Startup hubs
Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik
Nodal agency
Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS)
Official portal
Tracks
By Women For Good
Maharashtra combines India’s financial capital with one of its best engineering talent bases. Mumbai gives founders proximity to banks, funds, media and corporate buyers, while Pune supplies product and deep-tech muscle. MSInS, the state innovation society, runs a genuinely active calendar: startup weeks, incubator funding and one of the few schemes anywhere that converts a pitch win into a paid government work order.
Flagship support
Maharashtra Startup Week
Winning startups receive government work orders to pilot their solution with a state department, real revenue rather than a certificate.
Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Women Startup Scheme
Financial assistance dedicated to early-stage, women-led startups registered in the state.
Incubator and Fund of Funds support
MSInS funds incubators across districts and channels capital to startups through partner funds.
IP support scheme
Reimbursement support for patent and IP filing costs so protection does not wait for revenue.
Who gets extra doors opened
For women founders
The state runs a dedicated women startup scheme through MSInS, and Mumbai and Pune both have deep women-founder networks, angel groups and returnship programmes to plug into.
For startups solving public problems
Startup Week problem statements come straight from departments in health, agriculture, mobility and governance, which makes it one of the cleanest routes in India for an impact startup to land a government pilot.
Getting started in Maharashtra
Get DPIIT recognition, then create your startup profile on the MSInS portal.
Apply to the next Maharashtra Startup Week cohort; shortlisted teams pitch to department heads.
Explore incubators funded by MSInS in your district for space, mentors and follow-on scheme access.
Official sources
Building in Maharashtra? Do not build alone.
Join the hub for the Starter Boost: volunteer expert consultations, curated resources and webinars, at no cost. Then use the community to find your people in Mumbai and beyond. Founders never pay to be here.
Scheme details, amounts and eligibility change over time and by notification. This page is a plain-language starting point, not official or legal advice. Always confirm the current rules on the official portal above before applying, and if a link has moved, search the program name to find its new home.