CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation (Startup Oasis)

Start by choosing the right programme

• At the idea stage, with a completed degree in science or engineering and a technology business idea: NIDHI-EIR.
• Already incubated at the Jaipur centre and registered as a company in India: NIDHI-SSS.
• An early-stage woman entrepreneur based in Rajasthan: Her&Now.
• A technology or impact startup looking for mentoring and investor access: Innocity.
• Looking for a desk in Jaipur rather than a programme: the coworking space at the Anant Bajaj Limitless Ideas Hub.

How applications work

Each programme has its own route in. The NIDHI-EIR application form is linked from its programme page, and NIDHI-SSS applications go through its programme page. The two Rajasthan programmes are described together on the centre's Rajasthan entrepreneurship pages. General questions about the centre go to connect@startupoasis.in.

How selection works

For NIDHI-EIR the published steps are an evaluation of the application by the evaluation committee for programme eligibility, then a telephonic call with a selected panel of jurors for shortlisted applicants.

What reviewers look for

• Indian citizenship, for NIDHI-EIR.
• A completed undergraduate or postgraduate education in science or engineering. Final-year students are not eligible for NIDHI-EIR.
• A registered company in India, held as an Indian startup. NIDHI-SSS support is not meant for Indian subsidiaries of multinational or foreign companies.
• A promising technology business idea, for NIDHI-EIR applicants.

Startup Oasis is the trading name of the CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation, a technology business incubator in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The foundation was set up by CIIE.CO, the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad. Its stated work is scouting, incubating, accelerating and seed-funding startups and social enterprises from the lesser-known tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India, and it is a Government of India recognised Technology Business Incubator.

How programmes work

Two of its programmes sit under the Government of India's NIDHI initiative. NIDHI-EIR, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence programme, was introduced by NSTEDB and is a fellowship for individual aspiring entrepreneurs pursuing a promising technology business idea. Fellows receive a subsistence fellowship paid monthly, along with incubation space at the Jaipur centre, access to group knowledge sessions and pitch reviews. The fellowship payment is described as spread across 12 months, and the programme period as a 12- to 18-month window.

NIDHI-SSS, the NIDHI Seed Support System, provides financial assistance to potential startups with promising ideas, innovations and technologies. It is aimed at startups already incubated at the centre.

Two further programmes address founders in Rajasthan. Her&Now is an incubation and acceleration programme for early-stage women entrepreneurs from Rajasthan. It runs for seven months and includes knowledge-building workshops, personalised mentoring and fundraising opportunities. Innocity is a four-month accelerator for technology and impact startups, with mentoring by business and technology experts and fundraising opportunities through Innocity Pitch and other angel investors.

The Anant Bajaj Limitless Ideas Hub in Jaipur also offers coworking for startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers, on full-time desks, part-time desks, day passes and cabins.

Who can apply

NIDHI-EIR is for citizens of India who have completed their undergraduate or postgraduate education in science or engineering. Final-year students are not eligible. NIDHI-SSS is for incubatees that are registered companies in India and Indian startups; the support is not meant for Indian subsidiaries of multinational or foreign companies. Her&Now is for early-stage women entrepreneurs from Rajasthan. Innocity is for technology and impact startups.

Facilities

Operations started in 2014 at the RIICO Software Building in the Sitapura Industrial Area of Jaipur, with a 20,000 square feet incubation centre. The contact address is the Shree Anant Bajaj Limitless Ideas Hub at Building 40, Sudarshanpura, Bais Godam in Jaipur. Incubation space is offered at the Jaipur centre with mentoring for incubated startups; NIDHI-EIR fellows also get group knowledge sessions and pitch reviews there. The Anant Bajaj hub offers coworking on full-time desks, part-time desks, day passes and cabins.

Scale

The organisation reports 5,200 entrepreneurs trained, 298 startups supported, 46 startups funded, 79 women-led startups supported, and 3,734 jobs generated by its startups. It also reports crossing a milestone of 75 startup investments across sectors and stages. These are its own counts, and they did not change between its 2021 and 2022 pages, so they are better read as a floor than as current totals.

Who runs it

The CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation was set up by CIIE.CO at IIM Ahmedabad. The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India conferred Technology Business Incubator status on the foundation in 2015. It describes its support to entrepreneurs as incubation space, mentoring and funds, and it works with startups and social enterprises across the programmes introduced under the NIDHI initiative of NSTEDB and its own Rajasthan entrepreneurship work.

Locations

The Shree Anant Bajaj Limitless Ideas Hub, Building 40, Sudarshanpura, Bais Godam, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302006. An earlier centre, where operations started, is at M-1, RIICO Software Complex, EPIP, Sitapura Industrial Area, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302022. General enquiries go to connect@startupoasis.in.