NERVE CoE, Nagpur

Overview

NERVE CoE (Centre of Entrepreneurship) is a deep technology and Artificial Intelligence incubator set up by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) at its Nagpur IT Park, under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. It is part of STPI's national network of domain-focused Centres of Entrepreneurship that nurture product-led, IP-driven startups across India. NERVE positions Nagpur as an emerging deep tech hub for central India, giving founders access to compute infrastructure, mentoring and funding support that would otherwise be out of reach for early-stage teams.

Programs

NERVE CoE runs a structured 18-month incubation programme. Its flagship intake mechanism is the Open Challenge Program (OCP), through which startups are selected into cohorts. Cohort 1 of the incubation programme is hosted at STPI Nagpur. The programme combines an equity-based incubation model with hands-on support: in exchange for access to infrastructure, mentoring, funding facilitation and market opportunities, NERVE takes a nominal equity stake in high-impact deep tech startups.

Infrastructure & Funding

A standout feature is the provision of dedicated AI and GPU computing resources for model training and deployment, which removes the need for startups to pay for external cloud computing. Incubated startups receive seed funding facilitation, a fully equipped incubation facility with high-speed connectivity and conference rooms, expert mentoring, and structured market-access support. The focus sectors include AgriTech, HealthTech, Forestry & Environment, and Mining — domains of particular relevance to the Vidarbha region and central India.

Eligibility & Who Should Apply

The programme is aimed at DeepTech, AI and MSME startups building innovative, technology-intensive solutions. Founders working on applied AI, computer vision, IoT, predictive analytics and other deep tech in the priority sectors are well suited. Startups that need significant GPU/compute resources and are open to an equity-based model in return for sustained institutional support stand to benefit most.

Impact & Track Record

As a newer STPI Centre of Entrepreneurship, NERVE is building its portfolio through its initial cohorts under the OCP. It benefits from STPI's three-decade national track record of enabling the software and electronics industry and its established CoE playbook, which has incubated thousands of startups across domain centres nationwide.

Startups in central India seeking compute-heavy deep tech incubation with government backing should consider applying through NERVE CoE's Open Challenge Program.