15 Best Startup Accelerators and Incubators in India 2024

In India, hundreds of startup accelerators and incubators have helped nurture and grow startup founders' innovative ideas, allowing them to transform their visions into successful ventures. 

These organizations don't just provide capital, but they offer a holistic support system in guiding startups from their early stages towards eventual global expansion; these incubator and accelerator programs play a pivotal role in making India one of the top startup ecosystems today.

We also recommend exploring our main list of the best startup accelerators.

Offering a unique integrated approach, Venture Catalysts has backed over 110 different startups since 2016 and has earned recognition as India's most active seed investment platform. It provides an all-around support system to guide the growth of startups at different stages in their lifecycle. 

This includes not just funding and acceleration but also business development support which brings immense value to the startups they collaborate with. Venture Catalysts prides itself on its wide network of entrepreneurs and investors, collaboratively building a vibrant community eager to see startup success within their ecosystem.

Venture Catalysts' participation isn't limited to India; it has widened its reach globally with a presence in countries such as Singapore, UAE, USA, and the UK. Their role in a startup's journey is significant and typically goes from validating their approach to helping with business expansion. 

Going beyond just capital investment, the 9Unicorns Accelerator Fund demonstrates its commitment to founders by supporting them in transforming ideas into successful ventures. As they continue to broaden their reach and expand into new cities around India, their work is not confined to startup funding but also to helping emerging founders become category leaders in their fields. They've played a key role in sculpting success stories and leading the narrative of those stories thus far, showing many Indian entrepreneurs what’s possible.

This accelerator fund's goals are not short-sighted, either; they’re shooting for a global impact and are completely focused on helping entrepreneurs beyond the initial challenges of capital provision. Their commitment to creating a robust environment for emerging businesses is clear in their constant battle to provide full support to new founders and fuel their journey toward leading positions in their sectors.

Axilor Ventures has been a significant contributor to startup success for many new companies over the years, investing in approximately 8-12 startups each year through their seed funding programs. This investment ranges between $500k-$750k in each startup and is something that goes beyond capital provision. Acknowledging the need for comprehensive support Axilor offers early capital on founder-friendly terms and gives quick follow-on funding with an impressive rate of over 75% for their portfolio companies.

With one of the largest portfolios of Series A+ companies for a first fund in India, Axilor is committed to enabling startup growth and achieving the right product-market fit for their portfolio companies. 

Their startups benefit from being part of an active community of over 400 founders who give a platform to share experiences and support each other. The goal is to help entrepreneurs overcome the challenges faced during the early stages of their startup journey and put them on a smoother growth trajectory.

Recognized as the Best Accelerator of India in 2021, India Accelerator (IA) is a seed-stage program that supports tech startups in India and the UAE. Their backing also goes far beyond financial support since they offer mentoring opportunities, networking platforms, and infrastructural assistance to fast-track growth. Originally envisioned to put the Indian startup ecosystem on the world map, IA has since expanded its focus on building infrastructures for innovation in a creative way.

IA does very well in offering a structured accelerator program that combines investment, opportunities, and valuable resources. Many startups like MOPP, Brainwired, Lawyered, Stage, Janitri, Ethereal Machines, and Matter Motor Works have achieved success and funding participation in IA. 

Their initiatives not only thrive domestically but extend globally through partnerships that hope to reach Silicon Valley and beyond, giving enhanced opportunities for startups to expand their horizons even more.

An initiative started by Reliance, JioGenNext, offers comprehensive guidance for startups looking to scale within the Reliance ecosystem. With startups covering a vast range of domains such as transportation, healthcare, skills assessment, artificial intelligence (AI), and more, JioGenNext provides the opportunity for growth and access to Reliance's extensive ecosystem connections. Startups like AxleRate, Health Vectors, iMocha, E42, and many others are currently participating in this program and benefiting from its extensive reach.

JioGenNext encourages the use of advanced technologies like AI, machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and Blockchain in solutions related to various sectors like healthcare, agriculture, encryption, and more. The demographics of their startups are diverse and range from patient-doctor connectivity platforms to digital learning platforms and agricultural analytics. 

IIMA Ventures focuses on providing catalytic capital in the form of grants and equity for aspiring entrepreneurs working on disruptive solutions in frontier tech areas. Through strategic initiatives focused on deep tech, digitization, digital inclusion, and sustainability IIMA Ventures helps bridge the "valley of death" that startups often face in the seed stage. With a typical investment ranging between $100-150k per venture at the seed stage, they strive towards de-risking at the early stages.

IIMA Ventures sports an impressive record of over 35 profitable exits from their portfolio firms and has leveraged over $250 million in follow-on investments from prominent investors. They manage many different investment directions enabling startups to access capital for building innovative solutions and fostering digital inclusion across different sectors.

