As part of this initiative, the government launched the Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs 2.0 (TIDE 2.0) Scheme in 2019. The scheme promotes technology-based entrepreneurship by providing financial and technical support to incubators across the country.
Under TIDE 2.0, 51 selected incubators are operational within Institutes of Higher Learning and premier R&D organizations. With a total outlay of Rs. 264.62 crore over five years, the scheme aims to support approximately 2,000 tech startups. To date, 1,706 startups have been supported, and these startups continue to progress strongly.
The incubators provide startups with essential expertise, industry linkages, and ecosystem partnerships. Engagement with incubators evolves as startups grow, addressing business realities such as achieving product-market fit, specialized laboratory requirements, technological challenges, fundraising needs, strategic pivots, and overall financial sustainability. In many cases, incubators have facilitated quick idea validation and effective pivoting, helping entrepreneurs shift to more viable ideas.
The overall performance of supported startups has been encouraging, with several demonstrating revenue growth, increased valuations, raised external funding, and IP filings. So far, 638 startups have filed a total of 1,672 IP/patents.
Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Property Rights (CoE-IP)
Under TIDE 2.0, Centres of Excellence in Intellectual Property Rights (CoE-IP) have been established to support startups, SMEs, academia, and inventors in the electronics and IT domain. These centers provide IP-related services, awareness creation, and training. TIDE 2.0 centers adopt multiple revenue models, including equity exits, to enhance long-term sustainability. Additionally, these centers have helped more than 150 incubated startups expand globally.
TIDE 2.0 complements other government initiatives such as GENESIS, SAMRIDH, Startup India, and sector-specific innovation programs. Together, these efforts reflect a whole-of-government approach to building a robust startup ecosystem in India.
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