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Guidelines for Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) · Startup India (startupindia.gov.in) Free Beginner India

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.

  • The up to 20 lakh grant for prototype and proof of concept is non-repayable and takes no equity: the cleanest capital in the Indian ecosystem
  • The up to 50 lakh market-entry portion is debt or convertible debentures, so its terms (set by the incubator) can hit your cap table later
  • Disbursed only through DPIIT-approved incubators, so your entry point is the incubator application, not a direct government form
Open on startupindia.gov.in ↗

The question it answers

  1. If I stack a grant, an incubator, and an accelerator, how much equity and control am I really giving up?

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