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StepUp Ventures Incubation Program for Minority Entrepreneurs

StepUp Ventures Incubation Program for Minority Entrepreneurs

StepUp Ventures (TSUV) offers a 3 Month Incubation Program for entrepreneurs from minority and lesser privileged communities of India. The program is founder immersive, inclusive, and is a diverse virtual Incubation program for Early Stage, Product ready startups; with an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to scale, grow their ventures. 

Click here to know more about Startup India Scheme.

Note on StepUp Ventures

StepUp Ventures is a for-profit incubator that focuses on minorities and the lesser privileged communities of India.

StepUp Ventures Incubation Program
StepUp Ventures Incubation Program

TSUV works with startups for over 3 months to help them refine their product and pitch to culminate in a demo day to potential investors.

The objective of the StepUp Ventures Incubation Program

The key objective of the StepUp Ventures Incubation Program is to provide a platform for minorities and the lesser privileged communities to enable them to scale their entrepreneurial ambitions.

Eligible Startup for StepUp Ventures

The following type of startups can apply for the StepUp Ventures Incubation Program:

  • Accelerator
  • Incubator
  • Investor
  • Mentor
  • Individual
  • Validation Stage Startup
  • Early Traction Startup
  • Scaling Stage Startup
  • Corporate

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for startups to participate in the Incubation Program are as follows:

To apply for the scheme, the startup team should have at least 1 Founder from a Minority  community or SC/ST or Women (As defined in Constitution of India – Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, others)

  • StepUp Ventures is looking for startups that have early revenues or minimum an MVP with initial customer traction.
  • StepUp Ventures Incubation Program is 100% India focused and look for startups that solve the challenges of real Bharat, even if the startup is located outside of India

Benefits offered to Startups

StepUp Ventures (TSUV) offers all possible institutional support for start-ups incubated with them:

  • StepUp Ventures works with startups for over 3 months to help them refine their product and pitch to culminate in a demo day to potential investors.
  • StepUp Ventures will co-invest with other seed investors to help the startup along the journey to scale.
  • During this 3-month program, TSUV helps entrepreneurs build and validate their startup to scale and to garner more support from like-minded partners in the Indian Startup ecosystem on the journey to becoming a world-class enterprise.
  • TSUV two-tier team of coaches and mentors helps the startups to navigate in their quest to grow and improve their business.

Focus Area

The Step-up Venture is sector agnostics and engages in a diverse range of startups in the tech industry, from marketplaces to SaaS, from media to AI. StepUp Ventures Incubation Program is looking to collaborate & work with startups in any of the following themes:

  • Advertising And Architecture Interior Design
  • Ar Vr (Augmented + Virtual Reality)
  • Automotive And Art & Photography
  • Animation And Computer Vision
  • Construction And Agriculture
  • Green Technology And Fashion
  • Food & Beverages
  • Design, Education, And Renewable Energy
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Internet Of Things And Marketing
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Retail, Sports And Social Impact
  • Social Network, Textiles & Apparel
  • Transportation & Storage
  • Logistics, Travel & Tourism
  • Safety, Passenger Experience, And Waste Management
  • Toys And Games

Service Type

The relevant service type for StepUp Ventures Incubation Program is as follows:

  • Government, Hyperlocal, and Discovery
  • Location-Based Services and Manufacturing
  • Marketplace and Mobile
  • Offline and Online Aggregator
  • Peer To Peer, Platform, and Consulting
  • Consumer Internet, Engineering and E-Commerce
  • Rental, Enterprise Mobility and Research
  • Sharing Economy, Social Enterprise, and SaaS
  • Subscription Commerce

Incentives Offered

The following incentives are offered under the Incubation Program:

Fiscal Incentives

Fundraising :

During the program, startups will learn how to run an effective fundraising process, how and when to talk to investors, and how to effectively tell their story.

TSUV shall invest up to Rs.10 lakhs in some of the qualifying ventures and the startups are provided an opportunity to pitch the story and idea to the Network of Investors, Angel Funds, VCs, etc in the form of a Demo Day/Investment Day.

Perks and Benefits:

  • Amazon (AWS) – Credits worth $5,000
  • Google Hosting – Credits up to $100k
  • DigitalOcean – Credits Up to $10k
  • Freshworks – $10k across the suite
  • IBM Cloud Credits – $120K

Note: And many more adding every day worth Rs.2 Crores+ for scaling and growing your venture.

Non-Fiscal Incentives

Coaching & Training

A tailored 3 Month program with monthly checkpoints will be offered to make the incubation program more action-oriented. Access to trainers, startups tools, and templates would be provided that would help the startup become investor-ready.

Mentorship

This incubation program offer Access to TSUV’s team of seasoned entrepreneurs experienced investors, and individuals with considerable expertise in their field to give feedback and offer guidance.

Network Access

TSUV provides access to over 25,000+ Industry Leaders, Accelerators, Funds, Investors, Mentors, service providers, and subject matter experts. TSUV network consists of Startup Accelerators, Funds, Corporates, and many more organizations.

Culture

TSUV culture is best described in one hashtag: #ScaleupBharat. This means a focus on solving the challenges of the real Bharat and understanding its needs.

TimeLine of StepUp Ventures Incubation Program

Application Opens 27th October 2021
Deadline to Apply 30th November 2021
Application Result Date 20th December 2021

Application Procedure

The Application Procedure for StepUp Ventures Incubation Program is explained in detail below:

StepUp Ventures Incubation Program - Homepage
StepUp Ventures Incubation Program – Homepage
  • Applicants can log in to the portal using LinkedIn/Facebook details. After providing the details click on the submit button.
StepUp Ventures Incubation Program - Application
StepUp Ventures Incubation Program – Application
  • Shortlisted applicants will be called for a “Pitch Session” to pitch about the startups. Final results will be announced on 20th December 2021.