Overview

Social Innovation Lab Cohort 3.0

Social Innovation Lab by CITI is a program launched in collaboration with IIT Kanpur which is dedicated to support early-stage high-impact for-profit startups, in social impact spaces. The focus areas in the current cohort are AGRITECH and CLEANTECH.

All 44 startups shall receive mentoring from Citi's executive leadership and IIT Kanpur's empanelled Industry and academia mentors throughout and after the 12-month program. Cohort members shall benefit from networking and follow-on investment opportunities facilitated through dedicated workshops, networking engagements, focused Demo days and startup showcase.

In this cohort, we're driving Geographical & Economic Inclusivity to empower startups from underserved regions and low-income states.

Target States (Economic Inclusivity):

  • Bihar
  • Jharkhand
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Odisha

Target Regions (Geographical Inclusivity):

    • Meghalaya
    • Assam
    • Nagaland
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Tripura
    • Manipur
    • Mizoram
    • Jammu & Kashmir

Social Innovation Lab by CITI will support -

  • 35 early-stage for-profit startups in AgriTech (17) and CleanTech (18)
  • Accelerate 9 growth-stage high-impact startups in AgriTech (4) and CleanTech(5)
  • Early-stage startups get a kick-off grant of up to INR 12 lakhs each.
  • Startups under Acceleration program will receive up to INR 20 lakhs grant each.
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Focus Areas

AgriTech
  • Transparency in agriculture
  • Farm mechanization & automation
  • Farming as a service (Faas)
  • Value chain pilferage and leakages
  • Post-harvest loss management
  • Soil & plant health
  • Food Security & Enhanced Nutrition
  • Dairy, poultry farming, and animal husbandry technology solutions
  • Farm input management and farm gate value addition
  • Smart food processing units
  • Financial inclusion for Agri-communities
  • Solutions addressing volatile pricing & Insufficient Market Linkages
  • Aquaculture, Mariculture and Apiculture
  • Regenerative Agriculture and Agroforestry
CleanTech
  • Circular Economy (Waste to Wealth)
  • Green & Renewable Energy
  • Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)
  • Natural Resource Management & Minor Forest produce
  • Pollution (air, water and soil) Mitigation
  • Climate change management
  • Innovative solutions for sustainable packaging and alternatives

Eligibility Criteria

  • Startups whose focus aligns with the program areas.
  • Startups incorporated and based in India.
  • Each startup must have at least one full-time employee.
  • The product or technology provides a functionality/ capability not available in any off-the-shelf product, or a functionality/capability that can be demonstrated to possess a competitive advantage.
  • The product or technology offered by startup represents original ideas, wholly owned, with freedom to use or is licensed by the startup.
  • The team has formed, or is a part of, a recognized, legal entity as its company's structure.
  • Only Private limited Companies with all compliances in place may apply.
  • The incubation policy of the incubator at IT Kanpur will be applicable to startups joining the cohort.

What's in it for Startups

  • Grant support up to Rs. 20 lakhs
  • Access to IIT Kanpur Infrastructure at non-commercial rates
  • Access to IIT Kanpur's mature startup ecosystem
  • Collaboration Opportunities
  • Patent and technology transfer facilitation
  • Networking engagements with Industry and Government bodies
  • Platform for follow-on-investments
  • Sector focused Demo-day and Startup showcase events

Timeline

07th Dec' 24

Call for applications

28th Dec' 24

Closing of the application

15-20th Jan' 25

Application Evaluation

22nd Jan' 25

Announcement of selected cohorts

1st Feb' 25

Program
Kickoff

Frequently Asked Questions

Expectations from Startups
  • You are a Private Limited company registered in India
  • You have some initial traction in terms of pilots/users/paying customers
  • You have a working product and a clear product roadmap
  • Your company is registered in India

Founder Attributes
  • You have prior experience in Corporates/Consulting/Entrepreneurship
  • You have a team with complementary skillsets
  • You have a clear vision for your enterprise
The following criteria shall be used for shortlisting applications:
  • The founder has a clear growth vision for the startup
  • Relevance of the idea to the focus area(s)
  • Potential social impact
  • Scalabiltiy
  • Preliminary screening
  • Internal Evaluation
  • External Evaluation/ Investment committee selection of final shortlisted startups
  • Agreement signing and fund release
  • Impact Assessment
  • 12 months

The following documents may be required for the due diligence once the applicant is selected. A detailed list of requisite documents is communicated once an applicant reaches that stage.

  • Address Proof
  • ID Proof
  • ITR Filled
  • Patent Copy (if Available)
  • Copy of Innovator's PAN
  • Proof of work done, prototype, feedback received, business plan (if required)
  • Government recognized certificate of product/service (if required)
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Contact us

Write to us for any queries: sil@iitk.ac.in




Disclaimer

Any of the above-mentioned content related to program, schedule, pricing, reimbursements, and other miscellaneous items are subject to change. We reserve the right to make those changes and will intimate them to appropriate stakeholders.