Every figure below was read off elevate.startupkarnataka.in, the scheme's own site, on 22 September 2026. Not from a press release, and not from an aggregator. Scheme terms change, so check the portal again before you plan around any of it.
What Karnataka ELEVATE NxT 2026 publishes today
Run by Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka.
| What | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Grant-in-aid | Up to Rs 1 crore, disbursed against milestones |
| Who can apply | Startups incorporated and based anywhere in India, not only Karnataka |
| Sector | Deep tech: science and engineering rooted innovation with strong IP potential, such as quantum, AI, space and semiconductors |
| Entity types | Private limited company, registered partnership, LLP, or a registered cooperative society |
| Team | At least two people in the founding or core team |
| Company age and turnover | Within 20 years of incorporation, turnover under Rs 300 crore in every financial year |
| Prior ELEVATE money | Not eligible if you received an ELEVATE grant in the last 3 years |
| Applications opened | 21 September 2026, 9:00 AM IST, on the official portal only |
The old Karnataka startup domain now serves a gambling site
Most guides, and until this week our own catalog, pointed founders at missionstartupkarnataka.org for Elevate. That domain has lapsed and now serves slot-machine spam. The live programme runs on elevate.startupkarnataka.in and the department site at eitbt.karnataka.gov.in. If a page about Elevate links anywhere else, the rest of the page was not checked recently either.
Also worth knowing
NxT is the pan-India, deep-tech track. The sibling call open at the same time, ELEVATE Minorities, is up to Rs 50 lakh and needs Karnataka incorporation, a company under 10 years old and turnover under Rs 200 crore. The portal shows an opening date and no closing date yet, so treat the window as short and check the last date on the portal before you plan a submission.
Before you apply
Open elevate.startupkarnataka.in and confirm the numbers above still stand. Portals update quietly and news stories do not. If they have changed, the portal is right and this page is out of date, and we would rather you found that out here than in a rejection.
To see which schemes fit your startup rather than reading them one at a time, run your profile through the grant catalog.
Source
Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka: https://elevate.startupkarnataka.in/. Checked 22 September 2026.
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