GSF Accelerator is a robust support system for startups at their inception, pre-seed, and seed stages with an impressive ability to follow on in subsequent funding rounds. Investment ranges typically between $100,000 - $500,000 with the sector agnostic GSF having invested across areas like consumer tech, fintech, SaaS, and emergent areas like web3, agritech, and robotics. Their focus is to be the first investors for founders at the idea stage or with early product-market fit.

When startups raise funds from GSF they also get access to their vast network of hundreds of mentors ranging from founders to VCs to CXOs. With a portfolio of over 200 GSF-backed companies to learn from, this platform gives a unique opportunity to budding entrepreneurs. 

An initiative started by Zerodha, an Indian brokerage firm, Rainmatter Capital is committed to backing Indian founders working in fintech, health, and storytelling. Their support extends beyond funding by offering mentorship, access to financial APIs, and networks to assist founders. Since they are very patient in their investments, they emphasize long-term support over quick exits. They can invest up to ₹50 crores but do not intervene much in businesses.

Rainmatter Capital is significantly invested in creating sustainable impact via financial support as well as through its Rainmatter Foundation. This segment commits substantial funding and grants for climate action and environmental protection, and they demonstrate an ethical approach where any economic returns from the foundation's investments are reinvested back into the foundation; this is something that truly aligns with their goal of making a sustained, meaningful impact.

AdvantEdge Founders is a venture capital fund that backs founders and companies across consumer sectors with a specific focus on mobility. Composed of a team of former founders they offer support based on the lessons learned from their own entrepreneurial journeys. 

They invest up to $1 million in a company's first institutional funding round and help them scale and raise follow-on rounds. What sets AdvantEdge apart is its focus on turning founders into entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs into fearless leaders.

MCats (Marwari Catalysts) stands out as a great example of what’s possible to achieve in early-stage startup success, providing funding, mentoring, industry connections, and exclusive access to its cofounder matchmaking service. They have analyzed over 6,000 startups and hold a combined portfolio valuation of $300 million. Funding originates from seasoned investors and they provide over 100 mentors as well as vital tools to help startups scale up.

Some of their successful portfolio companies include the Jaipur Watch Company, Yearbook Canvas, and Banksathi. Their portfolio startups have collectively raised $4 million and have successfully transformed the startup ecosystems in India’s tier 2 and 3 cities.

FAAD is an investor network that is dedicated to evaluating and leading investors to various powerful investment opportunities. Driven by a knowledgeable team of professionals, FAAD helps translate ambitious visions into concrete realities, drawing on a process that turns success into an achieved goal rather than just an endpoint. They offer access to a robust network of entrepreneurs, fellow investors, and startups, ultimately streamlining the deal screening process to deliver informed choices quickly.

Since 2013 this organization has been at the forefront of growing entrepreneurship in India. With over 4000 startups graduating from their 10K program and more than 10% of funded startups in India emerging from there they’ve greatly contributed to the development of India's startup ecosystem. 

They provide a platform for product concepts or proofs of concept (PoCs) to develop through their NIPP program, offer immersive experiences to startups in global ecosystems via the Innotrek program, and deliver numerous events and programs covering various topics.

Founded in 2001, Villgro is a well-known name in the area of social enterprises with a consistent track record of promoting impactful and innovative initiatives. They champion market-based models as a potent way of solving social problems, fostering these with the right resources and know-how for creating enduring social impact. Over the years they have provided Rs 671 million in seed funding with an impressive follow-up funding count of Rs 4 billion from their portfolio companies.

Villgro has held conventions across 20 cities connecting more than 17,000 entrepreneurs, and hosting over 800 speakers. Having received over 3,000 applications for their iPitch program they have managed to fund 23 startups. Overall, Villgro prides itself on its deep technical expertise and experience having a mission to create lasting impact at scale.

Huddle is a pre-seed and seed stage venture capital firm based in India that supports inspiring founders during the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey. They prioritize venture building and see capital as a natural byproduct of this process. They invest in the pioneering industries of the future and provide strategic planning assistance to ventures while keeping market-defined growth metrics in perspective.

Founded by We Founder Circle in 2021, EvolveX Accelerator is a startup accelerator program known for its distinctive focus on accelerating high-potential early revenue companies. Paving the way for numerous companies in their initial stages the program provides both a financial boost and qualitative benefits to those it supports. More specifically, it offers $20k in upfront funding along with over $500k worth of credits/discounts which greatly enhance the operational capabilities of any budding venture.

One of the hallmarks of EvolveX is its emphasis on mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. Founders are given comprehensive training programs covering areas such as team building, marketing, sales, business model configuration, finance, and legal compliance. All these aspects of the program help build a robust foundation for new businesses by improving their skills and knowledge base. 

• Angel Investor Groups
• Crowdfunding Sites
• Venture Capital Firms
• Startup Grants
• Venture Capital Books
• Books on Startup Funding