Top Startup Accelerators & Incubators in Bangalore, India
Bangalore, often said to be India's Silicon Valley, is a booming startup hub, brimming with unparalleled enthusiasm, innovative ideas, and entrepreneurial energy, propelling the city and India to the global entrepreneurial stage. The city is home to many incubators and accelerators that nurture early-stage startups, serving as launchpads for tomorrow's unicorns and industry game-changers.
This guide explores some of the top incubators and accelerators in Bangalore. These dynamic innovation programs support startups at various stages, from ideation and launch to significant growth phase. The goal is to help you find a program that aligns with your vision and propels your ideas into impactful, global organizations.
Top 20 Startup Accelerators & Incubators in Bangalore, India
1. iCreate
Target Audience: Early to growth-stage startups with a team.
Niche: Technology and social impact.
iCreate is an incubation center in India focused on nurturing technology-driven startups to tackle major challenges. It supports early to growth-stage ventures with a unique model combining government and private resources. Key sectors include electric vehicles, healthcare, and renewable energy. The center provides comprehensive programs, mentorship, and funding opportunities to foster innovation and scale businesses effectively.
2. Sigma Accelerator
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Social impact, healthcare, education, smart-agri, sanitation and sustainable technology.
Sigma Accelerator in Bangalore is a social startup accelerator by Zinnov. Its initiative is focused on creating affordable products for underserved markets in India. The program targets startups in healthcare, clean tech, smart agriculture, sanitation, and education. It offers a four-month intensive curriculum, business and technology mentorship, and ecosystem connections, providing startups with the resources needed to scale their innovative solutions.
3. Social Alpha
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Social entrepreneurship, environmental innovations.
Social Alpha accelerator enables innovations that address complex social, economic, and environmental challenges. It supports mission-driven entrepreneurs through a robust incubation network, high-tech innovation labs, and visionary investments, prioritizing science and technology startups. Its programs range from providing seed capital to product strategy validation and go-to-market execution.
4. Startup360
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with an idea and a team.
Niche: Sector agnostic.
Startup360 is a 16-week accelerator program based in Bangalore that focuses on nurturing, catalyzing, and accelerating digital and tech-enabled startups. Its focus is on the Future of Retail, the Future of Mobility, and the Future of the Planet. Startup360 supports growth through various stages, from idea to scale-up, with a particular emphasis on market access and growth in sectors like retail and education. The accelerator connects resources globally to help startups execute their ideas effectively.
5. Rainmatter Capital
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Fintech, health, and climate.
Rainmatter, an initiative by Zerodha, is focused on investing in Indian startups within the fintech, health, and climate sectors. Offering mentorship, financial APIs, and network connections, Rainmatter provides substantial funding up to $100,000-$1,000,000 in exchange for a small company share. They aim for long-term impact rather than quick exits, supporting sustainable and impactful business practices.
6. BetOnIndiaTechology
Target Audience: Early and growth-stage entrepreneurs with a team.
Niche: Hardware technology.
BetOnIndia Technology Private Limited, based in Bangalore, focuses on investing in and developing world-class hardware products relevant to India. It emphasizes supporting innovative technology solutions that cater specifically to Indian market needs, dedicating a portion of its profits to Indian social service initiatives. BetOnIndia combines strategic and operational support with expert guidance from an Advisory Board to nurture and scale its portfolio companies.
7. NetApp Excellarator
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Data, Cloud, Data Security, Data Analytics, AI, IoT, Quantum, Computing, Healthcare, Automation
NetApp Excellerator is a global 16-week startup program focused on innovative technology concepts. It equips tech startups with expert guidance, essential resources, and a vast network of connections, helping them refine their products, secure customers, and expand successfully. The program is tailored to meet each startup's specific needs, ensuring they receive the technical know-how and proof of concept necessary to excel.
8. Microsoft for Startups
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Technology, cloud services, and AI.
Microsoft for Startups offers resources to help startups grow using Microsoft technologies. The program provides up to $150,000 in Azure credits, access to AI models, technical advisory sessions, and opportunities to connect with Microsoft's global network of experts and mentors. It supports founders with tools and guidance to scale their startups efficiently and enter international markets.
9. Cisco Launchpad
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Internet.
Cisco LaunchPad provides a dynamic environment for startups, offering business and technical mentorship, access to validated use cases, and extensive networking opportunities with clients, partners, and investors. The program features synergists like Cisco Systems executives and industry leaders, equipping entrepreneurs with vital resources to grow robust technology enterprises and foster sustainable communities. This comprehensive support structure is designed to accelerate innovation and market entry for participants.
10. Brigade Reap
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Urban Tech.
Brigade REAP is a prominent accelerator focused on nurturing startups in real estate, retail, and hospitality, focusing on innovations like IoT, cleantech, and visual computing. It supports businesses with unique ideas that can significantly impact the industry, providing mentorship, network access, funding, and pilot opportunities. Focused on prop-tech, Brigade REAP aims to fuel innovation in real estate, offering targeted assistance to startups reshaping this sector.
