FIED, IIM Kashipur

Pick the right route in

FIED runs several separate programmes rather than one general application, so start by matching your stage and sector:

• Agri-business with a working idea or venture: apply for the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agri-Business Initiative when a cohort window is open.
• Any early-stage startup needing seed money for proof of concept or launch: apply through the national Startup India Seed Fund Scheme portal; FIED is one of the incubators that reviews and disburses it.
• SC/ST entrepreneur or the ward of one: apply to the Business Accelerator Program.
• Deep-tech founder in a Tier-II or Tier-III city: apply to the GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence cohort through MeitY Startup Hub.

How applications work

• RKVY-RAFTAAR: watch for the cohort-specific application form FIED publishes for each intake.
• SISFS: apply on seedfund.startupindia.gov.in. FIED's own committee screens applications before shortlisting them for its Incubator Seed Management Committee.
• Business Accelerator Program: apply via the application form on FIED's programmes page. Questions can go to Manas Kapri.
• GENESIS EIR: apply on the MeitY Startup Hub portal (mshportal.meity.gov.in).
• General queries: write to fied@iimkashipur.ac.in; SISFS-specific queries go to fied.sisfs@iimkashipur.ac.in.

What the Business Accelerator Program checks for

• You must be an existing SC/ST entrepreneur, or the ward of one, above 18 years old.
• You need proof: a Udyam registration, GST number or licence (for entrepreneurs), or proof of relation (for wards).
• Businesses whose main Udyam activity is trading are not eligible.
• The program prefers women SC/ST candidates where applications are otherwise similar.
• It charges a small refundable fee, returned once you complete the training.

What GENESIS checks for

• You must be an Indian citizen with an innovation at an early stage (technology readiness level 1 to 4).
• Your startup should be based in a Tier-II or Tier-III city.
• If already incorporated, it should be under two years old.
• You should not have already received significant financial assistance for the same idea.

FIED (Foundation for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development) is the incubation centre of IIM Kashipur, set up as a Section 8 company on the IIM Kashipur campus in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. It works mainly in agriculture technology and agri-entrepreneurship, and also supports startups in tourism, education and sustainable technologies.

Since 2019, FIED has run the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agri-Business Initiative with support from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, incubating more than 60 agri-focused startups and passing on grant support to each one. It is also one of the incubators disbursing the national Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS): its own numbers show 4,272 applications received since December 2023, 2,610 screened by its internal committee, with 296 taken to its Incubator Seed Management Committee.

Beyond funding, FIED runs a Business Accelerator Program for SC/ST entrepreneurs and their wards under the Ministry of MSME's National SC-ST Hub scheme, and hosts a GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence cohort for deep-tech founders through MeitY Startup Hub. Its flagship event is Uttishtha, an annual entrepreneurship summit now in its ninth edition, which has put agri-tech startups in front of policymakers, investors and government officials.

How programmes work

FIED runs several distinct tracks rather than one continuous cohort. The RKVY-RAFTAAR track supports agri-business ventures with direct financial assistance. SISFS supports early-stage startups across sectors for proof of concept, prototyping, product trials, market entry and commercialisation, and routes through the national seed fund portal. The Business Accelerator Program is a paid, structured course specifically for SC/ST entrepreneurs, combining a residential week on campus with online sessions and months of mentoring. GENESIS is a residency for deep-tech founders in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. FIED also maintains an ongoing portfolio of incubated startups called Drishti, spanning many sectors beyond agriculture.

Who can apply

Agri-business founders looking for RKVY-RAFTAAR support apply through cohort-specific forms FIED publishes when a window opens. Startups seeking seed funding apply nationally through the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme portal, and FIED's committees review applications from that pool. The Business Accelerator Program is open specifically to existing SC/ST entrepreneurs, or their wards, over 18, with proof of identity as an entrepreneur (Udyam, GST or licence) or of relation to one; it is not open to businesses whose main activity is trading. GENESIS looks for Indian citizens with an innovation at an early technology readiness level, based in a Tier-II or Tier-III city, whose startup (if incorporated) is under two years old and has not already received significant financial assistance for the same idea.

Facilities

FIED's incubation centre occupies 20,000 sq ft on the IIM Kashipur campus.

Scale

FIED's own figures put more than 60 agri-focused startups incubated under RKVY-RAFTAAR since 2019, drawing a substantial multi-year government grant, with incubated agri-startups going on to raise significant external funding from venture capital firms including Omnivore, Bertelsmann, Omidyar Network and Sequoia Capital India. FIED is also an incubator under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. Its site also lists a broader Drishti portfolio of more than 30 startups across sectors, and named SISFS-funded startups including PrepHub, Yu FoodLabs, Cavalo and Cosmocloud.

Who runs it

FIED sits under IIM Kashipur's Board of Governors, chaired on an interim basis by Shri Sandeep Singh, with IIM Kashipur Director Prof. Neeraj Dwivedi also on FIED's Board of Directors alongside Prof. Safal Batra, Prof. K N Badhani and Mr. Anand Pathak. Day-to-day operations are led by Chief Operating Officer Roshni Monga.

Locations

FIED is based inside the IIM Kashipur campus in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, pincode 244713.