Saksham

Check that your startup fits the brief

Saksham is not a general accelerator. It is for startups working in assistive technology — products that help with mobility, vision, hearing, speech, or cognitive disabilities. Before applying, make sure your work sits clearly in that space and is aimed at accessible, inclusive solutions for people with disabilities.

Have a prototype ready

The programme asks for a working prototype or a minimum viable product, and expects applicants to be registered in India. If you are still at the idea stage with nothing built, you are unlikely to clear eligibility.

Apply through the cohort window

Applications are run in cohorts through the online form on the programme site. If the form is closed when you look, the programme runs again, so check the site for the next intake rather than assuming it has ended. Selected startups go through mentorship, product testing and validation, and market connects, and present at a Demo Day.

Saksham is a national accelerator programme for startups working in assistive technology, run by SACC India, the Startup Accelerator Chamber of Commerce. It backs early-stage founders building inclusive, accessible solutions for people with disabilities. Information here is drawn from the programme's own site, which documents a single accelerator rather than a wider incubation operation, so this description is shorter than most.

What they support

Saksham is focused on assistive technology: solutions that address challenges in mobility, vision, hearing, speech, or cognitive disabilities. The current intake is run as Saksham 3.0. It looks for startups registered in India that are working to create accessible and inclusive products for people with disabilities, and asks that applicants already have a working prototype or a minimum viable product. The emphasis throughout is on assistive devices and inclusive technology rather than a general, sector-agnostic cohort.

Programmes

The accelerator helps founders move an assistive-technology product forward through mentorship, product testing and validation, and connections into the market, and it finishes with a Demo Day. Selected cohort startups can also receive grant support and introductions to investors; the grant is described as a staged process rather than a single payment, and the programme does not fix a specific amount on its page. SACC India has run the accelerator over more than one cohort, with earlier cohorts listing the startups they selected.

How to apply

Founders apply through the online application form linked from the programme site. Because applications run as cohorts, the window is open at some points in the year and closed at others; when it is closed, the site is the place to check for the next intake. SACC India, the Startup Accelerator Chamber of Commerce, is the organiser behind the programme and runs it as its assistive-technology accelerator.