11. C-CAMP
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Bioscience research and entrepreneurship.
The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), a pioneering initiative supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, is part of the Bangalore Life Science Cluster. C-CAMP is dedicated to fostering cutting-edge life science research and innovation. It offers support through research, development, training, and services in state-of-the-art technology platforms, aiming to facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation within and around academic and research environments.
12. NSRCEL
Target Audience: Aspiring entrepreneurs with an idea and seeking a cofounder.
Niche: Industry agnostic.
NSRCEL (N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning), hosted by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, is an incubation center that supports aspiring entrepreneurs. It offers various programs tailored to different entrepreneurial needs, including Campus Founders, Women Startup Program, and Velocity, among others. NSRCEL provides resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help startups innovate and grow. The center emphasizes diversity, collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptability, showing its commitment to fostering an environment for long-term entrepreneurial success.
13. Ginserv
Target Audience: Startups at various stages of development.
Niche: Technology and innovation.
Global Incubation Services (GINSERV) is an incubation center in Bangalore that offers a comprehensive suite of programs to support startups at various stages. They provide pre-incubation, incubation, and acceleration programs designed to nurture technology-driven businesses. GINSERV also offers funding support, expert mentorship, and networking opportunities, aiding startups from ideation through commercialization.
14. Atal Incubation Center
Target Audience: Aspiring entrepreneurs with an idea and seeking a cofounder / Early startup with a team.
Niche: Materials, food technology, devices, and sensors.
Atal Incubation Centre - Jyothy Institute of Technology Foundation (AIC-JITF) is an incubator supported by AIM, NITI Aayog of the Government of India. It focuses on nurturing startups with innovations in materials, food technology, devices, and sensors. AIC-JITF provides mentorship, funding options, and training, aiming to empower entrepreneurs with the resources they need to develop their startups.
15. DERBI Foundation
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Deep technology and innovation.
DERBI Foundation, founded in 2015 and based in Bangalore, India, focuses on nurturing early-stage startups through tailored pre-incubation, incubation, and acceleration programs. It aims to empower entrepreneurs, particularly in the fields of deep tech and innovative technology solutions, by providing comprehensive support, including mentorship, funding, and strategic business advice.
16. The Gain
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Technology innovation.
The GAIN (Global Accelerator for Innovation Network) is an acceleration platform based in Bangalore, India that focuses on nurturing innovative technology startups. It supports entrepreneurs with go-to-market strategies, customer connections, and access to funding. The accelerator aims to leverage global and domestic markets through impactful innovation driven by the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem and engineering expertise.
17. Target Accelerator
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Retail and consumer packaged goods.
Target Accelerators offers comprehensive programs to prepare emerging consumer packaged goods (CPG) businesses for success on retail shelves. It provides curated educational resources, mentorship, and community building, allowing participants to grow their brands effectively. The accelerator focuses on retail education and readiness, making it an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the complex retail industry.
18. IIIT - Bangalore Innovation Centre
Target Audience: Aspiring research innovators with an idea.
Niche: Deep technology across emerging sectors.
The IIIT Bangalore Innovation Centre is an incubation hub that leverages deep academic research and startup acumen to foster cutting-edge solutions in fields like AI, IoT, Quantum Computing, and more. It supports deep tech innovators through structured incubation processes, access to mentors, grants, and co-creation opportunities with industry stakeholders, aiming to impact sectors such as health, agritech, and sustainability.
19. NASSCOM 10000 Startups
Target Audience: Early-stage startup with a team.
Niche: Technology innovation.
NASSCOM 10,000 Startups is an initiative designed to scale up the startup ecosystem in India. It supports startups through mentoring, funding, and providing a platform for networking. The program aims to build innovation across various sectors by facilitating incubation, funding, and market reach strategies for young tech entrepreneurs.
20. JUiNCUBATOR
Target Audience: Aspiring entrepreneurs with an idea and seeking a cofounder.
Niche: Industry agnostic.
JUIncubator is a joint initiative by JAIN (deemed-to-be university), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Government of India, and ALSTOM India Limited. It focuses on providing end-to-end support to startups in three core areas: Energy and Environment, Agriculture and Allied Fields, and Novel and Nanomaterials.
AcceleratorApp Closing Thoughts on Startup Accelerators and Incubators in Bangalore, India
India, with its rich heritage of innovation and a rapidly growing startup ecosystem, has become a key global hub for entrepreneurship. Cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi are at the forefront of this movement, hosting a dynamic mix of accelerators and incubators that support diverse sectors such as technology, healthcare, and fintech. Programs like NASSCOM 10,000 Startups and T-Hub provide invaluable resources, funding, and mentorship, helping entrepreneurs transform their ideas into thriving businesses.
This ecosystem plays a vital role in nurturing India's entrepreneurial spirit, positioning the country as a significant player in shaping the future of innovation globally.
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