Chandigarh, April 29: Startups led by women and transgender individuals in Chandigarh will now receive an additional ₹2 lakh grant under the city’s new startup policy, which is set to be unveiled by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria.
The Chandigarh Startup Policy, finalized nearly two years after the release of its draft in September 2022, sets aside a ₹4.6-crore fund to support startups at both seed and early-growth stages.
For seed-stage ventures, 20 startups will each receive ₹7 lakh in financial support, with an added ₹2 lakh grant for those helmed by women or transgender founders.
Similarly, 20 startups in the early-growth category will get ₹12 lakh each, along with the same ₹2 lakh top-up for qualifying ventures.
“This is a strong step toward inclusive entrepreneurship,” said an official from the Industries Department.
“We want to support innovation across diverse identities.”
The policy also earmarks ₹90 lakh for an annual startup competition, aimed at sparking interest among students and young entrepreneurs. The top 20 winners each year will receive an idea grant of ₹2 lakh and one-year incubation support.
An additional 50 runners-up will get ₹1 lakh each, also coupled with incubation.
Additional reimbursement-based incentives include subsidised office space rent of ₹5,000 per month for 50 startups and ₹1 lakh each for IT and quality certifications to 20 startups.
The administration will also support patent filings with ₹10,000 assistance for 40 ventures.
Startups looking to expand their exposure will receive financial help for event participation: ₹50,000 for 50 ventures attending national conferences or workshops, ₹2.5 lakh for two startups joining international events, and up to ₹3 lakh for those selected for acceleration programmes.
The overarching goal of the policy is to support the launch and development of at least 200 new startups over a five-year period.
It includes both financial and non-financial incentives across all stages of the startup lifecycle and provides backing to incubators through infrastructure and capacity-building grants.
A Policy Monitoring and Implementation Committee, chaired by the UT Secretary of Industries, will be responsible for approving applications from startups and incubators under the scheme.
