What free money and support exists specifically for first-time and student founders who've never raised anything?
The short answer
If you've never raised, start with the schemes designed to give you a first push without a track record. Campus incubators and institution innovation councils (via AICTE, MeitY, and college TBIs) hand out small grants, workspace, and mentorship to student and first-time teams. National programs like NIDHI-PRAYAS and various pre-incubation grants fund proof-of-concept before you have revenue or even a company. Your inexperience is the point of these schemes, so lean into being early: apply while you still qualify as a student or first-timer, because that window closes fast.
Go deeper, your way
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Why we picked it
This is the policy that forces the 10,000-plus AICTE institutions to build pre-incubation support (IICs, EDCs, campus TBIs) for their own students, and it spells out the line that matters most to a first-timer: entity registration is not necessary to be treated as a student startup, including for alumni within two years of graduating. Read it to know exactly what your own campus is obligated to offer before you go hunting outside.
Why we picked it
This is the one scheme built for the exact moment you describe: an idea and no company. NIDHI-PRAYAS funds up to 10 lakh to turn a concept into a working prototype, and its eligibility explicitly names students, researchers and innovators (no incorporation required). You apply through a PRAYAS Centre at a nearby incubator, which also hands you fab-lab bench space and mentoring, so your inexperience is the qualifier, not the disqualifier.
Why we picked it
SISFS is the most accessible non-dilutive cheque for early Indian startups, and this is where you actually apply. It's genuinely founder-friendly: you apply through incubators, not a government office, and grant money for proof-of-concept has no equity strings.
