About the Program
Aarohan – TIH IIT Bombay Seed Support Program is an initiative of TIH IIT Bombay for supporting the Start-up Ecosystem and promoting start-ups with ideas, innovations, and technologies in the broad domain of IoT.
Under Aarohan 6.0, TIH IIT Bombay is looking to invest in Agritech startups that are at the deployment/commercialization stage.
Application Areas
- Under Aarohan 6.0, TIH is inviting applications from Agritech startups working in the following focus areas:
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IoT and Satellite-Driven Remote Sensing for Agricultural Impact.
Scope: Solutions leveraging satellite imagery (NDVI, SAR, hyperspectral) combined with ground-based IoT sensor networks to deliver field-level or regional intelligence on crop health, water stress, and weather-linked risk. Includes platforms supporting parametric/index-based crop insurance, early-warning systems, and yield/damage assessment at scale.
Who should apply: Startups with deployed or pilot-validated remote-sensing analytics platforms, satellite-data processing pipelines, or hybrid satellite-IoT systems already engaged with farmers, insurers, FPOs, or state agriculture departments. -
Aerial Multispectral and Hyperspectral Phenotyping for Precision Crop Diagnostics
Scope: Drone-mounted multispectral or hyperspectral imaging systems paired with AI-driven analytics to detect crop stress, nutrient deficiency, disease, or pest pressure at the plant or plot level ahead of visible symptoms. Includes systems generating zone-wise prescription outputs for downstream input application.
Who should apply: Startups with working drone-sensor-analytics stacks tested across multiple seasons or geographies, ideally with quantified accuracy/early-detection claims.
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IoT-Enabled Agricultural Supply Chain and Traceability
Scope: Hardware-and-software systems providing real-time visibility, traceability, and condition-monitoring across the farm-to-market chain including cold-chain sensing, tamper-evident tagging, smart logistics, and farm-to-fork data infrastructure for FPOs, exporters, and retail/institutional buyers.
Who should apply: Startups with deployed traceability or cold-chain monitoring systems already integrated into a real supply chain.
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IoT-Based Quality and Safety Monitoring Across the Food Value Chain
Scope: Sensor-driven systems for real-time, non-destructive quality and safety monitoring of food and agricultural produce covering contamination, spoilage, and compositional integrity checks at processing, storage, transport, or retail points. Solutions should provide a faster, field-deployable alternative to laboratory testing for quality assurance use cases (not limited to fraud/adulteration detection alone).
Who should apply: Startups with working sensor-based quality-testing devices or platforms validated against laboratory reference methods, ideally already piloted with a food processor, distributor, or regulatory body.
Support
- Financial assistance of up to Rs 1 crore as seed support in the form of equity or CCPS.
- Business and Technical mentoring from experts.
- Opportunity for participation in TIH IIT Bombay events and workshops.
- Ecosystem Support by providing access to various facilities, labs, technology resources of TIH IIT Bombay as per its policies.
Who Can Apply
- The Start-up should be recognized by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) or eligible to be recognized by DPIIT.
- Shareholding by Indian promoters in the start-up should be at least 51% at the time of application for the scheme, as per Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018.
- The product must be TRL Level 6 or above.
- The startup has not raised investment from any other Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) setup under NM-ICPS. Grant support received from a TIH does not affect eligibility. (Refer to the list of 25 TIHs)
How to Apply
- Applications will only be accepted through the application form, the link for which has been given at the end of this section (Apply Now Button).
- Please read the guidelines carefully and keep all the required documents ready for submission in the application form.
Deadline - 16th August 2026, 11:30 pm
Guidelines:
1. The following documents must be submitted along with the application form:
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Memorandum of Association
- Articles of Association
- PAN card of the organization
- Start-up recognition certificate from DPIIT or an undertaking that start-up is eligible to be recognized by DPIIT
- Annual Financial Statement (Balance Sheet & P&L) of the last 3 years (if applicable)
- Share holding Pattern on fully diluted basis on company letterhead
2. Budget Details and Milestone based fund requirement should be submitted as per the prescribed Format.
Guidelines for Fund Usage:
TIH-IoT can provide seed funds to Start-ups for their business needs. The Promoters/Company shall ensure that Seed Support shall be used solely for the purpose of the business needs as mentioned in their application for seed support and their business plan. Broadly the seed support can be sanctioned for the following purposes:
- Product development: Procurement of equipment, Testing, and trials, outsourcing of technical supports and services for the company’s product.
- Manpower: Salaries for promoters and employees. However, payment of salary out of the seed fund to promoters shall not exceed 20% of the seed support unless explicitly approved.
- Marketing: For test marketing, sales, promotions of companies’ products and services including travelling only for business and product promotion.
- Field Validation: For conducting field trials, pilot deployments, performance evaluation under real-world conditions, and related validation activities
- Mentoring: Seeking professional mentoring assistance.
- Professional services: For legal, accountancy, IP, marketing, strategy, regulatory compliance, certification, or any other justifiable professional services.
- Contingencies/Overrun. This shall not exceed 10% of the seed support.
- For any other business purpose which needs to be justified in the application itself and as recommended/ approved by the Investment committee from time to time.
3. As part of the review process, shortlisted applicants may be called for a Pitch Presentation. The presentation should be as per the prescribed Format and should be submitted as part of the application.
Contact
For any queries related to the application process please write to us at entredevelopment@tihiitb.org
Disclaimer:
Only shortlisted applicants will be notified/informed through email.
The decision of TIH IIT Bombay in awarding the project will be final and binding and no correspondence shall be entertained in this regard.