The MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, formed to support technology startups throughout the country. It works as a coordination platform that brings together incubation centres, accelerators, investors and corporates, with particular attention to Tier II and Tier III cities. MeitY was restructured as a full ministry on 19 July 2016. Through a network of government-supported incubators nationwide, MSH delivers three MeitY startup schemes: TIDE 2.0, GENESIS and SAMRIDH.
TIDE 2.0 was launched in 2019 with an outlay of ₹264.62 crore. It offers an EIR stipend of ₹4 lakh per quarter to early-stage entrepreneurs and grant-in-aid of up to ₹7 lakh over 12 months for prototype development. Applicants must be Indian citizens, first-generation entrepreneurs, able to commit full-time, and their startup must be incorporated in India with 51% or more Indian equity. GENESIS was approved with a ₹490 crore outlay and aims to reach about 1,600 tech startups over five years. It comprises an EIR Grant (up to ₹10 lakh per year), a Pilot Program (up to ₹40 lakh) and Matching Investment Funding (up to ₹50 lakh, matched against funding from external investors), with a focus on deeptech and Tier II/III cities. SAMRIDH works with more than 22 accelerators across 12 states, provides angel/co-investment funding of ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore per ticket, and supported 175 tech startups in its first cohort. The IndiaAI Mission, with a ₹10,371 crore outlay, is anchored by MeitY and backs AI-native startups, including developers of foundational models.
As of 2024, MeitY has supported more than 3,600 tech startups, with total disbursals of ₹212 crore. MSH also partners with Razorpay and other corporates to extend non-dilutive grants and market access. The programmes are aimed at Indian technology product startups, especially those in IT/software, AI/ML, IoT, cybersecurity, blockchain and digital health. TIDE 2.0 is intended for first-generation entrepreneurs at the idea or prototype stage, GENESIS for deeptech founders in Tier II/III cities, and SAMRIDH for revenue-stage startups looking for co-investment and accelerator support.