SAMRIDH Matching Investment — Cohort-Based
Funds Indian startups with matching-investment support via accelerator cohort routing.
The Startup Accelerator of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development, and Growth (SAMRIDH) is a cohort-based acceleration scheme launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to identify and scale technology-oriented startups addressing India's socioeconomic challenges. The program operates through empanelled accelerators — 22 accelerators across 12 states participated in Cohort 1, supporting 175 startups selected through a multilevel screening process. The overall target is to support 300 tech startups over a three-year period in cohort sizes of five to ten startups per accelerator cycle. MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) provides the scheme's administrative and coordination backbone.
The central financial instrument is a one-to-one matching investment of up to INR 40 lakh per startup. Founders must secure an equivalent matching cheque from an external investor; MSH then co-invests the matching amount. The six-month accelerator programme, illustrated by C-CAMP's digital health and life sciences cohort, provides 360-degree advancement including customised one-on-one mentorship, customer and investor connects, and exposure to international markets. Startups must be willing to share equity. Eligible applicants are Indian private limited companies registered under the Companies Act 2013, with at least 51 percent of shareholders being Indian citizens; OCI and PIO cardholders do not satisfy the citizenship requirement. Services-oriented ventures are excluded; applicants must demonstrate a product-oriented technology with novel IP or clear IP potential.
Applications are not submitted directly to MeitY but must be directed to a specific empanelled SAMRIDH accelerator, each of which publishes its own cohort calendar. Sector focus varies by accelerator partner: C-CAMP targets deep-tech digital health and life sciences, while other accelerators span broader ICT domains including AI, hardware, and medtech.
Indian product-oriented tech startups with novel IP across ICT domains, accelerated via empanelled partners with up to INR 40 lakh in one-to-one matching investment over a six-month programme.
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