PIEDS

Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS)

PIEDS is an autonomous, not-for-profit society registered in 2013 under The Rajasthan Societies Registration Act, housed within the Rakesh Kapoor Innovation Center (RKIC) at BITS Pilani. It serves as the Technology Business Incubator for one of India's most prestigious engineering institutions, with roots going back to BITS Pilani's first TBI established in 2004. PIEDS has incubated over 400 startups and maintains a network of more than 150 expert mentors.

Programs & Funding

• TIDE 2.0 (MeitY): Up to ₹7 lakh for AI, IoT, Blockchain, Robotics, AR/VR, and Fintech startups
• NIDHI Seed Support System: Up to ₹1 crore equity for promising incubatees
• NIDHI PRAYAS: Up to ₹10 lakh for hardware startups
• SAMRIDH Accelerator: Up to ₹40 lakh for AI/ML and IoT scale-ups
• SISFS: Up to ₹50 lakh seed funding
• SIDBI iDEX Seed Fund: Up to ₹1.5 crore for defence-tech startups
• Alumni Startup Seed Fund: ₹5–10 lakh for BITSian entrepreneurs
• Mookerji Innovation Fund: ₹5–50 lakh for BITSian co-founded startups

Specialist Accelerators cover healthcare hardware (Samvardhan), climate-tech (Susmafia Sustainability Accelerator), women-led startups (Womenpreneurs for Bharat, Saksham), generative AI (PIEDS × 1811 Labs), and digital health (Aarogyam Digital Healthcare Accelerator).

Who Should Apply

PIEDS is ideal for technology-first founders — especially BITS Pilani students, alumni, and researchers — building deep-tech products. External founders with strong technology differentiation are also eligible. The incubator's broad government scheme portfolio makes it particularly suitable for early-stage hardware and deeptech founders seeking non-dilutive funding alongside incubation support.