Startup India Seed Fund Scheme – Complete Details 2026

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme is a scheme offered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), aiming at providing financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialisation.

The support would enable startups to graduate to a level where they can raise capital from angel investors/ venture capitalists or get loans from commercial banks/ other financial institutions. The scheme will support an estimated 3,600 entrepreneurs via 300 incubators in the next 4 years across India.

The following are the key benefits of the Startup India Seed Fund scheme:

• Easy access to financial assistance for startups (recognised by DPIIT, incorporated not more than 2 years ago at application).
• SISFS is a sector-agnostic scheme under which startups from any sector can apply.
• No minimum education qualification is required for founders to apply for SISFS.
• Up to Rs. 20 Lakhs are disbursed to an eligible startup by the incubator in milestone-based instalments (related to development of prototype/ product testing/ building a product ready for market launch/ etc.) as a grant for validation of Proof of Concept, or prototype development, or product trials. 
• Up to Rs. 50 Lakhs of investment available for market entry, commercialisation, or scaling up via convertible debentures/ debt/ debt-linked instruments.
• A startup applicant can get seed support in the form of a grant and debt/convertible debentures, each once, as per the guidelines of the scheme.
• Eligible startups can apply for the seed fund scheme on the Startup India portal. 
• A grant can be used for the validation of Proof of Concept, prototype development, or product trials. A debt/ convertible debenture can be utilised for market entry, commercialisation, or scaling up.
• The application submission is entirely online; no physical document submission is required.
• No application fees required for the scheme.

Below are the eligibility criteria for the SeedFund StartupIndia scheme:

Eligibility Criteria for Startups

• A startup, recognised by DPIIT, was incorporated not more than 2 years ago at the time of application. To get DPIIT-recognised, you can visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/startupgov/startup_recognition_page.html.
• The applicant startup must have a business idea for developing a product/ service with a market fit, viable commercialisation, and scope of scaling.
• The startup must be using technology in its core product/ service/ business model/ distribution model/ methodology to solve the targeted problem.
• Preference will be given to those startups which are creating innovative solutions in agriculture, biotechnology, defence, education, energy, financial inclusion, food processing, gas, healthcare, mobility, oil, railways, social impact, space, textiles, waste management, water management, and other sectors.
• The startup should not have received more than Rs. 10 Lakhs of monetary support under any other Central/ State Government scheme, excluding prize money from competitions/ grand challenges, subsidised working space, founder's monthly allowance, or access to labs/ prototyping facility.
• As per the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018, there should be at least 51% shareholding by Indian promoters in the startup at the time of application to the scheme’s incubator.
• A startup can avail seed support in the form of a grant and debt/convertible debentures, each once, as per the scheme’s guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria for Incubators

• The incubator must be any of the following legal entities:
  • Society registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860
  • Trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act 1882
  •  Private Limited Company registered under the Companies Act 1956/ Companies Act 2013
  • Statutory Body created via an Act of the legislature
• The incubator should be operational for at least 2 years on the date of application to the SISFS scheme.
• The incubator must have facilities for seating at least 25 individuals.
• The incubator must have a minimum of 5 startups undergoing incubation physically on the application date.
• The incubator must have a full-time CEO (Chief Executive Officer), experienced in business development & entrepreneurship, supported by an efficient team for mentoring startups in testing and validating ideas, finance, legal, and human resources functions.
• The incubator shouldn’t be disbursing the seed fund to incubatees who are using funding from a third-party private entity.
• The incubator either must be assisted by the Central/ State Government(s), or:
  • Must be operational for at least 3 years.
  • Must have a minimum of 10 separate startups going through incubation in the incubator physically on the application date.
  • Must show audited annual reports for the past 2 years.
• Any additional eligibility criteria as may be decided by the Experts Advisory Committee (EAC).

Eligible startups can apply for the Startup Seed Fund Scheme on the Startup India portal. An online call for applications, hosted on an ongoing basis on the Startup India portal, will be opened soon. DPIIT-recognised startups can log in using their credentials used for the startup recognition process.

• Visit the SISFS portal and log in with your Startup India credentials.
• Fill the application form by providing details of your team, problem statement, product/ service, business model, and funding requirements.
• Select up to 3 incubators from the available list based on your preference.
• Upload your DPIIT recognition certificate, a pitch deck, and financial details.
• Chosen incubators will evaluate your application and will ask for a presentation to their Seed Management Committee.

You will need the following documents to apply for the SISFS:

• DPIIT Recognition Certificate (mandatory).
• Certificate of Incorporation (Private Ltd./ LLP/ Registered Partnership Firm).
• Founder PAN Card and Aadhaar Card for KYC.
• A detailed Business Plan, Pitch Deck, and/or product prototype information.
• Bank account details and financial statements.
• Board Resolution or Authorisation Letter.
• A short video of 1-2 minutes presenting the business model/ product.
• A detailed fund utilisation plan and milestones.