Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)

The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme is run by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which routes money through selected incubators. The incubator lists it as open.

One caution before you build a plan on this: the page sets out the national scheme's rules rather than the incubator's own intake, and we could not confirm from its pages that it is currently a selected incubator for the scheme. Confirm that first.

What you get

• Support for validating a proof of concept, building a prototype, running product trials and initial market testing.
• Later support for market entry, commercialisation and scaling, offered as convertible debentures or debt rather than as a grant.

Who can apply

• Your startup must hold DPIIT recognition when you submit.
• It must be no more than two years old from the date of incorporation.
• It must not already have taken more than the scheme's limit in government support.
• Indian promoters must hold at least fifty-one per cent of the shareholding when you apply.

How to apply: the page has an apply button but no link behind it. Write to manager_step@thapar.edu or use the contact page.