Registered office vs founder location for state startup grants
Most state startup grants care about one thing: the state of your company's registered office. Where you or your co-founders live usually does not matter.
Any Indian state.
- Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS)
- BIRAC Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG)
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) – Debt / convertible
- NIDHI-PRAYAS 2.0 (prototype grant)
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) – Grant
- NIDHI Entrepreneur-in-Residence (NIDHI-EIR)
Your company's registered office must be in this state.
- Karnataka ELEVATE (Idea2PoC grant)
- Maharashtra Startup Week (government work orders)
- Maharashtra IPR (patent, design, trademark) support
- KSUM Innovation Grant – Scale-up Grant
- TANSEED (Tamil Nadu Startup Seed Fund)
- KSUM Innovation Grant – Productisation Grant
- Maharashtra Quality Testing and Certification Support
- KSUM Innovation Grant – Idea Grant
- Delhi Startup Policy 2025 incentives (draft)
- Gujarat startup seed support (Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy 2026)
- Maharashtra Seed Fund Support (via incubators)
Apply from any state; winners must move their registered office to the state.
No scheme in our data uses this rule yet.
Apply from anywhere; money is released only after you register a company in the state.
No scheme in our data uses this rule yet.
Follows the founder (for example, a student of a state institution), not the company.
Common questions
Does my co-founder living in another state matter?
No. Company-based schemes look at the registered office, not where founders live.
Can I apply before I incorporate?
Some schemes accept individuals. For state schemes that need a registered office, it depends on the state you incorporate in.
Last verified 2026-10-29