Women Startup Program Register Your Interest Name Email Contact Number Startup Name Stage of the Startup IdeationMinimum Viable Product (MVP)Early-RevenueGrowth & Scale City Linkedin URL Submit *Note – This form is only for expressing interest in the program. The actual application form is the final step in the registration process. Register Your Interest Name Email Contact Number Startup Name Stage of the Startup IdeationMinimum Viable Product (MVP)Early-RevenueGrowth & Scale City Linkedin URL Submit *Note – This form is only for expressing interest in the program. The actual application form is the final step in the registration process. Women Startup Program by NSRCEL, Powered by Kotak BizLabs empowers ambitious women entrepreneurs to transform ideas into successful ventures. Launched in 2016, the program strengthens the entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities of women founders while addressing barriers through inclusive access, tailored support, and strong networks.   Building on the impact of five successful cohorts, Cohort 6 introduces a structured two-year journey designed to support women founders across different stages of growth, from ideation to scale.   The program comprises three pathways: the Entrepreneurship Base Program (EBP) for ideation-to-MVP stage founders, the Incubation Program for startups with validated MVPs and early traction, and the Scale Hub for growth-stage ventures. Entrepreneurs begin with EBP, progress through pre-incubation focused on MVP development, and receive incubation support for scaling and business growth. Program Highlights Mentoring Unparalleled access to our extensive mentor network including alumni, industry experts and VCs. Network Connects to prospects for sales, business development and technology, as well as access to researchers and academicians shall be facilitated. Need Assessment Focusing on area specific development of ventures and ecosystem mapping of their requirements. Grant Support Each selected venture will receive a grant of INR 10 lakhs.  Co-incubation with Partner Institutes Founders get to Co-incubate with our Partner Institutes to enhance engagement and support startup growth across India. Legal and Compliance Pro-Bono legal and company secretarial advice from our experts. Business Acceleration Opportunities to showcase ventures periodically at startup events or exhibitions Milestone Tracking Timely track of Milestones to track the venture’s progress Cohort-based Learning Community-driven learning model promoting the potential of “women supporting women”. Sustenance and Scale Guidance and Interventions aimed at helping startups across stages build roadmaps to ensure sustained growth. In-Person Engagement Curated in-person events including bootcamps, workshops, alumni connect events, networking sessions, exhibitions, round-table conferences and demo days to enable hands-on learning and direct ecosystem exposure. Program Impact 0 + Learners Engaged 0 + Ventures Incubated 0 + Sectors 0 + Partners 0 + Partners 0 + Jobs Created 0 + States Touched Stages in Focus Know More *Applications Coming Soon Know More *Applications Coming Soon Know More *Applications Coming Soon Selection Process 01 02 03 Step 1 Applications Submission Step 2 Screening and Evaluation Step 3 Onboarding into the Program How can you apply and get started? Submit Your Application here Testimonials Before joining the Women Startup Program at NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, Raatai was driven by a strong vision but operated with limited structure and visibility. We were introducing DIY portable looms and working to bring weaving into school curriculums as a hands-on learning tool for creativity, focus, motor skills, and emotional well-being, while navigating challenges in product development, market validation, and growth strategy. The Women Startup Program gave us mentorship, clarity, and confidence to position Raatai as a scalable CraftTech and wellness-driven venture. Through the program, we strengthened our business model, expanded collaborations, improved branding, and built stronger institutional connections. Today, Raatai has reached 18,000+ participants across 8 states in India and engaged learners from 24 nationalities. We are introducing weaving as a structured curriculum in schools and as a meaningful tool for early childhood learning, special education, therapy spaces, senior care, corporate wellness, and home-based creative learning — transforming weaving into a scalable pathway for creativity, focus, motor skills, emotional well-being, and sustainable craftsmanship. Kalaiyarasi Ramachandan Founder, Raatai Handloom Before joining the Women Startup Program at NSRCEL, I was building gen.E with a strong editorial vision but was still learning how to grow it into a sustainable business. Coming from a journalism background, the program helped me think more strategically as a founder I.e. from refining our business model to understanding scale, partnerships, and long-term growth. The mentorship and founder community gave me both clarity and confidence during an important stage of the journey. Since then, gen.E has grown into a revenue-generating and investor-backed venture supported by Rainmatter Capital, creating sustainability stories that reach millions online. WSP played an important role in shaping my journey as a woman entrepreneur building a purpose-driven media company. Shrishti Kukreja Founder, Generation Earthmedia(Gen-E) Joining the Women Startup Program at NSRCEL was a transformative experience for both me and Edubuk. Before the program, we had strong conviction in our vision of using AI and Blockchain to build trusted education-to-employment infrastructure, but WSP helped us sharpen our strategy, strengthen our leadership approach, and scale with greater clarity and confidence. The mentorship, founder community, and structured guidance provided invaluable insights into fundraising, partnerships, growth, and execution. Post the program, Edubuk has expanded significantly, onboarding 100K+ verified profiles and building global partnerships across the Web3 and education ecosystem. Personally, WSP empowered me as a woman founder to think bigger, lead stronger, and build a globally impactful company solving real-world problems in education, skilling, and trusted hiring. Shivani Mehrotra Founder, Edubuk Ecosystem Partners Ecosystem Partners Frequently Asked Questions Getting Started Who is eligible to apply? For the Entrepreneurship Base Program (EBP), aspiring women entrepreneurs aged 18 and above with a feasible business idea are eligible to apply. For the Incubation phase of the program, applicants must be based in India with majority ownership in their venture, operating at an MVP-ready to early growth stage, with initial revenue or strong market validation, and a clear business model with projected revenues for the next 12 months. The Scale Hub is designed for growth-stage alumni and operates as a continuous program.   Does the program focus on specific sectors or geographies? We are sector agnostic and are open to startups in the idea, prototype and … Continue reading Women Startup Program