Women/Transgender Productization Grant

Grant for women/transgender-led startups in Kerala to productize MVP, up to ₹5 lakhs.

The Women/Transgender Productization Grant, offered by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), is specifically designed to empower women and transgender-led startups. KSUM, a pioneering government agency, plays a vital role in fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem within Kerala, offering various support mechanisms, including incubation, mentorship, and financial grants, to nurture innovative ventures. This grant provides crucial financial assistance to help these ventures transition their Minimum Viable Prototype (MVP) into a fully market-ready product. It serves as an additional support mechanism, supplementing the standard Productization Grant, and is structured to meet specific government norms regarding founder shareholding.

Eligible startups can receive financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakhs. This funding is disbursed in milestone-based tranches, adhering to KSUM's guidelines, which ensures that funds are released based on demonstrated progress towards predefined product development milestones. This phased approach encourages accountability and effective utilization of funds, directly linking disbursement to tangible achievements.

The funding is intended to cover expenses directly related to product development, validation, and achieving early market readiness. However, certain expenses are explicitly excluded to ensure focused utilization: these include founder salaries, the purchase of fixed assets like land, buildings, or high-end equipment exceeding ₹2 lakhs, rent, and major infrastructure setup. This targeted approach ensures the grant focuses purely on essential, product-centric development activities.