Seed Support System for Early Stage Tech Driven Startups in Incubators

TBI@KEC hosts a seed fund under the Seed Support System for Start-ups in Incubators, run by the Technology Development Board and NSTEDB at the Department of Science & Technology. It is meant to bridge the gap between a working prototype and outside investment or a bank loan.

One thing to understand before you apply: this support is a loan, not a grant. It carries interest, a mentoring fee charged on the sanctioned amount, release in two or three instalments against milestone reviews, and repayment over three years, with half-yearly presentations to the seed committee and audited annual financials until the loan closes.

What you get

• Seed support for product development, including equipment and tools, prototyping, raw material, fabrication and outsourced technical services.
• Testing and trials.
• Test marketing, sales and product promotion, including travel for business and product promotion.
• Professional mentoring, IP work, and legal, accountancy, marketing, strategy, regulatory and certification advice.
• A share of team salaries, plus a small contingency allowance.

Who can apply

• Startups that are, or are willing to become, resident incubatees, with three months of residency completed by the time the investment is made.
• A private limited company in India, or one in the process of registering.
• At least 51 per cent Indian promoter shareholding; Overseas Citizens of India and Persons of Indian Origin count as Indian for this purpose.
• Not Indian subsidiaries of multinationals or foreign companies.
• Work aligned to the incubator's focus areas — advanced manufacturing, robotics, drones, agri and food tech, health and med tech, clean and green tech, internet of things, AI and machine learning, and AR, VR and MR.

How selection works: the committee wants one dedicated full-time founder with a team in place, a formal business plan and pitch deck, a demonstrated and reproducible proof-of-concept or prototype, a strong technology component, and legal, statutory and environment, health and safety compliance. It then weighs whether the ask is enough to reach a real milestone, how clear the value proposition is, how big and fast-growing the market is, how credible the technology is to subject-matter experts, what regulatory risk exists and where the durable advantage lies. Screening takes up to six weeks from the close of the call, followed by a presentation to the internal project monitoring committee.

How to apply: download the incubation form and the seed fund form from the programme page, using the published sample business plan, pitch deck and one-page summary templates.