Funding for Early Traction-stage startups in India — November 2026

Competition

Hitachi Startup Challenge FY26

Hitachi

Closes 8 Nov 2026 (3 days left)

Paid pilot opportunity

Accelerator

MassChallenge Challenge Programs 2026–27

MassChallenge (with corporate partners)

Closes 9 Nov 2026 (4 days left)

Corporate pilots + mentoring (no cash stated)

Competition

Grand Startup Challenge

CARS24 with Startup India & Startup Policy Forum

Closes 10 Nov 2026 (5 days left)

₹1 crore prize pool (12 winners) + deployment

Grant

UNICEF Femtech Ventures – Call 2.0

UNICEF Venture Fund (Office of Innovation)

Closes 11 Nov 2026 (6 days left)

Up to US$100,000 equity-free + 12 months mentoring

Grant

ELEVATE NxT 2026–27 (DeepTech)

Govt of Karnataka (KITS / Startup Karnataka)

Closes 13 Nov 2026 (8 days left)

Up to ₹1 crore, equity-free

Grant

ELEVATE Minorities 2026

Govt of Karnataka (KITS / Startup Karnataka)

Closes 13 Nov 2026 (8 days left)

Up to ₹50 lakh, equity-free

Competition

UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge — 5th Call

UNDP with Sida

Closes 15 Nov 2026 (10 days left)

Up to USD 100,000 + 17 months incubation

Accelerator

Techstars Accelerators 2027 (incl. Anywhere / London)

Techstars

Closes 18 Nov 2026 (13 days left)

USD 220K for 5% equity

Competition

UNDP–Generali MSME Insurance Innovation Challenge (India)

UNDP India & Generali Central

Closes 20 Nov 2026

Up to ₹38.7 lakh each (max 3 winners)

Competition

National Startup Awards 6.0 (2026)

DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Startup India)

Closes 20 Nov 2026

₹25 lakh per category winner

Competition

Ye! Youth Ecopreneurs Programme (YECO) 2026/27

ITC & UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative

Closes 22 Nov 2026

USD 100,000 prize pool + conference trip

Competition

Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge 2026–27

Hello Tomorrow

Closes 30 Nov 2026

€200K investment for the top pitch + in-kind prizes

Competition

Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Award 2027

dena – German Energy Agency

Closes 30 Nov 2026

€10,000 per category winner

Competition

Telangana Innovation Startup Challenge (TISC) 2026

Government of Telangana

Closes 30 Nov 2026

Government pilots + possible procurement

Accelerator

MedTech Innovator 2027 Accelerator

MedTech Innovator (non-profit)

Closes 1 Dec 2026

Share of USD 700K+ prizes (top prize USD 350K)

Accelerator

BioTools Innovator 2027 Accelerator

BioTools Innovator (MedTech Innovator group)

Closes 1 Dec 2026

Up to USD 250K grand prize (USD 300K+ pool)

Competition

SusHi Tech Challenge 2027 (Tokyo pitch contest)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Closes 18 Dec 2026

JPY 10M grand prize (~₹58L)

Competition

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2027

Microsoft

Closes 28 Feb 2027

Up to USD 5K Azure credits + prizes

Scheme

NIDHI Seed Support System (NIDHI-SSS)

DST via Technology Business Incubators

Rolling — apply any time

Up to ₹1 crore (seed)

Scheme

Kerala Startup Mission Grants (Idea → Scale-up)

Kerala Startup Mission

Rolling — apply any time

₹3 lakh to ₹15 lakh by stage

Scheme

UP Startup Policy 2026 — Matching Grant

Govt of Uttar Pradesh

Rolling — apply any time

50% match up to ₹5 crore

Scheme

UP Grand Challenges Grant

Govt of Uttar Pradesh

Rolling — apply any time

Up to ₹3 crore

Scheme

Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS)

DPIIT / NCGTC

Rolling — apply any time

Collateral-free loans, guarantee cover up to ₹20 crore

Scheme

Technology Development Board — Funding

TDB, Dept of Science & Technology

Rolling — apply any time

Soft loan / equity / grant — varies

Equity Program

100Unicorns Accelerator VC

100Unicorns (formerly 9Unicorns)

Rolling — apply any time

Seed investment — varies

Scheme

Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Tribes (VCF-ST)

Ministry of Tribal Affairs, managed by IFCI Venture Capital Funds

Rolling — apply any time

₹10 lakh – ₹5 Cr per company