Grants and fellowships
16 programmes. Of these, none says it takes no equity, and 2 have applications open.
BIRAC grant scheme for early biotech startups taking an idea to proof of concept, giving up to ₹50 lakh grant-in-aid over up to 18 months, run through partner incubators that screen and mentor grantees.
Funding not published · equity not published
MeitY's five-year, ₹490 crore scheme for technology startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, run through implementing incubators, with funding for ideation, pilots, investment rounds and deep tech.
Funding not published · equity not published
Gujarat government policy running January 2022 to March 2027 that funds student proofs of concept, IP filings and student startups through schools and colleges, including seed support of up to ₹10 lakh.
Funding not published · equity not published
Rajasthan government startup programme under the Rajasthan Startup Policy 2022, offering ideation grants of up to ₹2.4 lakh, viability grants, a scale-up fund and equity matching, with support linked to QRate ratings.
Funding not published · equity not published
Kerala Startup Mission's state-funded grant ladder for technology startups: up to ₹3 lakh at idea stage, ₹7 lakh for productisation, ₹10 lakh for market acceleration and ₹15 lakh for scale-up.
Funding not published · equity not published
DST fellowship paying aspiring technology entrepreneurs ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 a month for up to 12 months, extendable to 18, while they develop a business idea full time at an approved host incubator.
Funding not published · equity not published
DST seed fund deployed through approved technology business incubators, which can invest up to ₹1 crore per incubated startup through equity, equity-linked instruments or soft loans.
Funding not published · equity not published
DST pre-incubation scheme that gives individual innovators and early startups a prototyping grant of up to ₹20 lakh, or up to ₹40 lakh for deeptech, through host incubators known as PRAYAS Centres.
Funding not published · equity not published
Uttar Pradesh government startup incentives under the UP Startup Policy 2026: a ₹20,000 monthly sustenance allowance, prototype grants of up to ₹10 lakh and seed capital of up to ₹15 lakh for startups incorporated in the state.
Funding not published · equity not published
Bihar government seed support under the Bihar Start-up Policy 2022, giving certified startups interest-free loans of up to ₹10 lakh for prototypes, testing and proof of concept, plus acceleration and patent support.
Funding not published · equity not published
Haryana government seed grant of up to ₹10 lakh per startup registered with Startup Haryana, for idea validation, prototypes, proof of concept and early marketing, with applications evaluated quarterly.
Funding not published · equity not published
DPIIT scheme that funds early startups through selected incubators: up to ₹20 lakh grant for proof of concept and up to ₹50 lakh via convertible debentures or debt. Startup applications closed on 31 May 2026.
Funding not published · equity not published
Karnataka government grant-in-aid scheme giving startups one-time grants of up to ₹50 lakh, with separate calls for women-led, SC/ST, minority and tier-2/3 ventures and a DeepTech call of up to ₹1 crore.
Funding not published · equity not published
Odisha government startup scheme under the Odisha Startup Policy 2016 (as amended), paying a ₹20,000 monthly allowance at idea or prototype stage and up to ₹15 lakh for product development and marketing after commercialisation.
Funding not published · equity not published
Tamil Nadu government seed fund run by StartupTN that gives early-stage startups ₹10-15 lakh, with priority for social impact, women-led and emerging-sector ventures.
Funding not published · equity not published
MeitY scheme delivered through a network of incubators that funds IT-based startups: up to ₹4 lakh from idea to proof of concept, up to ₹7 lakh for prototypes and up to ₹40 lakh for product development and market outreach.
Funding not published · equity not published
We list 16 programmes: Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG), GENESIS (Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups), Gujarat Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0), iStart Rajasthan, KSUM Innovation Grant, NIDHI Entrepreneur-in-Residence (NIDHI-EIR) and 10 more. Each listing links to the programme's own pages and shows the day we last verified it.
None of the 16 says it takes no equity. 16 do not publish their equity terms, so ask before you apply.
Applications are open for GENESIS (Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups) (closes 29 October 2026) and Startup Karnataka ELEVATE (closes 13 November 2026). The deadlines page lists every date we track.
Bihar (1), Gujarat (1), Haryana (1), Karnataka (1), Kerala (1), Odisha (1) and 3 more. Delivery varies: each listing says whether the programme runs in person, remotely or both.
Send us your dates and terms and we will publish them with a link to your own pages.