Deadline: 18-Mar-25
The Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) invites applications from eligible non-for-profit organizations across Karnataka to conduct Incubation and Acceleration Programs (WEscalate) exclusively for Women-led startups for the FY 2025-26.
Objectives
- The following are the broad objectives of the program:
- To nurture and grow early-stage women entrepreneurs
- To accelerate the growth stage women entrepreneurs to scale up their ventures
- To make startup ecosystem in Karnataka more inclusive.
About WEscalate:
- To ensure the continuity of incubation program and handhold startups to be investment ready, a dual program with Incubation and acceleration is proposed.
- Each cohort will be sector specific. Incubators and Accelerators will be mapped and selected basis on their capability to execute region specific Incubation/Acceleration programs. The focus sectors are: Biotech, AgriTech, MedTech/Healthtech, Cleantech.
- Incubation + Acceleration
- Incubation program:
- Incubation Program supports early-stage women entrepreneurs to transform their idea into a business. The program would include business skills training, mentoring support, Peer learning, market analysis, customer analysis, business plan development, pitch preparation, Investors connect. This will be a 6-months program for selected 15 startups. This will be a hybrid model (onsite+virtual) model with a special focus on personalized mentoring.
- Acceleration Program
- The 15 startups who have undergone the incubation for a period of 6 months shall graduate to the acceleration program for a duration of 6 months. If Incubator/Accelerator is unable to take 15 startups for the acceleration program, existing startups that are at the growth and scale up stage may apply and join the acceleration program. This program will be focus more on market validation, enabling funding for startups, enabling market access. This would be a 6-month long program for selected 15 startups.
- Incubation program:
- Incubation + Acceleration
Funding Information
- Incubation program
- Budget: The Department’s contribution towards the overall budget for running incubation program will not exceed INR 20 lakh/cohort and will be provided as grant in aid fund.
- Acceleration program
- Budget: The Department’s contribution towards the overall budget for running acceleration program will not exceed INR 30 lakh/cohort including deployment grant (INR 8.7 Lakhs) and will be provided as grant in aid fund.
- Deployment grant
- INR 8.7 lakh: This budget shall be equally utilized to grant top 3 startups basis their performance/achievements during the program.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following is the broad pre-qualification criteria for Incubators and Accelerators:
- Incubators and Accelerators should be not-for-profit
- Not-for-profit can be any of the following:
- A Society registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860
- A Trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act 1882
- A Section 8 company under the Companies Act, 2013
- Incubators and Accelerators should be previously funded or currently funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST)/any central/state government agencies or having completed minimum 3 years of operations and having incubated and accelerated at least 20 startups in single/multiple domains.
For more information, visit KITS.