Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI)

Start with recognition

• Register on the StartupJK portal and get recognised under the J&K Startup Policy first. The seed fund and the awards are open only to recognised startups.
• Check the basics before you apply: incorporated or registered in J&K, an office in J&K, incorporated within the last ten years, and a private limited company, partnership firm or LLP.
• Keep proof of innovation ready. DPIIT recognition, a published patent, a letter from a government-registered or SEBI-registered fund, or a one-page write-up all count.

Seed fund

• There is no always-open application. JKEDI advertises the call in newspapers, and the window is usually one month from the notice.
• Apply on the StartupJK portal under Apply for Seed Fund, with your documents and a plan for how you will use the money.
• You can receive seed support from JKEDI only once. Check that neither the company nor its main promoter has had it before.
• Support is released in four equal instalments, so plan your milestones around staged release.
• Rejected applicants can apply again in a later cycle.

Awards

• Awards are announced around National Start-up Day on 16 January. Watch for the advertisement and the online window on the portal.
• Have three years of audited financials ready, unless the startup is under a year old.
• You can enter at most two categories, and earlier winners cannot enter again.

What reviewers look for

• Startups are screened by a Startup Task Force Committee. The policy asks for an innovative business with a scalable model.
• The seed fund can be used for proof of concept, prototype work, product trials and scaling. Say which stage you are at and what the money will do.

Before you rely on a scheme

• Confirm in the current notice whether the support is a grant or debt, and which portal to use. The scheme's pages are not consistent on both.
• If you are based in Ladakh, ask JKEDI whether your entity is eligible.
• The youth self-employment, Himayat and minority-loan pages carry data only to 2022. Contact the JKEDI offices before planning around them.

The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) is a training institute of the Industries and Commerce Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the designated nodal agency for the J&K Startup Policy, which it runs through the StartupJK portal. Its address is Sempora, Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir.

How the programmes work

Most of what JKEDI offers startups runs in a fixed order. A startup first registers on the StartupJK portal and is recognised by JKEDI under the J&K Startup Policy. Recognition is the gateway to the rest: the seed fund, the startup awards and the other policy benefits are open to recognised startups.

The Director of JKEDI is the nodal officer for the policy. Recognition applications are made online on the portal with a certificate of incorporation and proof that the business is innovative. JKEDI certifies within a month.

Who can apply

To be recognised, a startup must be incorporated or registered in Jammu and Kashmir and have an office there. It must have been incorporated within the last ten years, be a private limited company, partnership firm or LLP, and have a turnover below a stated ceiling. It must not have been formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business, and it must be working towards an innovation with a scalable model.

Proof of innovation can be DPIIT recognition, a published patent, a letter from a government-registered or SEBI-registered fund, or a one-page write-up.

The portal's About and Contact pages list Ladakh, Leh and Kargil as part of the region and in its district list. The eligibility rule only speaks of J&K, and the pages do not say whether entities based in Ladakh qualify, so check with JKEDI before applying from there.

J&K Startup Seed Fund Scheme

The seed fund gives recognised startups one-time assistance, released in four equal instalments. A Startup Task Force Committee approves startups after screening. The money is meant for proof of concept, prototype work, product trials and scaling.

A startup can receive seed support from JKEDI only once. The entity, or the promoter holding more than half of it, must not have had seed support from JKEDI before and must not be a JKEDI defaulter. The criteria are checked on the date of application, and there is no minimum education requirement for founders.

JKEDI advertises the call in newspapers, and startups apply online on the StartupJK portal in the window the notice gives, usually one month. There is no standing open window, so watch for the notice.

The scheme's pages are not fully consistent. The rules call the support a grant, while another page says a grant suits proof of concept and a debt or convertible debenture suits market entry and scaling. One page also refers to the Startup India portal, while the operational guidelines send applicants to the StartupJK portal. Confirm the form of support and the portal in the current notice.

Seed-funded startups can also apply for travel assistance when approaching global universities, accelerators, incubators and investors. Only startups that have received seed support are eligible.

J&K Startup Awards

JKEDI gives annual awards on National Start-up Day, 16 January. Categories cover startups, women-led startups, emerging startups and social startups, along with top incubators and mentors. Winners receive a certificate and a cash prize.

To enter, a startup must be recognised under the J&K Startup Policy, hold the registrations its trade requires, and have no default in the last three years. It needs audited financials for the last three years, unless it is under a year old. Earlier winners cannot enter again, and a startup can enter at most two categories. Applications open online on the portal when the awards are advertised.

Other support under the policy

The J&K Startup Policy also provides for part-support of acceleration fees, a discount on co-working space where JKEDI has it available, and a fund for specific or technical mentorship. The policy is a scanned document, so check the current terms with JKEDI before relying on any of these.

For credit, JKEDI helps recognised startups connect with banks under the DPIIT Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups. JKEDI does not lend under that scheme: the startup applies directly to the member bank, and DPIIT guidelines apply.

Youth self-employment schemes

JKEDI also implements schemes for young people in Jammu and Kashmir who want to start an enterprise. These include the Seed Capital Fund Scheme and Youth Start-up Loan Scheme under the state's Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for Youth, and Himayat, a residential three-week entrepreneurship training programme under the Union Ministry of Rural Development. JKEDI also works with the National Minorities Development Finance Corporation on term and education loans for minorities.

Himayat is open to permanent residents of J&K aged 18 to 35, with education from 8th pass onwards. The published details for these schemes run only to 2022, so confirm current intake with the JKEDI offices in Kashmir and Jammu before planning around them.

Locations

JKEDI is at Sempora, Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, and has offices serving both the Kashmir and Jammu divisions as well as district offices.