DST-Backed Incubator Awards Rs 50 Lakh Grants to 12 Startups in Tamil Nadu
- 12 startups from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities received DST–NIDHI grants worth Rs 50 lakh.
- Startup India Seed Fund invested Rs 60 lakh in five Salem-based startups.
- Funded startups focus on healthcare, energy, mobility, drones, food innovation, and deep-tech.
Innovation from India’s smaller cities took centre stage in Tamil Nadu as a dozen early-stage startups received fresh funding support, underlining how the country’s startup momentum is steadily moving beyond metro hubs. At the 'Think Salem 2025' startup conclave, 12 startups incubated at a Department of Science and Technology (DST)-supported incubator were awarded grant agreements worth Rs 50 lakh, marking a significant boost for Tier 2-led entrepreneurship.
The startups are part of the Sona Inclusive Technology Business Incubator (i-TBI), supported by DST, and received the grants under the DST–NIDHI initiative to help advance their business ideas and technologies. Alongside this, the Startup India Seed Fund, managed by the Sona Incubation Foundation, invested Rs 60 lakh in five startups, strengthening early-stage capital access for innovation emerging from Salem and surrounding regions.
The ideas backed through the incubator span healthcare devices, mobility platforms, sustainability solutions, drones, food innovation and applied deep-tech. Together, they reflect the growing depth and confidence of the Salem-centred startup ecosystem, which is increasingly producing ventures ready to move from concept to market.
Dr S. R.R. Senthilkumar, Executive Chair of Sona Incubations and Principal of Sona College of Technology, said that the five startups selected under the Startup India Seed Fund include companies working on diaper waste management, millet-based food products, and an ed-tech platform offering immersive learning experiences.
Among the high Technology Readiness Level startups is NervePro, a Salem-based healthcare deep-tech venture that has developed an affordable and portable nerve-monitoring system to protect facial nerves during high-risk ENT and skull-base surgeries. The startup has completed its proof-of-concept validation, signalling readiness for the next stage of development.
Another Tamil Nadu-based startup, IswiftPro-Min-Sakthi, is building an IoT- and AI-enabled platform that tracks appliance-level energy use. The solution helps households and institutions improve forecasting, billing accuracy and energy efficiency. DroneTribes, headquartered in Salem, has reached TRL 6 with its indigenously designed drones for agriculture, security and training, with field deployments already underway.
Kanyakumari-based Cabocab, a ride-hailing platform operating across Tier 3 cities, has reached TRL 9 and focuses on improving last-mile connectivity beyond metropolitan markets. Startup founders at the conclave hailed from Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirupur, Trichy, Hosur, Kanyakumari and Hyderabad, highlighting how innovation is increasingly being shaped far from big-city addresses.
