NIDHI Seed Support Programme
A programme by Kerala Startup Mission
A central Department of Science and Technology seed programme for startups already incubated at KSUM.
At a glance
| Best for | Technology startups already incubated at KSUM |
|---|---|
| Stage | MVP – Early revenue |
| Cost | Free |
About NIDHI Seed Support Programme
The NIDHI Seed Support Programme comes from NSTEDB under the Department of Science and Technology. It is for startups that have already spent time inside an incubator and are moving from a validated idea towards commercialisation.
What you get
- Support for proof of concept, prototype development, product validation, market trials, initial market entry and commercialisation
- Disbursal in instalments, processed by KSUM
Who can apply
- A company registered in India, preferably DPIIT registered or applied
- At least three months of association with the incubator, in its resident or virtual incubation programme
- A clear unique selling proposition demonstrated through customer validation
- Indian promoter shareholding of at least 51 percent
- Not for Indian subsidiaries of multinational or foreign companies; OCI and PIO holders count as Indian citizens here
- Preference goes to startups that have not taken central or state government funding before
How selection works: Online application through the KSUM website, then a one-to-one call and an initial pitch, then a final pitch to the NIDHI Seed Support Management Committee, whose recommendation drives disbursal.
How to apply: Online through the KSUM website.
Where to apply
Other Kerala Startup Mission programmes
- Idea GrantA state grant for Kerala innovators at ideation, design or proof-of-concept stage who need to build and test a prototype.
- Productisation GrantA state grant that takes a validated prototype to a market-ready product.
- Women / Transgender Productisation GrantAdditional state grant support, on top of the Productisation Grant, for women-led and transgender-led startups.
- Market Acceleration GrantA state grant for early-revenue startups spending on marketing, customer acquisition and market expansion.
- Scaleup GrantThe top rung of the state grant ladder, for technology startups with proven traction entering a high-growth phase.
- BCDD GrantA state grant for OBC graduate founders, run with Kerala's Backward Classes Development Department.
- Seed FundA state seed loan against purchase orders — the scheme page showed it as not yet open when we last checked.
- Scaleup Seed FundCollateral-free debt for revenue-stage startups, on soft-loan terms with a moratorium.
- Soft Loan Scheme for Women EntrepreneursWorking capital for women entrepreneurs delivering purchase orders from Kerala government departments and PSUs.
- Startup India Seed Fund SchemeThe central Government of India seed scheme, which KSUM runs as one of the selected incubators.
- NIDHI PRAYASA Department of Science and Technology prototype grant that KSUM runs as a designated PRAYAS Centre; between calls when we last checked.
- Pre-Incubation (SparkX)A short pre-incubation track for first-time founders taking an early technology idea to a validated pitch.
- Incubation (GrowthX, KERA, Bio-AI)A three to six month incubation engagement for MVP-stage startups moving from prototype to early traction.
- Acceleration (LeapX)A three-month intensive for revenue-generating startups, with separate tracks for B2B SaaS and for AVGC and XR.
- WE StartA three-month hybrid pre-incubation programme for women founders moving from an idea to a working MVP.
- WE GrowA five-month hybrid incubation programme taking women-led startups from MVP to sustainable revenue, ending in a Demo Day.
- Women startup ecosystem (NSRCEL co-incubation, She Builds Tech, LeadHER Talk, Women Startup Summit)The rest of KSUM's women-founder pipeline: a co-incubation with IIM Bangalore, a student AI track, a talk series and an annual summit.
- IEDC — Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development CentresKSUM's student entrepreneurship platform inside colleges, polytechnics, medical institutions and universities across Kerala.
- RINK — Research Innovation Network KeralaKSUM's route for turning research into companies, with an R&D grant, instrument access and technology transfer.
- Fund of FundsKSUM invests as a Limited Partner in SEBI-registered AIFs that back Kerala startups — a scheme for fund managers, not founders.
- Investor readiness (VC 101, Pitch Day, Investor Cafe, Ignite, Seeding Kerala)KSUM's fundraising side: bootcamps and pitch formats for founders, and investor education for HNIs in Kerala.
- Market Expansion and corporate connectFormats that put startup products in front of corporates, MSMEs and government buyers.
- FabLab Kerala programmesDigital fabrication training, residencies and fabrication services at KSUM's fablab network.