3 resources from Startup India (startupindia.gov.in) we point founders to, and the questions each answers.
🛠️ Tool
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Why we picked it
This is the single official directory of central and state government schemes for Indian startups, the primary source, not a blog summarising it. If you only bookmark one page for non-dilutive funding, make it this one and filter by your sector, stage, and state.
Aggregates central schemes (Seed Fund, Fund of Funds 2.0, Credit Guarantee Scheme) plus state and ministry-specific programmes in one searchable place.
Links out to the partner desks that actually run the money, BIRAC, Atal Innovation Mission, MeitY Startup Hub, DST NIDHI.
Most listed schemes require DPIIT recognition first, so treat recognition as prerequisite step zero.
Filter by stage and sector rather than scrolling, the wrong-desk application is the most common reason founders get rejected.
Why we picked it
This is a ready-to-fill IP assignment and confidentiality agreement hosted on the government's own Startup India portal, so it is drafted for Indian law and free to use. It gives a non-lawyer the actual assignment and confidentiality language to adapt for a developer and get signed. Treat it as a starting point: it is written employer to employee, so swap the party labels for a contractor engagement and, ideally, have a lawyer glance at the final version.
Why we picked it
This is the primary source, not a blog paraphrase, on the cheapest capital an Indian founder can get. SISFS gives up to 20 lakh as a non-repayable, zero-equity grant for prototype and proof of concept, plus up to 50 lakh as debt or convertible for market entry, disbursed through 300+ approved incubators. Read the actual grant-versus-convertible terms here so you know exactly which slice touches your cap table (the 20 lakh grant does not) before you exhaust it first.
