Nutrihub TBI

Start with the right programme

Nutrihub's programmes are built for different people, so match yourself to one before you apply.

• Student or recent graduate with a millet idea: N-STEP.
• Early-stage startup: NEST. Its pages describe the stage in two ways, idea or prototype on the homepage and a minimum viable product on the programme page, so read the programme page before you apply.
• Registered startup with early market traction: N-GRAIN.
• Thinking of starting a millet business but not started: the Startup Ignition Program for one day, or the Entrepreneurship Foundation Program in Millets for four days.
• Want to be incubated: write to business@nutrihubiimr.com.

How applications work

Each funding and training programme has its own Apply button on its page. The funding calls open in rounds and most were closed at the last check, so look at the status shown on the programme page before you plan around a deadline. The Cohort IX page links to a brochure that carries the details of that call.

Before you commit

• Nutrihub's pages do not publish fee or equity terms for incubation. Ask before you assume either way.
• Each funding programme states its own limit on grant support, and the limits differ between programmes. Check the live page, not a summary.
• The training programmes are charged. The Startup Ignition Program does not refund, only reschedules.
• The focus is millets and nutri-cereals. Say plainly how your product fits that value chain.

Nutrihub TBI is a technology business incubator for startups in the millet and nutri-cereals value chain, based in Hyderabad, Telangana. It is run by Nutrihub Technology Business Incubator Startups Confederation (Nutrihub TBISC), a Section 8 company hosted by ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (ICAR-IIMR) and supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. The incubator was earlier known as NIELAN TBI.

What Nutrihub does

Nutrihub describes itself as an organisation set up to nurture startups, innovation, entrepreneurship and research in nutrition, with a specific focus on millets. It calls itself the first organisation of its kind to meet the needs of startups in the nutri-cereals sector. Its work falls into three parts: incubation support for millet startups, funding programmes at different stages, and short training programmes for people who want to start a millet business. It is not a sector-agnostic incubator. Everything it runs is built around millets and nutri-cereals.

Incubation support

Nutrihub facilitates product development and gives startups access to R&D labs, production facilities, plug-and-play office space and meeting rooms. It also lists a common facility centre, market linkages and help in reaching funding opportunities among what it offers. Mentoring and networking are part of the service, alongside technology consultancy and business facilitation.

The incubator's pages do not state a fee or equity policy for incubation, and they do not show an open application form for it. A founder who wants to be incubated should write to the incubator to ask how to start. The contact details are at the end of this page.

Funding programmes

Nutrihub runs several funding programmes, each aimed at a different stage.

NEST is for early-stage startups. It helps them strengthen the product, refine the business model and prepare for market entry, and it comes with grant support. Nutrihub's pages describe its intended stage in two ways. The homepage says it is tailored for students and full-time entrepreneurs at the idea or prototype stage, while the programme page says it is for startups with a minimum viable product. The programme page also says applications are welcome from all corners of India.

N-STEP is the student route. It is designed to enable student-led innovation and to support students on their journey towards entrepreneurship. It offers grant-in-aid for each student innovator, together with mentorship and incubation support. It is meant for students or recent graduates from recognised institutions in India with millet-focused ideas.

N-GRAIN is the scale-up route. It is aimed at millet-based startups that have already shown initial market traction, and it offers grant support. It is open to registered legal entities in India that are recognised as startups.

Separately, Nutrihub has invited applications for Cohort IX of its Grant-in-Aid Program for Innovations in Millets, which runs under the RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme and covers innovation in millets and their value addition. Nutrihub says it supports startups through RKVY-RAFTAAR grant-in-aid more generally. Each programme page states its own limit on grant support, so read the current page for the programme you are interested in rather than relying on a summary.

When these pages were last checked, NEST, N-STEP, N-GRAIN and Cohort IX all showed that applications were closed. The Cohort IX page shows no dates. Each programme page carries an Apply button that opens when a call is live.

Training programmes

Nutrihub also runs paid training for people who are not yet founders.

The Startup Ignition Program is a one-day workshop on entrepreneurial opportunities in millets production, processing and value addition. It is for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business in the millets domain. It is charged, and registrations are not refunded, only rescheduled.

The Entrepreneurship Foundation Program in Millets (EFPM) is a four-day programme for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business in the millet industry. It combines expert-led sessions, hands-on practice with feedback, and visits to millet processing facilities.

Cooking with Millets is a paid course in cooking millet recipes such as dosa, idli, upma, biscuits and cakes. It is aimed at cooking professionals, people from food companies, cooking enthusiasts and homemakers. It is a food-skills course and not a startup programme.

Who can apply

The incubator is in Hyderabad but its programme pages welcome applicants from across India. The focus is the millet and nutri-cereals sector, so a startup in another agri-food area should check the programme page before applying. Student innovators have their own programme, registered startups with early traction have another, and aspiring entrepreneurs who have not yet started can begin with the training programmes. The contact page also lists researchers and farmers among the people the incubator serves.

Scale

Nutrihub's impact page reports more than 253 startups incubated, more than 70 startups given grant money and more than 1,200 mentorship applications received. These are Nutrihub's own undated figures, not audited totals. Its about page says its outreach covers more than 13 states and that it is virtually connected to hundreds of millet startups in the country.

Who runs it and where

Nutrihub TBISC sits at ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500030. It is a Section 8 company, which means it is a not-for-profit company registered under the Companies Act, hosted at the institute and supported by DST. Its public inbox is business@nutrihubiimr.com.