The/Nudge Incubator

1. Program Description:

The/Nudge Incubator : The/Nudge Incubator is a catalyst for the nonprofit sector, nudging capable and committed problem solvers to work on some of the toughest problems faced by India’s poor. Over a period of 9 months, The/Nudge CSI Partners work closely with the founders to get their ideas in the best possible shape – ready to fundraise, hire and scale. Alongside, we offer an a grant of INR 15 lakhs, a network of world-class mentors, and connects to potential partners who can accelerate their path to scale readiness.

2. Who can apply ?

  • Early-stage startup (0-3 years) working towards a Minimum Viable Product.
  • Registered as a section 8 company, a trust or a society.
  • Your solution provides resilient livelihoods for the poorest of the poor or acts as a change transmitter providing financial, marketing or technology agency to the underserved for resilient livelihoods.
  • At least one founder working on the idea full time.

3. What do we offer?

  • Dedicated mentoring from some of India’s most admired leaders.
  • Focussed support on fundraising.
  • Innovation grant of ₹15 lakhs.
  • A supportive network of founders, experts and administrators.
  • Help with key milestones like brand building, funding, product-market fit etc.

4. FAQs:

No. For The/Nudge Incubator, we prefer an early stage organisation, and require at least one founder to be full-time.
Yes you can.
You may re-apply for The/Nudge Incubator if you meet the eligibility criteria. Please highlight your progress since your last application, to improve your chances of selection.
We’d prefer that you apply to the appropriate program given the maturity of your org (link to who can apply section on home page). During the selection process if we feel you are more suitable for another program, we will suggest moving your application to that program.
Our selection process begins with online applications. Shortlisted applicants will be required to submit a detailed business deck (PPT), followed by interviews with The/Nudge SocEnt team and CSI Partners. Site visits may be conducted for selection.

The shortlisted applicants from online applications will be requested to submit their startup plan in a presentation format. the startup plans should include answers to the following questions:

What problem are you trying to solve?
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Why this problem?
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What is your solution approach? Why do you think this will work?

Who are your customers/beneficiaries?
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How do you reach them or intend to reach them?
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Are there any other nonprofits doing similar work?

List names and list 1 primary reason you are different from them.
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How would you describe your organization’s key achievements till now?

How much money have you raised till now, and how much in the last year?

What are your impact metrics
and what is your strategy for the next 1,3,5 years?

What is your operational plan for the next 12 months?

How would you measure your progress?

How many full time employees do you have?

Describe your core team members and what each brings to the table. If you had Rs 2 crore funding available over the next 2 years, how would you use it?

Can you redefine your strategy (in Q6) based on the availability of this funding?

We offer
– an innovation grant of upto 15 lakhs
hands on 1:1 mentoring by a CSI partner and a focussed support on fundraising
– support from portfolio manager
– connects to potential donors and partners
– access to like minded alumni network

The deep hands-on support for 9 months includes
– 1-on-1 mentoring by a CSI partner for a period of 6 months through virtual interactions every two weeks. This helps entrepreneurs achieve strategic clarity and refine their business model.
– focussed support on fundraising. this helps entrepreneurs achieve clarity on your fundraising strategy and become fundraising ready.
– 1-on-1 weekly support by the SocEnt portfolio manager, as a thought partner, and skin-in-the-game collaborator in the success of their incubatees.
– face-to-face as well as virtual immersion events, usually held in Bangalore during the various bootcamps. these are designed to help entrepreneurs to meet fellow cohort members, immerse in The/Nudge CSI DNA through interactions with some of India’s most admired leaders, forge a bond with the The/Nudge SocEnt portfolio manager, and the The/Nudge CSI Partner assigned to be their mentor and most importantly, to get ready to pitch and fundraise.

While mentoring will happen remotely over telephone / video chat, founders and leadership teams will be required to attend bootcamps in person. These will be opportunities for face-to-face interactions with mentors, and will be held in Bangalore.

During the period of support, you will be paired with one of the CSI Partners as your strategic mentor, while members of your core team will be introduced to mentors in their own functional areas. The objective of this engagement is to help you achieve key milestones like attaining product market fit, getting the first rounds of funding, building a brand, hiring your team etc. in an accelerated manner. Your Partner and mentors will coach you, as well as open doors for you by connecting you to individuals and organizations that can help you in your mission. As field visits are a great way to get the right context, we also encourage you to engage your Partner / mentors to visit your customers with you.

The Accelerator portfolio manager will establish (through face to face meetings for pitching your organisation’s work) connects with CSR leaders and representatives of global and domestic philanthropic foundations. In parallel, we will help you with your fundraising strategy and in refining your pitch.

Innovation grant is to help you build a minimum viable product for your idea. This involves costs of experimentation: refining your model based on the interaction with your first beneficiaries and visible impact, costs of building capacity: hiring and training early team members, product development, and any other costs compliant with CSR law.
We believe technology has the power to accelerate social development, as tech-enabled products and services can help scale ideas much faster and at an affordable rate. We welcome nonprofits that leverage technology in their product, service or outreach, to bring about social change.

Application Deadline: 15th May 2023

In case you have any queries please reach out at socent@thenudge.org.

Applications are now closed.

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