It is no doubt that accelerators and incubators help startups grow tremendously in the crucial first couple of years. These two different types of programs help startups achieve funding, develop a viable business plan, and provide the entrepreneurs with everything they need to grow in the long run.
Startup accelerator programs are for early-stage startups that already have an established founding team and a minimum viable product with tones of potential for rapid growth. These programs are usually fixed tenure and will offer funding in the startup, in return for a small stake in the company.
Incubators, on the other hand, are for early-stage startups that don’t even have a minimum viable product or an established founding team. These programs can last for a longer duration and are usually organized by local governments and educational institutions to promote entrepreneurial spirit. Over the last few years, for-profit incubators have risen significantly in numbers, nurturing the growth of small businesses.
Over the last couple of decades, startup accelerator and incubator programs have gained a lot of popularity in India, accentuated further by the Government’s push towards “Make in India”. Bangalore has established itself as a hub of many of the best accelerator programs in India, for its strategic placement, and its reputation of being India’s Silicon Valley.
This post contains 5 of the most popular startup incubators and accelerators that are situated in the city of Bangalore.
Techstars Startup Accelerator in Bangalore
Techstars is a global accelerator program, the Indian arm of which operates in Bangalore. Techstars offers a 3-month accelerator program that allows tech startups to gain a lot from funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities. The applications are open 6 times a year and stay open for approximately 12 weeks.
They offer three types of accelerator programs
Virtual Program – Techstars offers completely virtual, off-site accelerator programs, brought on by the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic
Hybrid Program – Accelerator programs that run virtually, with many in-person events (optional)
In-Person Program – Future programs that run completely in-person, depending on COVID-19 conditions.
Graduates from the Techstars Bangalore accelerator programs include companies like Asanify, General Systems and CogniSaas among others.
TLabs Startup Accelerator in Bangalore
If your startup is in the field of Internet Technology/ Mobile Technology, TLabs in Bangalore is probably the best place for you. Established in 2011, The TLabs accelerator program comes with a team of over 100 mentors, and experienced entrepreneurs that will help your business grow rapidly.
Weeks 1-2: Hypothesis Development
Weeks 3-8: Deep Validation
Weeks 9-13: Strategic Direction +Traction
Weeks 14-16: Business and Financial Planning
Graduates from TLabs Bangalore accelerator program include companies like HopOn, GetMyUni, Niche.Ai and Peersome to name a few.
K Start Startup Accelerator in Bangalore
K Start is the accelerator program that is launched by the Kalaari Capital group in Bangalore. K Starts boasts of a star-studded mentor team, including manganates like Ratan Tata, Padmasree Warrior, Rajan Anandan and Zia Mody among many many others.
They conduct 4 batches a year, with an average of 5 startups per cohort. The accelerator program operates out of the Kalaari group’s property “respace”. The K Start group has made over 14 investments ever since its inception in 2018.
Graduates of the K Start accelerator programs include companies like Wysh, Purple and Signzy to name a few.
Entrepreneur First Startup Accelerator in Bangalore
One of the most recent startup accelerators to be established in Bangalore (Inception in January 2019), Entrepreneur First has quickly become one of the best accelerator programs in Bangalore. They have helped over 200 startups grow in this short period, and have invested in over 34 of their graduates.
Unlike other accelerator programs on this list, where having a great team to support the product is seen as extremely important, Entrepreneur first looks for individuals, and help them partner with the perfect co-founders, and build the team from the ground up.
Their portfolio of companies includes the popular Indian FinTech platform Fello and Computer Vision company Retail Pulse.
10,000 Startups Startup Incubator in Bangalore
10,000 startups are a virtual/in-person incubator program that lasts for a period of 9 months for seed level companies looking to kick start their startup journey. They offer a warehouse program that also couples as a premium plug and play coworking space for tech startups exclusively.
10,000 startups are backed, supported and funded by the Karnataka State Government to help local tech startups nurture in the crucial early stage of the business.
Graduates from the Bangalore branch of 10,000 startups include AppiVa Software Pvt Ltd, AskSid Technology Solutions Private Limited and Headway.ai to name a few.
Conclusion
Bangalore is a nurturing space for the startup community. These are just some of the accelerator/incubator programs that are available in Bangalore. If the entries in this list are not the right fit for you, we would be making a bigger list for the top 10 startup accelerator/incubator programs in India. For more information on starting up, accelerator/incubator programs, head on over to our blogs!
