About the Policy:

 

The Seed Support Program under NIDHI enables potential startups to venture into the market by offering them financial assistance at their seed stage. This financial  assistance is provided for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization etc. Along with this, it also provides guidance from experienced mentors on various topics such as business models, strategies and market insights. It also acts as a bridge between development and commercialization of innovative technologies/products/services in a relatively hassle free manner.

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Implementing Body:

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National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science & Technology, Government of India

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Financial assistance: 

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Seed Funding Support:

Maximum upper limit of funding is INR 100 Lakhs per startup with an average ticket size of INR 25 Lakhs.

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Eligibility Criteria: 

 

The eligibility criteria for a startup to apply for the Nidhi- Seed Support Program (SSP) are as follows:  

• The applicant startup must be a company registered in India, preferably be a DPIIT registered/applied startup and should have completed a minimum 3 months of association with the incubator in its resident or virtual incubation program. 

• The applicant startup should have developed clarity on Unique Selling Proposition (USP) through customer validation and value proposition for its targeted customers. 

• This support is not meant for Indian Subsidiaries of MNCs/foreign companies. Persons holding Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) would be considered as Indian citizens for the purpose of this scheme. 

• The shareholding by Indian promoters in the incubate startup should be at least 51%.

• Preference will be given to startups, who have not availed any funding from any Government of India /State Govt. body.