AP Build Grant — Build with AI: RTIH Startup Sprint

₹3–5L equity-free grant + 4-week AI prototype sprint for Andhra Pradesh startups & MSMEs.

The AP Build Grant is the funding leg of the Build with AI: RTIH Startup Sprint, run by the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) under the Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is aimed at prototype-stage startups and MSMEs based in Andhra Pradesh that have a real operational bottleneck and want to ship a working AI prototype that solves it.

Grant component

Selected teams receive grant support of ₹3–5 lakh to underwrite the cost of building, testing and validating their prototype. The grant is positioned for teams that are past pure ideation and need fuel to put a real product in the hands of users.

Program component

The grant is bundled with a 4-week intensive sprint that runs in hybrid mode — virtual sessions plus in-person time at the RTIH central hub in Amaravati and the regional spoke centres (Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Anantapur). The sprint is execution-focused: domain mentors, technical builders and AI experts work alongside founders to move from a defined bottleneck to a deployable AI prototype in four weeks.

Sectors in focus

AI, HealthTech, Agritech, ClimateTech, DeepTech, Manufacturing, Mobility, EdTech, Drones and Rural Innovation. The sprint particularly favours teams whose AI use-case is anchored to a measurable operational problem rather than a general "AI for X" theme.

Who this is for Andhra Pradesh-based startups and MSMEs at the idea / pre-prototype to MVP / beta-testing stage. Teams that already have a clear bottleneck statement, a small technical core, and the ability to spend four weeks on focused execution will get the most out of the program.