GENESIS — Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups

GENESIS — Sub-Track (PILOT and Matching Investment)

Funds Indian startups through GENESIS Pilot and matching investment pathways for growth.

GENESIS (Generating New and Innovative Solutions for India's Startups) is a MeitY scheme administered through MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) that targets technology startups located in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. The program operates across two primary sub-tracks: the PILOT track, which supports early-stage DPIIT-registered startups with a working prototype or MVP, and the Matching Investment track, which provides follow-on capital to product-stage startups registered as Indian private limited companies in smaller cities. Both tracks require DPIIT registration as a hard prerequisite. The PILOT track is operationalised through partner institutions — IIT Mandi Catalyst is a confirmed delivery partner — and provides up to INR 40 lakh per startup. The Matching Investment track offers up to INR 50 lakh as a one-to-one matching investment. The umbrella GENESIS scheme references a per-startup ceiling of up to INR 1 crore across combined tracks.

Eligibility under the Matching Investment track is restricted to Indian private limited companies with at least 51 percent Indian ownership and physical presence or registration in a Tier-II or Tier-III city, ensuring geographic equity. Founders must be Indian citizens; OCI and PIO cardholders are excluded. The PILOT track additionally requires at least one full-time founder or co-founder actively running the venture. Sector focus is technology broadly, with AI infrastructure and ICT as the primary domains reflected in the structured funder profile.

GENESIS functions as a rolling umbrella scheme, with individual sub-track calls published by MSH and its delivery partners on a periodic basis rather than on a fixed annual cycle. Founders should monitor the MSH portal and partner incubator websites for open cohort announcements. The program's geographic emphasis on Tier-II and Tier-III cities distinguishes it from MeitY's metropolitan-focused schemes.