What is ICAI Startup Gateway?

The ICAI Startup Gateway is an initiative by Committee on MSME & Startup of ICAI to promote entrepreneurship and thereby facilitate practical application of knowledge for public use. ICAI aims to coordinate, synergise and leverage the various strands of excellence driving innovation and entrepreneurship & wishes to facilitate the creation of ideas and inventions that benefits society.

ICAI Startup Gateway facilitates the networking between the business consultants of the ICAI and startups through the portal startup.icai.org

What is a Startup under the Startup India Scheme?

An entity shall be considered as a Startup: 

1. If it is incorporated as a private limited company or registered as a partnership firm or a limited liability partnership in India 
2. Upto ten years from the date of its incorporation/registration
3. If its turnover for any of the financial years since incorporation/registration has not exceeded INR 100 Crores
4. If it is working towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or if it is a scalable business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation.

Note: An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of a business already in existence shall not be considered a ‘Startup’.

How can I register on this portal?

Both Members & Non Members can register on this portal by filling specified forms for the services they want to avail or provide on the portal.

Please go through the following links:-

Members:

• Register as Mentor- Register 
• Register as Business Consultant- Register
• Register as Investor- Register
• Apply for Startup Incubation Facilities- Register

Non Members:

• Register as Existing Startup- Register
• Register as Mentor- Register
• Register as Investor- Register

How can a Startup connect with Mentor, Investor, Business Consultant?

Any startup can register with us on the portal and  connect with Mentor, Investor, Business Consultant.

Click here to register – Register 

Can a Non Member of ICAI register on this portal?

Non Member of ICAI can also register on this Portal as Existing Startup, Mentor & Investor.

Eligibility to avail Incubation facility with ICAI?

• Startup ventures having at least one of the Director/ Co-founders as an active member of ICAI and which are registered entities (incorporated as Private limited company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008) and have developed initial prototype or validated their product/services in the market with some initial customer base. This condition for incorporation as company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008 may be relaxed for recently passed out members, provided they incorporate their startup within 3 months of Incubation at ICAI Incubation Centres.

For Pre-Incubation, Applicants should only be a member of ICAI having an idea which can be converted into a startup venture.

• If any of the Director/Cofounders is an employee of Government shall be granted incubation only upon submission of “No Objection Certificate” from the competent authority.
• If IP of any other organisation or institution is involved, NOC from the said organisation or Institution should be obtained.

If there is anyone/ team who has worked on the IP and if any of them is not part of the startup, an NOC shall be obtained from such members for usage of the IP in the startup.

*Startup means the startup defined under Gazette notification no. GSR 364(E) dated 23rd May, 2017 and revised thereafter from time to time issued by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, department of Industrial Policy & Promotion.

How ICAI Startup Gateway function?

At this Portal Startups, Mentors, Investors & Business Consultants will register themselves and startup Company can choose Mentors, Investors & Business Consultants as per their requirements. Also Startup who need incubation facility at ICAI; online application for the same will be accepted through this portal.

What is DPIIT recognition for Startup?

Under the Startup India initiative, eligible companies can get recognised as Startups by DPIIT, in order to access a host of tax benefits, easier compliance, IPR fast-tracking, Rebate in IPR & many more.

Whom to contact for any Query/Problem?

Contact us:

Committee on MSME and Startup
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
ICAI Bhawan, Plot No. A-29, Sector-62 NOIDA – 201309, India

Email- Startupsupport@icai.in

Landline- 0120-3045994

Government Schemes for Startups?

There are many government schemes for Startups; to find out go to Resource Library where you may find government schemes of all State Governments and Central Government.

Committee on MSME and Startups?

The Committee on MSME and Startups is one of the non-standing committee of ICAI constituted in the year 2021 to promote the MSMEs & Startups by way of encouraging collaboration amongst the professionals/experts in the relevant fields and establishing the bridge among the appropriate authority & MSMEs/Startups by means of various endeavours in Capacity Building & other Measures for them.

I am a member of the institute and want to join as Mentor, what is the eligibility criteria?

