MeitY GENESIS · Cohort 2
Big ideas deserve national backing.
GENESIS Cohort 2 is built for innovators, students and founders outside the metro spotlight. Move from a working idea to a funded pilot or a matched investment round, with applications extended to 2 November 2025, 5 PM.
The opportunity
National capital. Local conviction.
GENESIS Cohort 2 brings funding, incubation and market access to innovators, students and founders building in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. It is a call to build where you live, not where the spotlight is.
The scheme is designed as a progression, not a single cheque. A founder can enter through EiR, validate through a funded pilot, and attract private capital through matching investment.
SHINE's role is hands-on: incubation, technical review, milestone tracking and access to the Mangaluru and Karnataka innovation network. The goal is to make Tier-II and Tier-III founders investable, not just funded.
Give early founders the time, space and mentorship to turn a technical idea into something testable.
Help startups validate in the field with real customers, government partners and industry anchors.
De-risk the next round through matching investment for startups with a validated, market-ready product.
Built for the full journey.
- Tier-II and Tier-III focus
- Grant, pilot and investment instruments
- Milestone-based disbursement
- Mentorship and incubation support
- Access to implementing agencies
- Selection by domain experts
Three components
One scheme. Three ways in.
Each track has a different stage, instrument and risk profile. Founders should apply to the one that matches where they are today, not where they hope to be.
Early-stage EiR
A 12-month grant and mentorship runway for early-stage innovators, students and founders to build a prototype or proof of concept.
Matching investment
A 1:1 equity-based matching investment alongside a confirmed private investor, for growth-stage startups with a validated product.
Pilot funding
Milestone-linked support to validate and deploy a working product through pilots with corporates, PSUs or large enterprises.
Amounts are the maximum support levels published in the GENESIS Cohort 2 brochure. The final instrument and quantum are confirmed in the selected applicant's sanction letter.
How the journey works
From first prototype to national scale.
GENESIS is a ladder, not a lottery. Each stage has its own selection bar, so founders can build evidence before asking for the next level of support.
Ideate
Apply to EiR with a clear problem, a technical approach and a founder team ready to build.
Prototype
Use the 12-month runway and incubation support to reach a demonstrable prototype or PoC.
Pilot
Validate with a government, PSU, corporate or unicorn partner through a funded field pilot.
Scale
Layer a 1:1 matching investment to strengthen the product and the next round.
Selection is run through implementing agencies with domain experts. The strongest applications show technical clarity, customer evidence and a realistic plan for the next milestone.
SHINE's role
Three ways to build with us.
SHINE is an implementing agency for GENESIS. These are the tracks we support, with the funding and eligibility detail founders ask about first.
Grant · 12 months
For early-stage innovators, students and founders who need a 12-month runway and mentorship to build a prototype or proof of concept.
Who it is for
- Indian citizens only, including UG and PG students
- UG/PG students or founders/co-founders of a DPIIT-registered startup not more than 2 years old
- Registered and operating in a Tier-II or Tier-III city
- Deeptech, electronics design or ICT, including AI/ML, IoT, blockchain, cybersecurity, VLSI, quantum or AR/VR
- Physically incubated at Sahyadri or SHINE
- Not previously supported under GENESIS EiR
Last date extended to 2 November 2025, 5 PM. Review the Cohort 2 brochure before applying.
Who should apply
Built for founders outside the obvious.
If you are building a technology product from a Tier-II or Tier-III city and can show real progress, GENESIS is designed to meet you at your stage.
Startup criteria
- Indian citizens, including UG and PG students
- DPIIT-registered startup not more than 2 years old (EiR)
- Registered and operating in a Tier-II or Tier-III city
- Deeptech, electronics design or ICT focus (EiR)
- Tech-based product or software with market readiness (Matching)
- Physically incubated at Sahyadri or SHINE (EiR)
- Not previously supported under the same GENESIS component
Who benefits
The scheme is deliberately broad enough to include student teams, first-time founders and product companies that already have paying customers. What matters is evidence of progress.
SHINE runs the EiR, matching investment and pilot tracks with Sahyadri's academic and industry ecosystem.
Founders get access to domain mentors, technical reviewers and investor connections through the programme.
Milestones, reporting and fund deployment are tracked with the discipline expected of a national scheme.
Cohort 2 · Applications extended
Build where you are. Scale beyond it.
Applications for GENESIS EiR Cohort 2 are open to early-stage innovators, students and founders from Tier-II and Tier-III cities. The last date has been extended to 2 November 2025, 5 PM.
Last date extended from 25 October 2025 to 2 November 2025, 5 PM. Review the brochure before you apply.
Read the brochure