How we incubate rural ventures
A six-month, milestone-linked journey combining on-campus bootcamps, 1:1 mentorship, and grant capital.
The Six-Month Journey
Apply
Open applications from 12 eastern states.
Screen
Panel evaluation on impact, viability and team.
Bootcamp
Week-long residential bootcamp at XLRI.
Incubate
Milestone-linked grants, mentors, market access.
Pitch
Demo day with investors and ecosystem partners.
Graduate
Follow-on capital and alumni network access.
Program Tracks
Rural Incubation Program
Full six-month incubation for early-stage rural enterprises with a working prototype or first revenue.
Pre-Incubation Sprint
Eight-week idea validation sprint for first-generation founders and SHG/FPO teams.
Scale & Market Access
For graduated ventures: follow-on capital, buyer linkages, and compliance support.
What You Get
Seed grant up to ₹5L
Milestone-linked, non-dilutive during incubation.
Follow-on up to ₹10L
Equity or loan capital after graduation.
1:1 mentorship
Domain experts, XLRI faculty and alumni founders.
Campus access
Two residential bootcamps and lab/library access.
Market linkages
Buyers, e-commerce onboarding and GI certification support.
Compliance help
Registration, FSSAI, GST, IP and accounting support.
Eligibility
- Enterprise operating in or serving one of the 12 eastern mandate states.
- Rural, agri, craft, or grassroots-technology focus.
- Registered entity or willingness to register during incubation.
- Founder commitment of full-time involvement through the program.