup faster
• Support with go-to-market strategy
• Faster customer discovery and work on product-market fit
• Fundraising preparation through pitching sessions, a demo day and investor meetings
• Access to investor networks

Who can apply

• Early-stage startups from around the country

How selection works: applications are shortlisted. A past round reported more than 100 applications and 12 startups selected, with 40 angels and VCs involved.

How to apply: no form is published on the page. Use the contact form on JIC's site and ask about the next intake.

JIC's TIDE 2.0 grant route, run under MeitY's TIDE 2.0 scheme. It is for startups that already have an MVP or early revenue and are based outside the metros. The home page describes it as rolling; no deadline is published.

What you get

• Grant support for selected startups
• Incubation and expert mentoring
• Product development assistance
• Industry connects and pilot opportunities

Who can apply

• MVP or early-revenue startups within a stated revenue band
• Located in a Tier-II or Tier-III city
• Founders working full time on the startup
• Working in electronics, IT, deeptech, AI/ML, IoT, blockchain or a similar domain

How selection works: apply, then application screening and shortlisting, then a preliminary pitching session, then a final pitching demo day. A small number of winners are selected each round.

How to apply: through the TIDE grant page on JIC's site.

A collaborative programme run under MeitY's TIDE 2.0 scheme to support tech entrepreneurship. It is unusual in asking for no company registration at all, which makes it one of the few routes open to a founder who has not incorporated yet. The home page describes it as hybrid and up to six months. No intake dates are published.

What you get

• Grant support for selected founders
• Technical assistance
• Incubation and mentoring support
• Networking and pilot opportunities

Who can apply

• Startups at ideation stage or early revenue stage
• No legal business registration required
• A single founder or a team, working on an innovative startup
• Emerging technology focus: IoT, AI, blockchain, robotics and similar

How to apply: through the TIDE EiR page on JIC's site. Note that this page's headline grant figure disagrees with the figure in its own benefits list, so confirm with JIC what is on offer.

Part of MeitY Startup Hub's GENESIS scheme, delivered by JIC. It backs early-stage innovators from Tier-II and Tier-III cities in electronics, IT and deeptech. The last call closed on 3 September 2026, so watch for the next one.

What you get

• Grant support to turn an idea into a working prototype, released against two milestones
• Full access to specialised research and development labs and co-working spaces at JECRC
• Direct access to industry mentors, investors and networking events
• Guidance on market entry, IP protection and later funding rounds
• Idea validation, mentorship and incubation support

Who can apply

• Indian citizens who are either student founders or founders with less than two years of experience
• Startups based in and operating from a Tier-II or Tier-III city
• Working in ICT, electronics or deeptech, including AI, IoT, blockchain, cybersecurity and AR/VR
• Willing to commit to being physically incubated at JECRC Incubation Centre for the duration

How selection works: apply online, then application screening and a pitch evaluation by experts, then onboarding and a formal agreement.

How to apply: through the MeitY Startup Hub application linked from JIC's GENESIS EiR page.

The pilot component of MeitY's GENESIS scheme, delivered by JIC. It bridges the gap between an MVP and commercialisation by paying for a real deployment with a corporate, PSU or large enterprise. The hard gate is the work order: you need one in hand before you apply.

What you get

• Funding support for pilot execution and deployment, released against milestones
• Direct pilot execution with corporate and PSU partners
• Real-world testing with actual enterprise users
• Product validation, market credibility and investor readiness

Who can apply

• DPIIT-recognised startups registered as a Pvt. Ltd. or LLP
• A working prototype or MVP ready to deploy
• A valid work order or purchase order from a corporate, PSU or unicorn
• Operating in ICT, AI, deeptech, ESDM or innovative hardware

How selection works: JIC announces a call for proposals, screens internally and at MeitY Startup Hub level, a MeitY expert committee gives final approval, then you, JIC and the corporate sign a tripartite agreement and funds are released against milestones.

How to apply: through the GENESIS Pilot Fund page on JIC's site.

The investment component of MeitY's GENESIS scheme, delivered by JIC. It matches, one for one, private investment you have already secured, so it is a route for a startup that has closed or nearly closed a round rather than one looking for a first cheque. The most recent call listed a last date of 24 September 2026.

What you get

• One-for-one matching equity investment against external private capital raised
• Investor readiness mentorship and pitch day opportunities
• Practical workshops on term sheets and cap table management
• Twelve months of post-funding monitoring and strategic guidance

Who can apply

• An Indian Pvt. Ltd. company with at least 51% Indian ownership
• DPIIT-recognised and based in a Tier-II or Tier-III city
• Market-ready and preferably revenue-generating
• Private, non-government matching investment already secured. Government funding and FDI do not count
• Not previously supported under TIDE 2.0 scale-up, SAMRIDH, or GENESIS EiR before graduation
• Priority sectors are ESDM, software and SaaS, AI, machine learning, robotics, IoT, AR/VR, quantum, healthtech, cleantech, agritech, cyber security and defencetech. Pure service delivery and marketplace aggregators are explicitly non-priority

How selection works: a call for applications, a two-stage evaluation, validation of the matching fund term sheet, MeitY Startup Hub approval and fund release, then an investor demo day and equity compliance.

How to apply: through the MeitY Startup Hub application linked from JIC's GENESIS Investment page.

An annual one-day pitch event where startups from JIC's incubation and acceleration programmes present to investors, industry leaders and ecosystem enablers. No date is published.

What you get

• Five to ten minutes to pitch, followed by a Q&A with a panel of judges
• Cash prizes for the winners
• Direct pitching to active angel investors and VCs
• A fast-track into JIC's incubation programme for top performers
• Coverage in JIC's press releases and social channels
• One-to-one mentor sessions after the event

Who can apply

• Startups incubated at JIC, or that have completed any JIC programme
• Early-stage startups with an MVP or a validated concept
• Founders who want investor exposure and feedback
• Teams ready to present traction, market fit and a plan

How selection works: ten startups pitch in the first round; the top five pitch again to the jury, and winners are announced at the close.

How to apply: through the Demo Day page on JIC's site. Investors can register separately to attend.

A recurring summit that brings ecosystem enablers, mentors, investors and founders together. The page shows no dates and its gallery is headed as a look back at the previous year, so watch for the next edition.

What you get

• One-to-one mentoring hours from jury panelists for shortlisted startups
• A startup expo with a marketplace and investor connect sessions
• An overnight Ideathon in which the top 15 teams pitch to the jury for cash prizes
• Seed funding for top startups
• Real-time market feedback and customer survey reviews
• A chance to pitch to active angel investors

Who can apply

• Startup founders, mentors, investors and startup enthusiasts. Sectors range across edtech, ICT and deeptech, healthtech, logistics, social impact, women-focused products, fintech, retail and e-commerce, FMCG, agriculture, electric vehicles, tourism, mining, packaging, textiles and medtech

How to apply: through the register, expo and Ideathon links on the RISE page.

An introductory series that gives students a first look at the startup ecosystem, with expert guidance, interactive sessions and sessions on ideation, market research, funding and marketing. JIC calls it the first step into entrepreneurship.

Who can apply

• Open to all first-year students willing to enter the entrepreneurial ecosystem

How to apply: through the contact form on JIC's site.

The step after JIC Startup School, where students apply what they learned about business models, teamwork and coordination. It also runs as an overnight track inside the RISE summit, where participants build on problem statements and the top 15 teams pitch to the jury for cash prizes. Its stated purpose is to find and develop students with the potential to build and run a startup.

How to apply: through the contact form on JIC's site, or through the Ideathon link on the RISE page.