NIDHI Accelerator
A programme by Maker Village
A nine-month DST acceleration programme for medical and healthcare startups, hosted by Maker Village — the last advertised intake closed in 2022.
At a glance
| Best for | DPIIT-registered medical and healthcare startups under five years old with a working prototype |
|---|---|
| Stage | MVP – Early revenue |
| Duration | 9 months |
| Format | In person |
| Run with | National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science and Technology |
About NIDHI Accelerator
The NIDHI Accelerator is a nine-month acceleration programme under the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board of the Department of Science and Technology. Maker Village hosts it, and it is the programme behind Maker Village's entry in DST's own register of NIDHI Accelerator incubators. Unusually for a hardware incubator, it focuses on startups building innovative products in the medical and healthcare domain. The last intake advertised on Maker Village's site closed in July 2022, so treat this as evidence of what Maker Village can support rather than as an open route.
What you get
- A fast-track structured programme with rigorous mentoring and networking over a short span
- Introductions to subject matter experts and mentors, and to academia, financial institutions, angel investors and medical and healthcare institutions
- Help validating product ideas, engaging potential customers, building a scalable business model and building on an MVP or proof of concept
- Pitching sessions with investors and a demo day at the end, with prize support for the best-performing startups
Who can apply
- A founder or director who is an Indian citizen aged over 18, with a background in life sciences, engineering, medicine, human biology or equivalent
- A graduate, postgraduate or doctoral qualification in that domain
- A company registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, less than five years old, with at least 51 percent Indian promoter shareholding
- A working MVP or proof of concept at technology readiness level 5 or above that is market fit, viable for commercialisation and has scope to scale
- Startups building medical devices, medicare, healthcare and allied solutions who want technical and business mentorship
How selection works: applications go through a due-diligence screen; only shortlisted teams are invited to present to a monitoring committee. Screening takes six to eight weeks from the close of applications and only selected candidates are contacted, so no reply within that window means the application was not taken forward. Screening looks at innovation, potential for commercialisation and venture creation, team capability and commitment, on top of eligibility. Approved applicants must accept pre-incubation or incubation with Maker Village on its own terms.
How to apply: through the programme page when a round is open. Enquiries go to makervillage@iiitmk.ac.in.
Where to apply
Other Maker Village programmes
- MV–IDEAThe ideation step — turns an early idea into a concept, a business model and a pitch you can take to investors.
- MV–PROTOThe main prototyping step for electronics startups — workspace, fabrication and hands-on training through to a validated product.
- MV–COMMERCEThe commercialisation step — takes a validated product through test markets to a full market launch.
- MV–SCALEUPThe pre-acceleration step for electronics and IoT startups that already have a market-validated product and revenue or partnerships.
- MV–YentrepreneurA pre-incubation programme teaching entrepreneurship to technical college students and young technical graduates — entry is by club membership or a competition win, not open application.
- TIDE 2.0 GrantA recurring MeitY grant call for taking a proof of concept to a prototype or MVP — the last round closed in October 2025.
- SAMRIDH AcceleratorA MeitY Startup Hub acceleration scheme for electronics product startups moving from prototype to commercialisation — the last round closed in March 2025.