KRISHIK Agri-Business Incubator (UAS Dharwad)

Pick the right track

• Student with an idea: Student Orientation Programme. No registered startup needed.
• Early idea or prototype, with a registered DPIIT-recognised startup: Agri-preneurship Orientation Programme (Anveshana).
• Working minimum viable product: Startup Agribusiness Incubation Programme (Avishkar).

How applications work

• Each track has an Apply Now button on the Programs page of the incubator's site. The site states no deadline, so check whether a call is open before you plan around it.
• Pre-seed grant-in-aid follows a residency training programme and is released against project cost, so expect to complete training first.
• At seed stage, the Selection and Investment Committee makes the final selection.

Before you apply

• Check the registration first. You need an Indian legal entity (private limited, LLP or partnership) and DPIIT startup recognition.
• Do not double-dip. A startup already getting RKVY or other government support for the same project, product or activity is not eligible.
• Fit a listed focus area. The incubator lists ten focus areas, from farm mechanisation to agri fintech and natural resource management.
• Ask directly. Write to krishikabi@uasd.in or call 0836-2214487.

KRISHIK Agri-Business Incubator (KABI) is an agri-business incubator at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, in Karnataka. It was set up as a Knowledge Partner under the RKVY Innovation and Agri-entrepreneurship Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, in 2018-2019. It gives agriculture and allied-sector startups grant support, incubation, mentoring and market linkage, and it is open to founders from outside the university.

How the programmes work

KRISHIK-ABI runs three tracks, each for a different stage. The Student Orientation Programme is for students with agriculture ideas and does not require a registered startup. The Agri-preneurship Orientation Programme, also called Anveshana, is the pre-seed track. Selected applicants join a residency training programme with a monthly stipend, and after completing it they become eligible for grant-in-aid of up to 85% of the project cost, used for prototype development, testing, validation and IP filing. The Startup Agribusiness Incubation Programme, also called Avishkar, is the seed-stage track for startups that already have a minimum viable product. A Selection and Investment Committee makes the final selection. Grant-in-aid is a part of each track, and selected startups also get office space, training, expert mentoring, business development guidance and market linkage.

Who can apply

For the pre-seed and seed tracks the applicant must be a registered legal entity in India, a private limited company, LLP or partnership firm, and must qualify as an Indian startup under the DPIIT definition. Subsidiaries of foreign multinationals are not supported. The site says farmers, students and youth with innovative ideas in agriculture and allied sectors are eligible to apply. Startups that already receive grants or financial support from RKVY or another government source for the same project, product or activity are not eligible. Student applicants do not need a registered startup, and a maximum of four students are supported.

Focus areas

The incubator lists these focus areas: farm mechanisation; precision agriculture including sensors, ICT, artificial intelligence, IoT and drones; supply chain and agriculture logistics; post-harvest, food technology and value addition; waste to wealth and green energy; allied sectors such as animal husbandry, dairying, fisheries, sericulture and forestry; agri fintech; agricultural inputs and biotechnology; natural resource management; and agriculture extension and education.

Facilities

Facilities at the incubator include a co-working space with plug-and-play workstations, broadband and Wi-Fi and power backup, a meeting room, and a conference hall for workshops and training programmes with audio-visual systems. The site also lists laboratory facility and intellectual property support among its offerings, but gives no detail on either.

Scale

As of June 2026 the incubator reports 13 cohorts completed, more than 1000 applications received, more than 400 startups trained and 167 startups incubated. Of those, 88 are pre-seed stage startups, 71 are seed stage startups and 8 are student startups, and 32 are women-led. It also reports 1,500 jobs created and 40 patents published and granted. These are the incubator's own figures. Startups that credit it on the site include Agrozen Precision Tools LLP and Kissan Connect LLP.

Partner incubators and ASTRA

KRISHIK-ABI supports and guides four partner R-ABIs: ICAR Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology in Mumbai, the National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics in Bengaluru, Anand Agricultural University in Gujarat, and Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Akola, Maharashtra. A related Section 8 company, ASTRA, has operated at UAS Dharwad since 2021. ASTRA runs the Karnataka Acceleration Network programme for startups from the Beyond Bengaluru region in AgriTech, FinTech and Agri-FinTech. Its first cohort of 19 startups ran from January to October 2025.

Who runs it

The team page lists the Vice-Chancellor of UAS Dharwad, Dr. S. S. Dolli as Principal Investigator and CEO, four Co-Principal Investigators from university departments, and a COO and business manager with managers for innovation, finance, and marketing.

Location and contact

The incubator is on the first floor of the Administrative Building, University of Agricultural Sciences, Krishi Nagar, Dharwad 580005, Karnataka. Phone 0836-2214487.