Silver Oak University

Choosing the right route

• A student with an early idea should ask the centre about pre-incubation support first.
• A registered company at the prototype, MVP or scaling stage should apply for incubation.
• Before you apply, confirm your company form with the centre, because its pages describe the eligible types in two different ways.

How applications work

• Apply through the online application form linked from the incubation page.
• Applications are accepted round the year.
• Use the contact details on the page for questions before you apply.

How selection works

• Shortlisted startups are called to present and discuss their idea with the selection committee.
• The committee decides on incubation from that discussion and its feedback.

IGNITE is the incubation centre of Silver Oak University (SOU), a private university in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is run as a Section 8 not-for-profit organisation from the university's campus in Gota, and it is registered as a Nodal Institute with the Government of Gujarat. Its incubation programme takes in students and startups from outside the university. The centre says it is supported and recognised by the Government of Gujarat, Startup India and the Gujarat Corporate Social Responsibility Authority (GCSRA).

How the programme works

Startups apply online, and applications are open round the year. Startups that have already raised funding can still apply, because the centre says incubation is not only about money. Selected applicants are called to present and discuss their idea with a selection committee, which decides on incubation from that discussion and its feedback. Incubated startups get mentorship from a network of mentors, access to the centre's labs and co-working space, IPR support, help with marketing and outreach, and access to student interns from the university. The centre also gives pre-incubation support to students who want to start a company.

Focus areas

The centre says it supports ideas from fields such as agriculture, IoT, artificial intelligence and IT services. Its listed areas are artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science and big data, mobile computing and IoT, green and clean technology, IT service-based technology, wireless technologies, cyber security, computational biology, digital humanities and social science, and robotics and drone technology.

Who can apply

The centre accepts students and startups from outside the university. Registered startups are considered at the idea-to-proof-of-concept stage, or at the prototype, MVP or scaling stage, provided they were not formed by splitting up or rebuilding an existing business. Startups that are not yet registered must be building a product, process or service with a clear unique selling proposition and a scalable business model, and must be actively working on it. A non-registered startup must also stay under a turnover ceiling since incorporation. The centre's pages describe the eligible company types in two different ways, so confirm the company form with the centre before applying. A company that is not yet incorporated is referred to an impaneled consultant.

Funding

Student startups receive seed funding and pre-incubation support. The centre is approved under two Gujarat policies: the Scheme for Assistance for Startups/Innovation, and the Student Startup and Innovation Policy. Its pages say more than 50 incubated startups have received financial support. Funding amounts are set by those schemes and are not stated on the centre's pages, so ask the centre about current terms. The centre describes funding as one benefit among several.

Co-working and facilities

The co-working space on the campus is furnished and is offered to creative startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers. Its amenities include a maker space, a 3D printer, conference and reading areas, and a photocopier. The centre's labs are equipped with hardware and software for prototyping. Incubated startups can also use the campus library and canteen.

Student entrepreneurship

The university's student entrepreneurship cell, E-Cell, runs an entrepreneurship summit, a start-up internship programme, a campus ambassador scheme and an outreach programme. It aims to take students' ideas to incubators and angel investors. Students join through a form linked from the E-Cell page.

Startups on the centre's page

The centre's page names I-Automation, Sudaksh Technologies, Carloman Systems, Gridle, VAWT, Scudo Systems, Midnight Cake, Agrinature, Lysten.AI, Alter GreenGo Agro Technologies and Tejeel Innovations as startups it has supported. A student startup it supported, MySocial, won third prize in a Google for Entrepreneurs contest.