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Funding for MVP-stage startups in India — November 2026
Grants, challenges and programmes open right now for startups at the MVP stage.
30 open · updated 4 Nov 2026
IdeaPrototypeMVPEarly TractionGrowth GlobalGujaratIndiaKarnatakaKeralaMaharashtraTelanganaUttar Pradesh
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
BE Hub Udaan — Accelerator Cohort 1
BE Hub (Saturo Technologies founders), Pune
Closes 18 Nov 2026 (13 days left)
Not disclosed
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
Grant
First in the World Challenge Grants 2026
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Closes 30 Nov 2026
Up to ₹8 Cr (staged: ₹1 Cr / ₹4 Cr / ₹8 Cr)
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
RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubation
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Rolling — apply any time
₹5 lakh pre-seed / ₹25 lakh seed
Scheme
iDEX — Innovations for Defence Excellence
Ministry of Defence (DIO)
Rolling — apply any time
Up to ₹1.5 crore (SPARK grant)
Scheme
Kerala Startup Mission Grants (Idea → Scale-up)
Kerala Startup Mission
Rolling — apply any time
₹3 lakh to ₹15 lakh by stage
Scheme
StartinUP Incentives (UP Startup Policy 2026)
Govt of Uttar Pradesh
Rolling — apply any time
₹20K/month for 2 yrs + up to ₹10L prototype + up to ₹15L seed
Scheme
i-Hub Gujarat — Startup Srujan
i-Hub, Govt of Gujarat
Rolling — apply any time
₹2.5 lakh to ₹10 lakh
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
Equity Program
Zero Shot Fund
Zero Shot (OpenAI alumni)
Rolling — apply any time
USD 1M–4M (pre-seed / seed)
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
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