startupindia.gov.in · Starting Up

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✓ Link checked India Free Advanced

The official Indian government primer on structuring ESOPs for startups, a primary source on the rules that most blog posts paraphrase. Essential before you promise equity to early hires.

Employee Stock Options for Startups (Startup India)

From startupindia.gov.in by Startup India / DPIIT Official primer

ESOPs must be approved by at least 75% of shareholders
The gap between market value and exercise price is taxed as a 'perquisite'
ESOPs are a core tool for hiring and retaining early talent when cash is tight

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Answers How much equity should I set aside for an ESOP pool for employees? How do I compensate early employees with salary and equity in India?

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✓ Link checked India Free Beginner

The official source for DPIIT recognition, the free registration that unlocks tax benefits, self-certification, and scheme eligibility for Indian startups. Straight from the government, not a middleman.

DPIIT Startup Recognition & Tax Exemption (Startup India)

From startupindia.gov.in by Startup India / DPIIT Official portal page

Recognition is free and often approved within days
Unlocks tax exemptions, labour-law self-certification, and faster IP processing
Eligible entities: Pvt Ltd, LLP, partnership, or cooperative under 10 years old

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Answers Do I need a registered company, GST, and a separate bank account before I can receive grant money? What government-backed incubators and schemes should an Indian founder actually apply to (Startup India, state programs, T-Hub, iHubs)? What is DPIIT / Startup India recognition and is it worth getting? What is DPIIT / Startup India recognition, and what do I actually get from it? What tax benefits and exemptions do DPIIT-recognised startups actually get?

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✓ Link checked India Free Beginner

The official government overview of how to incorporate and register a startup in India, including the SPICe+ route on the MCA portal. The authoritative primary reference for Indian founders.

Startup India Scheme (Incorporation & Registration Overview)

From startupindia.gov.in by Startup India / DPIIT Official overview

Incorporate a Pvt Ltd via the SPICe+ form on the MCA21 portal (or LLP via FiLLiP)
You'll need DSCs, DINs, and a MoA/AoA
After incorporation, apply for DPIIT recognition to unlock benefits

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Answers When should I actually incorporate my startup? Should I incorporate as a Delaware C-corp or an Indian Pvt Ltd? How do I register a Private Limited Company in India? What is DPIIT / Startup India recognition and is it worth getting? How do I write a grant application that actually gets funded?

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✓ Link checked India Free Beginner

The authoritative, government-hosted explanation of exactly what a DPIIT-recognised startup gets in public procurement. If you want to know your real rights before you bid, this is the primary source, not a blog's interpretation of it.

Procurement by Government, Public Procurement Benefits for DPIIT Startups

From startupindia.gov.in by Startup India (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry single-page policy explainer

DPIIT-recognised startups are exempted from prior experience, prior turnover, and Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) on both GeM and CPPP.
The GeM Startup Runway lets you list innovative products without a matching category and run trial orders with buyer feedback.
These relaxations flow from General Financial Rules 2017 and apply across central procurement, consultancy, and works contracts.
Get DPIIT recognition first (using your DIPP number), then register as a Preferred Bidder to claim the benefits.

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Answers How do I sell to the government and use GeM, tenders, and public procurement as non-dilutive revenue? What is an EMD and a performance bank guarantee, and how much cash will they lock up before I earn a rupee? The tender asks for three years of turnover and past government experience. I'm brand new. Do I just give up? Everyone says government sales run on connections and bribes. How do I sell clean and still win? Is state government and municipal procurement easier to break into than central ministries? What's the difference between selling to a PSU, a ministry, and a smart-city SPV, and does it change how I sell? A government buyer wants me to run a free pilot or PoC. Should I say yes? How do I sell into a big Indian corporate or bank when they expect vendors to be large, established, and often to pay for access? What is GeM and how do I get my product listed on it? I'm a DPIIT-recognised startup, what procurement relaxations do I actually get? Are there quotas or preferences that tilt tenders toward small players like me? How do I turn one government pilot into a repeatable business? Is selling to government even worth it for an early-stage startup?

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✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

A government-published, startup-specific walkthrough of how public procurement works, tenders, GeM, exemptions, and the process end-to-end in one document. It's the closest thing to an official playbook for a founder new to selling to the state.

Startup Guide to Public Procurement (Official PDF)

From startupindia.gov.in by Startup India / Invest India guide (PDF, ~1 MB)

Explains the tender lifecycle (technical bid, financial bid, L1 selection) in plain language for beginners.
Lays out the DPIIT startup relaxations and how to invoke them tender by tender.
Consolidates GeM, CPPP, and MSME preference routes so you can pick the right door for your product.
Use it as a checklist before your first bid rather than learning the rules by losing tenders.

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Answers How do government tenders and procurement actually work for a tiny startup?