Startup India Seed Fund Scheme
Why in News
Recently, the Government has launched the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS).
- The Scheme was announced during the ‘Prarambh: StartupIndia International Summit’ which marked the five-year anniversary of the Startup India initiative.
Key Points
- About the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS):
- Aim: To provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialization.
- Launched by: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with an outlay of Rs. 945 Crore.
- Some Eligibility Conditions:
- A startup, recognized by DPIIT, incorporated not more than 2 years ago at the time of application.
- Startups should not have received more than Rs. 10 lakh of monetary support under any other Central or State Government scheme.
- Features:
- It will support an estimated 3,600 entrepreneurs through 300 incubators in the next 4 years.
- An Experts Advisory Committee (EAC), constituted by DPIIT, will be responsible for the overall execution and monitoring of the Scheme.
- Grants of upto Rs. 5 crore will be provided to the eligible incubators selected by the committee.
- The selected incubators will provide grants of up to Rs. 20 lakh for validation of proof of concept, or prototype development, or product trials to startups.
- Investments of up to Rs. 50 lakh will be provided to the startups for market entry, commercialization, or scaling up through convertible debentures or debt-linked instruments.
- Expected Benefit:
- It will help in creating a robust startup ecosystem in Tier 2 and 3 regions, as the smaller towns in India are often not provided with appropriate funding.
- About Startup India Initiative:
- It envisages building a robust Startup ecosystem in the country for nurturing innovation and providing opportunities to budding entrepreneurs. It was launched in 2016.
- The action plan of this initiative focuses on following three areas:
- Simplification and Handholding.
- Funding Support and Incentives.
- Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation.
- Related Government Initiatives:
- Startup Innovation Challenges: It is a fantastic opportunity for any startup to leverage their networking and fund-raising efforts.
- National Startup Awards: It seeks to recognize and reward outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers that are contributing to economic dynamism by spurring innovation and injecting competition.
- Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems: It is an evolved evaluation tool aimed to strengthen the support of States and UTs to holistically build their startup ecosystems.
- SCO Startup Forum: The first-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Startup Forum was launched in October 2020 to develop and improve startup ecosystems collectively.
- Prarambh: The ‘Prarambh’ Summit aims to provide a platform to the startups and young minds from around the world to come with new ideas, innovation and invention.
Seed Funding
- It typically represents the first official money that a business venture or enterprise raises.
- It helps a company to finance its first steps, including things like market research and product development.
- There are many potential investors in a seed funding situation: founders, friends, family, incubators, venture capital companies and more.
- One of the most common types of investors participating in seed funding is a so-called "angel investor."
- Angel investors tend to appreciate riskier ventures (such as startups with little by way of a proven track record so far) and expect an equity stake in the company in exchange for their investment.
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- The department was earlier called Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and was renamed as DPIIT in January, 2019.
- It comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- In 2018, matters related to e-commerce were transferred to the Department and in 2019, the Department was given charge for matters related to Internal Trade, welfare of traders and their employees and Startups.
- The role of DPIIT is to promote/accelerate industrial development of the country by facilitating investment in new and upcoming technology, foreign direct investment and support balanced development of industries.
- Major engagements of DPIIT: