Startupbootcamp India

Start by choosing the right programme

• The 2026 cohort, Sprint2Frontier, is for pre–Series A startups with a tested or proven technology, ideally above TRL 6, in deep tech, defence and aerospace, climate and sustainability, or AI for enterprise.
• The 2025 cohort, Idea to Launch Energy Transition, was for early-stage startups in climate tech, energy transition and renewable energy, moving from idea and early validation toward investor readiness.
• Both cohorts are closed. The site says no cohorts are active right now and that the next application window is being prepared, so the programme page is the one to watch.

How applications work

• Applications are made programme by programme, on that programme's own page, when a window is open.
• Applying costs nothing, and no page states a fee for the startups that are selected.
• Windows and deadlines are published per cohort, and the page and the brochure for the 2026 cohort give different closing dates, so check the page as a window closes rather than a listing elsewhere.
• Questions go to the general contact address on the contact page.

How selection works

• For the 2026 cohort, 20 to 30 startups were invited to pitch in front of ecosystem partners on a selection day, and 10 to 15 were announced as the cohort.
• Selection days are the last step before offers, and the cohort then starts together on a fixed kick-off date.

What reviewers look for

• Tested or proven technology, ideally above TRL 6.
• Evidence of validation: pilots, proofs of concept, market trials or early paying customers.
• A team that can commit — at least two members actively taking part.
• Bootstrapped teams are welcome; prior external funding is not required.
• Openness to mentoring, coaching and structured feedback, and comfort with investor-facing discussions and strategic reviews.

Startupbootcamp India is the India arm of the Startupbootcamp accelerator network, and its about page names Kamal Bansal as its co-founder. It runs industry-specific accelerator cohorts that connect early-stage founders with corporate partners, mentors and investors, with its cohort pages placing the programmes in Ahmedabad. Its pages date the network to 2010.

How programmes work

Programmes run as fixed-length cohorts rather than open-ended residencies. Both cohorts described on its site are 12-week accelerators, and both have finished: the site says no cohorts are active right now and that the next application window is being prepared.

The 2026 cohort, the SBC Sprint2Frontier Acceleration Program, is an investment-focused accelerator for pre–Series A startups taking proven technologies from validation to scale. It covers deep tech, defence and aerospace, climate and sustainability, and AI for enterprise. Selected startups take part in mentorship, investor-readiness sessions, tailored matchmaking with investors and clients, repeated pitch opportunities and facilitated meetings with stakeholders, and some of them receive strategic funding. Its pages give different accounts of the programme itself: the length is 12 weeks on the programme page and 13 weeks in its downloadable brochure, with the published cohort dates running from June to August 2026. Terms are described in two ways as well, with one page speaking of founder-friendly, SAFE-style terms and the programme details saying that terms vary by cohort and are shared during the application process. No equity share is published anywhere.

The 2025 cohort, the SBC Idea to Launch Energy Transition Acceleration Program, worked with a cohort of 10 early-stage energy transition startups in climate tech, energy transition and renewable energy. It took them from idea and early validation to investor readiness, working on core business fundamentals, and it ran from September to December 2025.

Applying to either programme costs nothing. Nothing on the site states a fee for the startups that are selected.

Its named ecosystem partners include Microsoft, AWS, IBM and Mercedes, and it describes a wider corporate and ecosystem partner set across finance, mobility, consumer goods and technology. Each process ends with a selection day, where startups pitch in front of ecosystem partners.

Who can apply

For the 2026 cohort the programme asks for pre–Series A startups with a tested or proven technology, ideally above TRL 6. Pilots, proofs of concept, market trials or early paying customers are desirable. Prior external funding is not mandatory: bootstrapped, angel-funded and institutionally funded startups are eligible. At least two committed team members must actively take part, and founders are expected to be open to mentoring, coaching and structured feedback, and comfortable with investor-facing discussions and strategic reviews.

Its general pages describe a wider fit than any single cohort does. One speaks of early-stage startups with a working product or strong prototype, and another of pre-revenue startups with clear market validation. No page says the programmes are closed to founders based outside India, and the portfolio companies it lists are from Indian cities.

Scale

Its pages print several different sets of counts. The portfolio page counts 200+ companies and says 76% of them go on to raise after the programme. The homepage counts 1600+ global alumni, 150 cohorts, 10+ companies and 39+ corporate and ecosystem partners. The about page counts 150+ mentors, 200+ portfolio companies and 20+ countries. The contact page counts 150+ programmes run, 300+ active mentors and 50+ partners. The India portfolio listed on the site is 10 companies, all from the 2025 energy transition cohort. These are the network's own published figures, and most of them are printed for the global network rather than for India alone.

Who runs it

Its about page names Kamal Bansal as co-founder of SBC India and Pratham Bansal as programme manager of SBC India, and its programme materials give Kamal Bansal the title co-founder and CEO. The same pages name Trevor Townsend as co-founder and chair of SBC APAC and Richard Celm as managing director of SBC APAC, while the programme materials give Richard Celm the title executive program director. The site refers to the wider Startupbootcamp ecosystem and to SBC APAC leadership, and names no separate legal parent. Its careers page lists no open roles.

Locations

Both cohort pages give Ahmedabad, India as the programme location. The contact page invites visits by appointment and gives a general contact email and phone number, but no street address or pincode.