BIRAC Incubator SEED Fund
Equity and equity-linked seed capital of up to ₹30 lakh, disbursed to biotech startups through BioNEST incubators.
What you get
Up to ₹30 lakh per startup as equity or equity-linked instruments
Nodal ministry
Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
Support type
Equity
Best suited for
Seed / Early Stage
Typical timeline
Depends on the host incubator's investment committee cycle
What this scheme actually is
The SEED Fund addresses the financial needs of technology startups in their initial phase of operations, and unlike BIG it is an equity instrument rather than a grant. Disbursement is through the incubator, and the explicit purpose is to make the startup investable — to get it to a point where an angel, a VC or a commercial bank will take it seriously.
Implementing agency: BIRAC, through BioNEST incubators
What the scheme sets out to do
Who can apply
What you get
How to apply, step by step
- 1
Get into a BioNEST or BIRAC-supported incubator
The SEED Fund is deployed by incubators to their own incubatees. BIRAC publishes the list of incubators associated with the programme.
- 2
Confirm the right instrument for your stage
Below ₹30 lakh is SEED territory; above it, the LEAP Fund applies. Know which door you are knocking on before you build the case.
- 3
Prepare the investment case
Science, market, regulatory pathway, use of funds and the milestones this cheque buys — plus a cap table that can absorb an equity instrument cleanly.
- 4
Present to the incubator's investment committee
The committee assesses commercial potential alongside the science. Valuation and instrument terms are negotiated here.
- 5
Close the instrument and report
Equity or equity-linked instruments mean company-law filings: board and shareholder resolutions, PAS-3, valuation report and updated register of members.
What we actually do on a SEED mandate
Services this usually needs
No consultant can guarantee a sanction — that decision sits with the evaluating committee, bank or incubator. We commit to an honest eligibility view, an application built to the evaluator’s format, filing inside the window and a documented follow-up cadence. That is stated in every engagement letter we sign.