5 resources from Startup India we point founders to, and the questions each answers.
📋 Template
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Why we picked it
This is the government's own sample SHA, published on the official Startup India (DPIIT) templates page alongside term sheets and founder agreements, so it is a durable, no-cost drafting starting point that already reflects Indian company-law structure. Its drag-along clause, for instance, spells out the 30-day notice mechanics you would otherwise pay a lawyer to draft from scratch. Draft from this, then pay a lawyer once to make it real for your cap table.
From
Startup Indiaby Startup India (Invest India, DPIIT)13-page template
A free, government-published SHA sample you can open, edit, and take to a lawyer instead of paying to draft from a blank page
Includes the load-bearing exit clauses (drag-along with a 30-day notice period, tag-along, transfer restrictions) that a plain paper founders agreement omits
Sits on the official Startup India tools page with matching term-sheet and founder-agreement templates, so the whole early-stage document set comes from one trusted source
Why we picked it
This is the government's own checklist, so it settles the entity question straight: Pvt Ltd if you plan to raise (investors cannot hold shares in an LLP), LLP or OPC if you are bootstrapping services. It walks the same first-weeks moves the answer names (MCA incorporation, DPIIT recognition to unlock tax and IP benefits, GST once you cross the threshold, sector licenses) from the source that defines them, not a reseller's blog.
Why we picked it
This is the authoritative government listing of live Indian grand challenges and national competitions, filterable by Challenges, Incubator, and Accelerator with Active, Upcoming, and Completed tabs, so you see exactly what is open right now (Infineon Startup Challenge, Bharat Livelihood Challenge, National Startup Awards 5.0 with its 10 lakh prize across 20+ categories). It shows the actual deadline and what each winner gets (cash plus mentorship and market access), which is the honest input to the pick-two-or-three decision instead of chasing every circuit.
From
Startup Indiaby DPIIT, Government of Indiabrowse, filterable
National Startup Awards 5.0 carries a 10 lakh cash prize across 20+ categories plus mentorship, a credential investors and corporates recognize
Sector grand challenges (Infineon, Bharat Livelihood, single-use plastics) are the high-signal ones: they come with a real corporate or ministry partner, not just a stage
The portal separates Active, Upcoming, and Completed so you plan applications against real deadlines rather than reacting to a WhatsApp forward
Why we picked it
This is the single directory that saves you from chasing scattered scheme pages: 107 pages, written by DPIIT itself, mapping every central and state program a founder can actually apply to (SISFS, Fund of Funds 2.0, Credit Guarantee Scheme, incubator schemes, state startup policies) with what each one gives and who runs it. Use it to separate the grant-giving and equity programs from the ones that only hand you a desk, then shortlist by your sector and state.
From
Startup Indiaby DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry107-page PDF
The real non-dilutive money is SISFS (up to 20 lakh grant plus up to 50 lakh convertible debt, routed through an empanelled incubator), not a co-working seat
Fund of Funds 2.0 and the Credit Guarantee Scheme are the equity and debt rails behind DPIIT recognition, worth understanding before you raise
State startup policies stack on top of central schemes, so a founder outside the metros can often claim both a state grant and a central one
Why we picked it
This is the government's own comparison, and it leads with the exact filter you need: if you are raising funding, the decision is made for you (Private Limited), and everything else is secondary. It covers all five real Indian structures including OPC for solo founders who want liability protection without co-founders, so you can match your actual situation instead of a generic template.
