Access, sales & scenarios

Accelerators, mentors, and selling to government and enterprise.

What founders use for access, sales & scenarios, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. The dedicated on-ramp for DPIIT startups to list innovative products even without a pre-existing category, and the mechanism... gem.gov.in Tool · program page + onboarding GeM Startup Runway, Sell Directly to Government Buyers Government e-Marketplace (GeM) In 6 answers
  2. A living, India-first answer to 'where do I actually meet founders?', eChai has run founder meetups, dinners, demo days and... eChai Ventures Tool · short eChai Ventures, Founder Community & Events Across 25+ Cities eChai Ventures In 5 answers
  3. The best free on-ramp for founders who feel 'too early' for a funded accelerator, it distils YC's thinking into a structured... Y Combinator Course · ~7-week self-paced course Startup School, Free Startup Course Y Combinator In 4 answers
  4. This is the canonical, industry-standard answer to 'how much equity for an advisor', a free, ready-to-sign template used by... Founder Institute (fi.co) Tool · short The FAST Agreement (Founder / Advisor Standard Template) Founder Institute In 4 answers
  5. This is the primary channel for selling products and services to the Indian government, a Section 8 company under the Ministry... gem.gov.in Tool · self-serve portal + onboarding modules Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Official Seller Portal Government e-Marketplace (GeM) In 4 answers
  6. The single-point access to tenders published across central ministries and departments, the tender side of government selling... eprocure.gov.in Tool · live tender portal Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP), Government Tenders National Informatics Centre / Ministry of Finance In 4 answers
  7. The official government registry that lets you filter incubators by sector, stage and location, the fastest way to find a... Startup India / Government of India Tool · Searchable directory Startup India, Find an Incubator (DPIIT registry) Startup India (DPIIT) In 3 answers
  8. The single biggest killer of government-selling startups is the payment gap, not the sale. TReDS is the RBI-regulated fix, turn... sidbi.in Tool · explainer + platform links TReDS, Bill Discounting to Survive Slow Government Payments (SIDBI) SIDBI In 2 answers
  9. This is the single directory that saves you from chasing scattered scheme pages: 107 pages, written by DPIIT itself, mapping... Startup India Template · 107-page PDF Playbook of Government Schemes and Initiatives for Startups (June 2026) DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  10. This is the benchmark to hold any private accelerator against. Under SISFS the government routes money to you THROUGH... Startup India (Seed Fund portal) Tool · portal About the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) DPIIT, Government of India
  11. This is the government's own live map of 73 BIRAC-backed bioincubators, the exact specialized programs a biotech, healthtech,... BIRAC (Government of India) Tool · browse BIRAC BioNEST: Directory of India's Bioincubators Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
  12. Once you know you want a specialized program, this is where you filter for it: a live India directory of accelerators and... Startup Grants India Tool · browse Startup Grants India: Accelerator and Incubator Directory by Sector Startup Grants India
  13. This is the technical compliance matrix craft laid out concretely: read the tender line by line, flag every 'shall/must/will'... Responsive Template · 15 min read Proposal Compliance Matrix Guide: Tips, Template & Examples Responsive (formerly RFPIO)
  14. This is the live portal for the single best state-startup buying channel in India, and it is proof of the state-first thesis: a... Kerala Startup Mission Tool · 20 min explore Government as a Marketplace, Kerala Startup Mission Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)
  15. This is the free base layer for central tenders, not a blog about it. Every central ministry, department, and CPSE tender worth... Central Public Procurement Portal, Government of India Tool · portal, set up in one sitting Central Public Procurement Portal (eprocure.gov.in): search, save, and track central tenders National Informatics Centre
  16. Your answer says to give the deal a mutual close plan with dates and named owners, and this is the concrete artifact for it: a... Dock Template · 12 min read Mutual Action Plans 101: Tips, Tools, and Templates (with free template) Dock
  17. This is the rare guide that hands you the exact copy you need, not just theory: a 'quote kit' email with the subject line... Do What Matter Template · 15 min read B2B Case Study Template: Proof That Sells (with a quote kit and permission email) Do What Matter editorial team
  18. You connect your Gmail and Signal maps your invisible network against 3M+ founder to VC connections, so you can see which of... NFX Tool · 30 min to set up Signal: the free network map that reveals your intro paths to specific VCs NFX
  19. India-founded (Bengaluru) and thick with Indian operators who solved your exact problem recently: growth leads, founder-led... Topmate Tool · tool Topmate: book 1:1 time with operators and functional experts Ankit Agarwal and Dinesh Singh
  20. Where FAST is the one-pager, this spells out the exit mechanics in plain clause language you can lift: either party terminates... Promise Legal Template · copy-paste template + notes Startup Advisor Agreement Template (FAST-Style, 2025) Promise Legal
  21. The clearest example of a globally networked program you can join from India without moving: a 6-month residency in Bengaluru... South Park Commons Tool · 6 min read South Park Commons India South Park Commons

The questions

Incubators, accelerators & competitions 21

Get in, get funded, get connected.

Should I join an incubator or an accelerator, and which one? 3 → My college has an E-Cell and an incubator, how do I actually use them? 2 → Which incubators and accelerators give grant money, not just space and mentorship? 4 → How do I get into YC or a top accelerator, what do they actually look for? 3 → Is the equity an accelerator takes worth it? 3 → All 21 questions in Incubators, accelerators & competitions →
Selling to government 21

GeM, tenders, and the public-sector playbook.

How do I actually sell to the government, where do I find the buyers? 3 → What is GeM and how do I get my product listed on it? 2 → How do government tenders and procurement actually work for a tiny startup? 3 → Do I need certifications or empanelment to sell to a ministry? 2 → I'm a DPIIT-recognised startup, what procurement relaxations do I actually get? 3 → All 21 questions in Selling to government →
Selling to enterprises (B2B) 21

Land your first big logo.

How do I land my first enterprise customer when nobody has heard of us? 3 → How long is a B2B sales cycle and how do I not run out of money waiting? 3 → Who do I actually sell to inside a big company, and how do I find the decision-maker? 3 → They want a free pilot, should I do it? 3 → Should I use design partners, and how do I structure the deal? 3 → All 21 questions in Selling to enterprises (B2B) →
Mentors, advisors & network 21

Find the people who accelerate you.

My network is all corporate colleagues, how do I actually meet founders and investors? 3 → Can I build a serious startup from outside the big startup hubs, or do I have to move to Bangalore? 3 → How do I find a mentor or advisor who will actually help me, not just add a logo to my deck? 2 → How much equity should I give a startup advisor? 1 → How do I actually ask someone to mentor or advise me without it being awkward? 2 → All 21 questions in Mentors, advisors & network →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →