The program offers a one-time grant of up to Rs 50 lakh to early-stage startups, the statement said. Applications open May 25 on the official portal.
For the first time, the government is running four categories simultaneously. These are Elevate General, open to startups across sectors; Elevate Shakti, formerly Elevate Women, for ventures with at least 51% women ownership; Elevate Unnati for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes (SC/ST) founders; and Elevate Aspire, formerly Elevate Beyond Bengaluru, for startups from tier two and tier three regions, it said.
“This call is particularly significant as we bring together four categories for the first time, ensuring opportunity is more inclusive and statewide,” IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge said in the statement.
Since inception, the program has backed over 1,250 startups, the statement said. Cumulative committed grants stand at over Rs 293 crore.
Women-led startups account for 330 of those, receiving nearly Rs 77 crore. Another 464 startups from outside Bengaluru have drawn about Rs 103 crore, it said.
Selected startups get access to mentorship, incubation facilities and government-backed centres of excellence and technology business incubators, the statement said. The program operates under the Karnataka Startup Policy 2022–27, covering reimbursements on patent filings, GST, marketing and quality certification costs. The department has completed 24 calls since the scheme’s launch in 2017.