Idea-stage startups in India can access pre-revenue funding through DST's NIDHI-PRAYAS (up to ₹10 Lakhs), Atal Innovation Mission's AIC grants, and university-run incubator seed programs. These schemes fund concept validation, initial prototyping, and early customer discovery without requiring incorporation or revenue history.
Showing 305+ programs for Indian startups
National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
Government hackathon to build AI solutions for automated health insurance claims processing.
R|Elan (Reliance Industries), United Nations India
Global competition for sustainable fashion innovations by designers and startups, offering seed funding and mentorship.
Amazon India
Free accelerator for 50 women-led businesses — 3-day bootcamp, Amazon mentorship, IIT-D resources & VC Demo Day.
World Food Prize Foundation
$50,000 prize for early-stage agtech startups tackling global food security — open worldwide.
FITT IIT Delhi, BIRAC
Biotech incubation at IIT Delhi for innovators at ideation to early prototype stages.
VJTI TBI Foundation
Incubation program for startups in energy, EVs, semiconductors, IoT, AI/ML, and cybersecurity.
AIC T-Hub Foundation & Shetty Institute of Technology (SIT), Kalaburagi
24-hour hackathon with ₹1L prize pool, T-Hub ecosystem access, and MVP support.
Google for Startups
Equity-free accelerator for AI-first startups in India, Seed to Series A.
Tamil Nadu Technology Hub (iTNT Hub)
Deep tech accelerator for startups in Tier 2/3 cities of Tamil Nadu (TRL 3+).
Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH), Government of Andhra Pradesh
Deployment-driven innovation challenge for alternate energy solutions across Andhra Pradesh, open nationwide.
Global Leaders Institute
Global Arts Prize for Innovation recognizing ventures redefining culture's contemporary significance.
NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore
Incubation for Indian healthcare startups with mentorship, hospital access, and investor connects.
Karnavati Innovation and Incubation Foundation (KIIF), Karnavati University
3-week acceleration track for DPIIT-recognised women-led DeepTech startups (under 2 years).
O'Shaughnessy Ventures (OSV)
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
Incubation program for early-stage agri-startups and individuals with ideas/prototypes in India.
JSW MG Motor India, DPIIT
Innovation grant program by JSW MG Motor India for mobility solutions, open to all stages and tech areas.
Startupbootcamp India
13-week accelerator for pre-Series A DeepTech, Defense, Climate & AI startups.
IHFC (IIT Delhi), ARTPARK (IISc Bengaluru) & Siemens Healthineers
Up to ₹2Cr grant for startups solving 4 specific medtech problems with Siemens Healthineers.
Entrepreneurs First (EF)
For individuals seeking co-founders and deeptech/AI ideas, building companies from scratch in Bangalore.
Y Combinator
Global accelerator for early-stage startups with funding and mentorship
Defence Innovation Organisation
Defence challenge for startups/MSMEs solving 82 military problem statements
Defence Public Sector Undertakings
DPSU-led defence innovation challenges for deeptech and hardware startups