Startup Accelerators and Incubation Centers in India [updated live]

According to Wiki, Seed accelerators are a modern, for-profit type of startup incubator, with an open application process, taking in classes of startups consisting of small teams, supporting them with funding, mentoring, training and events for a definite period (usually three months), in exchange for equity. While traditional business incubators are often government-funded, generally take no equity, and focus on biotech, medical technology, clean tech or product-centric companies, accelerators are privately-funded and focused on mobile/Internet startups.

The primary value to the entrepreneur is derived from the mentoring, connections, and the recognition of being chosen to be a part of the accelerator. The business model is based on generating venture style returns, not rent, or fees for services.

Seed accelerators do not necessarily need to include a physical space, but many do. The process that startups go through in the accelerator can be separated into five distinct phases: awareness, application, program, demo day, post demo day.

Though India direly needs a lot of well planned startup accelerator programs across different verticals, we still have a huge number of such facilities at our disposal, a lot of them persistently active even in the non glamorized fields of likes dairy technology and agriculture. For the sake of convenience, these have been broadly categorized into three different groups, that is, incubators at : Technical institutes,  business schools and privately owned accelerators.

Here is the list of Incubation Centers at Technical Institutes ( Technology Business Incubators). The other two categories will be added in future updates.

Government Supported Specialized Institutes Incubation Centers

Most of these incubators work for the development of enterprises in non conventional, or rather non glamorized fields like agriculture, composite materials, diary, agriculture etc. These facilities need to take up the task of effectively promoting themselves, as I believe these can be India’s key towards a sustainable growth.

Incubation Centers at Business Schools 

CIIE, IIM- Ahmedabad
NSRCEL, IIM- Bangalore
CEI, IIM-Calcutta
Abhiyan, IIM-Lucknow
e-cell, FMS Delhi
WCED, ISB Hyderabad
e- Cell, IIM Kozhikode

A funny observation: Of all the above, only CIIE and NSREL provide incubation in true sense. The rest are just active entrepreneurship cells of some really good B-schools, and do not offer incubation facilities to other than their own students.

Privately Owned Seed Stage Startup Accelerators

These incubators have been set up by powerful VC houses and thus are among the most sought after startup accelerators.

The Morpheus, Chandigarh – has supported 56 startups till date

The Startup Center, Chennai

Veddis Ventures, Gurgaon

India Angel Network, New Delhi

Angel Prime, Bangalore

TLabs, NOIDA

iAccelerator, Bangalore

5ideas, Gurgaon

Dasra, Mumbai (exclusively for Social Entrepreneurship)

Mumbai Angels

Seedfund, Mumbai

Villgro, Chennai (exclusively for Social Entrepreneurship)

SpringBoard Ventures, Mumbai

UnLtd India, Mumbai

Infuse Ventures, Ahmedabad (a collaborative effort of Govt. and industry to support energy based start up)

Freemont Partners, Mumbai

Gemini Ventures, Mumbai

The Hatch, Gurgaon and Chandigarh

We will keep updating this list, both in terms of latest additions and also with better information for helping out the new entrepreneurs.