MeitY Launches Second Cohort of SAMRIDH Program to Accelerate Indian Software Startups

The SAMRIDH programme, launched by MeitY in August 2021, is a flagship initiative to accelerate software product startups under NPSP.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) continues to advance India's software product industry through the National Policy on Software Products (NPSP) – 2019. Startups and the broader software product sector are being supported through initiatives like Centres of Excellence, the Technological Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) programme, the Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS), ICT Grand Challenges, and the Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS).

About SAMRIDH: Empowering Indian Software Startups

The SAMRIDH programme, launched by MeitY in August 2021, is a flagship initiative to accelerate software product startups under NPSP. With an outlay of ₹99 crore over four years, SAMRIDH aims to support 300 startups. It provides services such as market fit analysis, business planning, investor connections, and international expansion, along with matching funding of up to ₹40 lakh from MeitY. The programme is implemented by the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) under the Digital India Corporation (DIC).

Second Cohort of SAMRIDH Launched

As part of the 100-day agenda of the Government of India, the second cohort of SAMRIDH was launched on September 4, 2024, by MeitY Secretary Shri S. Krishnan. This cohort aims to select and support 125 startups through established accelerators, furthering the program's goal of nurturing 300 startups. Interested accelerators can apply for the second cohort of SAMRIDH through the official website:https://msh.meity.gov.in/schemes/samridh.

Diverse Accelerator Network

In the first cohort of SAMRIDH, 22 accelerators from 12 states were selected through open calls for proposals. These accelerators include government-supported organizations, academic institutions, private sector entities, and early-stage startup funding platforms. Each accelerator selects 5-10 startups focusing on areas such as health-tech, ed-tech, agri-tech, consumer-tech, fin-tech, Software as a Service (SaaS), and sustainability through a rigorous multi-level screening process.

SAMRIDH continues to be a crucial initiative for promoting innovation and growth within India's software product ecosystem.