A member of ICAI having the post qualification experience of at least 10 years or any non-member who is an established industrialist, successful entrepreneur, CMD/CEO of successful enterprise or professional having proven experience of at least 15 years and expertise in any specific industry domain can register as Mentor with ICAI.

What is the process for member to register as a Mentor?

Members will put in their Membership No, Mobile Number and email id registered with SSP.

Validation through email OTP will be made.

Then register as Mentor through online application, after approval of application one can act as Mentor.

Eligibility to avail Incubation facility with ICAI?

1. Startup ventures having at least one of the Director/ Co-founders is an active member of ICAI and which are registered entities (incorporated as Private limited company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008) and have developed initial prototype or validated their product/services in the market with some initial customer base. This condition for incorporation as company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008 may be relaxed for recently passed out members, provided they incorporate their startup within 3 months of Incubation at ICAI Incubation Centres.

For Pre-Incubation, Applicants should only be a member of ICAI having an idea which can be converted into a startup venture.

2. If any of the Director/Cofounders is an employee of Government shall be granted incubation only upon submission of “No Objection Certificate” from the competent authority.

3. If IP of any other organisation or institution is involved, NOC from the said organisation or Institution should be obtained.

If there is anyone/ team who has worked on the IP and if any of them is not part of the startup, an NOC shall be obtained from such members for usage of the IP in the startup.

*Startup means the startup defined under Gazette notification no. GSR 364(E) dated 23rd May, 2017 and revised thereafter from time to time issued by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, department of Industrial Policy & Promotion.

What are incubation facilities provided by ICAI?

These are the facilities provided by ICAI:-

a) Physical infrastructure:

• Furnished Office Space
• Shared resources: Meeting rooms, Conference rooms
• Office productivity equipment: Photocopier, Shredder, Scanner, Projector, video audio conferencing facilities

b) Utility:

• Electricity
• Lighting
• Internet

c) IT Support *:

• Cloud credits
• Online platform for HR and Office Management Software

(*based on its availability at the time of the incubation, incubator may withdraw the facility if the relationship with the concerned service provider ceases.)

d) Advisory and coaching:

• Mentoring
• Trainings and workshops
• Free advisory from Experts- Legal, CA, IP, fund raising. Areas may be added/ removed during the incubation. The supported entities however will have to pay for specific transactions.

e) Network:

• Facilitation for business, professionals and expert network
• Facilitation for investors network
• Facilitation for industry connection
• Showcasing opportunities

What is the charge of Incubation facility?

• For Physical incubation the Incubatee will have to deposit Rs. 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty-five thousand only) with ICAI as non-interest bearing returnable security deposit. The said amount will be returned at the time of vacating the Incubator after deducting outstanding dues if any.
• The supported entity will pay for the usage of photocopier on actual basis.
• The space allotted would be solely used for start-up business purpose only.
• No cost for electricity/internet consumption or any utility or service is charged separately to the incubatees. However, ICAI retains a right to limit the free electricity/internet consumption and other utility, beyond which charges will become payable by the Incubatee.

Cities/Branch in which Incubation Centre provided by ICAI?

Presently we are providing Physical Incubation at following sites:-

• Ahmedabad
• Bhubaneswar
• Chennai
• Guwahati
• Indore
• Kanpur
• Mangaluru
• Mumbai
• Nashik
• Pune
• Rajkot
• Surat

What is the admission process for availing incubation facility?

Stage 1: Submission of Executive Summary/Plan

The prospective start up should submit an online Incubation Application containing all the details of the start-up.

Stage 2: Initial Screening of the Applications

The submitted application will be assessed by the Startup Screening Committee (SSC) on technical and business feasibility of the idea which will be based on several criteria.

Stage 3: Presentation before the SSC

Based on the initial evaluation of the business plan / executive summary the applicant will be expected to give a presentation describing critical aspects of the business plan before the SSC.

Stage 4: Result

The final selection of incubatees will be made by Startup screening Committee (SSC) and a formal communication will be sent to the applicant along with necessary documents including terms and conditions. If the Incubation is sanctioned, the applicant shall be offered Pre-Incubation, Incubation or Virtual Incubation and the startup company/LLP has to sign an Incubation Agreement with ICAI.

What is the duration of Incubation facility offered by ICAI?

The companies/LLPs will be permitted to stay in incubation initially for a period of six months. They may be granted further extensions at the sole discretion of SSC max for one more tenure of 6 months. An incubated company/LLP may be asked to leave the incubator under specific circumstances as mentioned in the Incubation Policy.

What are Pre-Incubation facilities?

This support is offered to applicants having an idea which can be converted into a startup venture and have not yet incorporated a company/LLP. This support will only be provided to an active member of ICAI who is desirous of opening a startup and whose idea gets selected through Incubation Admission Procedure. The period of Pre-Incubation will be of 1 month and the support will be provided virtually through a Mentorship model. The support also includes access to library services available at the Incubation Centres of ICAI alongwith Networking Opportunities with Incubated Startups.

What is Incubation facility?

This support will be offered to startup ventures having at least one of the Director/ Co-founders as an active member of ICAI and which are registered entities (incorporated as Private limited company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008) and have developed initial prototype or validated their product/services in the market with some initial customer base. This condition for incorporation as company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008 may be relaxed for recently passed out members, provided they incorporate their start –up within 3 months of Incubation at ICAI Incubation Centres. Such entities will be provided physical infrastructure (access to workstations, internet connectivity and meeting rooms) for a period of six months at the Incubation Centres of ICAI subject to the availability and meeting up of selection criteria, alongwith the host of other services such as Mentoring and Advisory, access to library services and webinars conducted by the Committee on MSME and Startups, networking opportunity with incubated startups, access to the services of the empanelled service providers and connect with investors and Venture Capitalists and all other benefits as mentioned in the agreement.

What is Virtual facility?

This support will be offered to startup ventures having at least one of the Director/ Co-founders is an active member of ICAI and which are registered entities (incorporated as private limited company under Companies Act 2013 or registered as LLP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008) and do not require physical infrastructure (working space) at the Incubation Centre. This condition of incorporation may be relaxed for recently passed out members, provided they incorporate their start -up within 3 months of Incubation at ICAI Incubation Centres. Such entities will be provided following services such as Mentoring and Advisory, access to library services and webinars conducted by the Committee on MSME and Startups, networking opportunity with incubated startups, access to the services of the empanelled service providers and connect with investors and Venture Capitalists for a period of six months.

Does ICAI provide Financial support to Startup?

The Incubation policy of ICAI aims to nurture innovative ideas by promoting a support platform to entrepreneurs such that they can develop and validate their idea into Proof-of Concept with assistance of Incubation Centre, network of mentors, infrastructure and networking facilities. As such, ICAI will not provide funding to startup, however would facilitate linkage with various Government schemes meant for startups to provide seed loans. The arrangement for seed loan will be made subject to the availability of funds/grants/schemes meant for this purpose and shall be based on the merits of each company on the evaluation criteria of the funding source/government scheme.

I am a Startup register with ICAI how can I opt for the services of Business Consultant, Mentor?

Just login with your ID and search from the pool of Business Consultant, Mentor list and send the connection request, after acceptance of your connection, you may contact Business Consultant, Mentor and resolve your query.

What is Startup screening committee?

Startup screening Committee (SSC) assess all the Incubation Application and evaluate the idea and proposal.

The final selection of incubatees will be made by Startup screening Committee (SSC) and a formal communication will be sent to the applicant along with necessary documents including terms and conditions. If the Incubation is sanctioned, the applicant shall be offered Pre-Incubation, Incubation or Virtual Incubation and the startup company/LLP has to sign an Incubation Agreement with ICAI.

Objective of Incubation Policy:

The goal of this policy is to promote entrepreneurship and thereby facilitate practical application of knowledge for public use. ICAI aims to coordinate, synergise and leverage the various strands of excellence driving innovation and entrepreneurship & wishes to facilitate the creation of ideas and inventions that benefit society. To this end, ICAI has adopted this Incubation Policy to provide guidance and management structure to facilitate development of entrepreneurship.

