XCITE Rural Business Incubation Programme
A programme by XCITE (XLRI Council for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship) (XLRI Council for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship)
A six-month hybrid incubation for rural founders in 12 eastern and north-eastern states, with mentoring and milestone-linked grant support. Cohort 1 applications are closed.
At a glance
| Best for | Rural, agri-based and grassroots founders, producer groups and cooperatives in eastern and north-eastern India |
|---|---|
| Stage | Idea – Early revenue |
| Duration | 6 months |
| Format | Hybrid |
| Cost | No equity |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | NABARD |
About XCITE Rural Business Incubation Programme
XCITE's flagship programme for rural, agri-based and grassroots enterprises. Applications for the first cohort have closed, and founders can register interest for future cohorts.
What you get
- Structured mentoring from founders and sector experts, with at least one one-on-one session a month
- Hands-on help with business development, compliance and market linkages
- Incubation space, on-campus learning and a common services pool for IT, marketing, e-commerce, legal and compliance
- Grant support during incubation in up to three milestone-linked tranches, with no equity taken
- An opening bootcamp and a graduation bootcamp with demo day at XLRI Jamshedpur
- Exposure visits and links to producer organisations, NABARD field offices, state livelihood missions and CSR partners
- After graduation, quarterly review support for up to 12 months and an alumni track
Who can apply
- Individuals, teams, farmer producer organisations, self-help groups, cooperatives and student ventures operating in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland or Tripura
- Ventures at idea stage, pre-revenue or early-revenue
- Women-led and tribal-led ventures get a reserved share of at least 30% of each cohort
- No registration is needed to apply, but a registered entity is needed before any grant is paid
How selection works: Pre-screening, then an interview with the incubation committee, scored out of 100. A score of at least 50 is needed. About 4 to 6 weeks from close to result.
How to apply: Cohort 1 is closed. Use the register-interest link on the XCITE page to be told when the next cohort opens. Questions can go to xcite.office@xlri.ac.in.
Where to apply
Everything about XCITE (XLRI Council for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship)