u/Entire_Mark8010

I’m trying to understand the most practical ways to get financial assistance for building a startup from scratch in India, especially for someone at the early idea/MVP stage without a strong network or funding background.

I’d love insights from founders who’ve actually gone through this journey.

Some things I’m specifically curious about:

• Are incubators/accelerators in India genuinely helpful for first-time founders?
• Which institutions are actually founder-friendly and accessible?
• Do colleges/incubators like IIMA Ventures, NSRCEL, T-Hub, or CIIE support very early-stage founders?
• How difficult is it to get grants, incubation, or seed funding without revenue?
• Are government initiatives like Startup India actually useful in practice?
• What matters more in applications: idea quality, traction, founder profile, or network?
• What are realistic funding paths for someone bootstrapping from zero?

Would really appreciate honest experiences, practical advice, mistakes to avoid, and any underrated programs or communities that genuinely help early-stage founders in India.