Types of Incubation Support offered:

• Pre-Incubation
• Incubation
• Virtual Incubation

Incubation Policy of ICAI:

Our Incubation Policy-  incubation policy

I am a Member of the Institute and want to join as Business Consultant, what are the eligibility criteria?

Any member in practice can register on this portal as Business Consultant. For details kindly Visit : Register 

What is the process to register as Business Consultant?

Member will put in their Membership No, Mobile Number and email id registered with SSP.

Validation through email OTP will be made.

Then register as Business Consultant through online application, after approval of application one can act as Business Consultant. For details kindly visit  Register 

I am a Business Consultant register with ICAI, how can I offer my service to Startup?

Startup who want your service send you a connection request after accepting connection it may ask for your service in specific field and accordingly you may offer your services.

I am a Non Member and want to register my Startup with ICAI.

Non Member will put in their Full name, Mobile Number and Email Id.

Validation through Email OTP will be made.

Then register as Existing Startup through online application.

The Startups registered with ICAI can be benefited by the domain expertise and experience of the Mentors & Business Consultants registered with the ICAI, to overcome various challenges faced by them during different phases of startup life cycle.

I am a non-member of the institute and want to join as Mentor, what is the eligibility criteria?

A member of ICAI having the post qualification experience of at least 10 years or any non-member who is an established industrialist, successful entrepreneur, CMD/CEO of successful enterprise or professional having proven experience of at least 15 years and expertise in any specific industry domain can register as Mentor with ICAI.

What is the process for non-member to register as a Mentor?

For registration Non Member will put in their Full name, Mobile Number and Email Id.

Validation through Email OTP will be made.

Then register as Mentor through online application, after approval of application one can act as Mentor.

I am an Investor and want to register on ICAI Startup Gateway?

Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Investment Bankers are an essential part of Startup ecosystem. Invest in the best of the Startup idea and become part of the stupendous journey embarked by the Government of India to make India Self Reliant on the global map by fostering innovation, building best in class infrastructure, employment opportunities and making India a hub for leading innovation through successful and sustainable Start-Ups.

For registration investor will put in their Full name, Mobile Number and Email Id.

Validation through Email OTP will be made.

Then register as Investor through online application

Objective of Certificate Course on Startup.

The objective of this Course is to provide required knowledge on Startups. The said Course is beneficial as an enabling education for the members to have enhanced career opportunities in Startups.

How to register for ICAI Certificate Course On Startup?

A member of ICAI can register for ICAI Certificate Course On Startup at this portal or at DLH by paying applicable fees.

They can choose mode of learning- Online or Offline.

What is the eligibility to register for ICAI Startup Course?

A member of ICAI or non-member can register for ICAI Certificate Course On Startup at this portal or at DLH by paying applicable fees.

What is the fee of ICAI Startup Certificate Course?

For Members: Rs 12,000/- Plus GST (Offline Mode of teaching)

For Members: Rs 4,500/- Plus GST (Online Mode of teaching)

Note: Fees may change from time to time so please get fees update at the website.

Tenure of Certification Course?

Online Mode- 10 days

Offline Mode- 6 days

Note: Classes will be held on weekend/weekdays.

What is the attendance requirement for this course?

80% attendance is required for appearing in the Final Test.

Do we get any CPE Hours after completing this course?

The CPE credit of 30 Hours will be given to the participants. 25 CPE hours can be allotted for completion of 80% attendance and balance 5 CPE hours will be awarded after the Assessment Test.

What is the passing criteria?

Minimum marks for passing is 50 out of 100.

The candidates who passed the Startup Certificate Assessment Test will be eligible to get the Online/ Offline Certificate.

What is the pattern & medium of Assessment Test?

• Assessment will be conducted in English only.
• Question Paper will contain 50 objective type multiple choice questions for 100 marks.
• The examination will be held in Online/Offline Mode only
• There will NOT be negative marking for wrong answers.

The duration of the Assessment Test will be of 2 hours

What is the Syllabus of Certificate Course on Startup?
The Syllabus of Certificate Course is listed below:-

Can I use the designation as a prefix or postfix after qualifying the Certificate Course?

This Certificate is neither a Degree nor a Diploma, being awarded by the Institute to its members in terms of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and Regulations framed thereunder.