Mumbai, January 20, 2026: HDFC Bank announced the launch of the FY26 edition of its Parivartan Start-up Grants programme, committing ₹20 crore in non-dilutive grants to support social impact-driven start-ups across India. The ninth edition of the programme will back 10 strategic initiatives spanning priority sectors such as climate innovation, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, manufacturing and MSME innovation, financial inclusion, and gender diversity and inclusion, along with emerging areas including artificial intelligence and deep technology.
Under the FY26 edition, the grants will primarily support pilots, validation, and early-stage scale-up for selected start-ups. The programme continues to follow an incubator-led, portfolio-based model, with partner incubators responsible for programme design, start-up outreach, evaluation, mentoring, monitoring, and impact reporting.
This year’s edition also marks progress toward the programme’s 10-year milestone and expands partnerships with incubators associated with leading academic and institutional ecosystems across regions. The sector-led approach maps specific focus areas to institutions, including deep technology with IIT Madras Incubation Centre, IISc Bangalore–FSID and SINE IIT Bombay; financial inclusion with IIM Bangalore–NSRCEL and IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre; manufacturing acceleration with T-Works; climate innovation with BITS Pilani; and waste management with Villgro Innovation Foundation.
Beyond direct start-up funding, the FY26 programme places emphasis on ecosystem enablement. This includes regional ecosystem development initiatives in Punjab led by India School of Business (ISB) i-Venture in partnership with Startup Punjab, and a pan-India incubator capacity-building programme with the Indian STEP and Business Incubator Association (ISBA). The capacity-building initiative will be hosted across multiple regions and supported by agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DST), DPIIT–Startup India, MeitY Startup Hub, BIRAC, and state start-up promotion bodies.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Kaizad Bharucha, Deputy Managing Director, HDFC Bank, said, “Parivartan Start-up Grants has evolved as a benchmark in the industry that works closely with institutions to support innovation addressing clearly identified social and environmental challenges. As we enter FY26, the focus is on further deepening sector engagement, strengthening ecosystems, and building institutional capacity to enable startups to receive sustained and structured support.”
Mr. Arup Rakshit, Group Head – Treasury, HDFC Bank, added, “The programme reflects our view that early-stage social impact innovation benefits from strong institutional support that can provide mentorship, networks, and structured support. The FY26 edition builds on this approach, through partnerships with some of India’s leading incubators across climate action, financial inclusion, deep technology, and livelihood-focused sectors, while continuing to expand participation across regions.”
Since its inception in 2017, the Parivartan Start-up Grants programme has supported over 500 start-ups through partnerships with more than 130 incubators nationwide. Cumulatively, over ₹85 crore has been deployed, with nearly 40% of supported start-ups originating from Tier II and Tier III cities and around 40% co-founded by women. Applications for the FY26 edition will be routed through partner incubators, which will share timelines and application details independently.
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