Up to₹5L
Grant₹₹₹₹₹
The capital to go full-time.
An equity-free grant of up to ₹5 lakh. Stop side-projecting, start building like it's the only thing that matters.
Become a Shifu Fellow.
Great founders exist across Bharat, not just metro cities.
We back early-stage founders with capital, mentorship, and a network. Learn from mentors who have built and scaled startups.
Apply for Shifu Fellowship
We review applications every month.
What you get.
Six pillars that take you from building to revenue.
02Multiplier
Stretch the grant by 25×.
We help you unlock follow-on funding worth 25× more with government grants and private investors.
CloudOpenAIHostingTools
Up to ₹1Cr in credits.
Cloud, OpenAI, hosting, software and foundational tool credits - everything you need to ship without burning runway.
Storytelling that travels.
A rich video on your journey, distributed to relevant stakeholders across your state and district.
05Learning
Workshop and mentorship
Recurring bootcamps and one-on-one mentorship from professionals who have actually built and shipped products.
06Network
Warm intros, real rooms.
Ecosystem access, founder intros, investor visibility - for your next customer and your next round.
From Bharat
Founders from places like yours.
Real builders from districts across India who started exactly where you are.
Atoba Longkumer
Tabernacle Technologies
Quit during the pandemic to prove SaaS could come from Nagaland.
Kohima1 / 7
Ready to be a Shifu Fellow?
We're looking for builders, not browsers. Three things we look for in every applicant.
Criterion 01
You have an idea, MVP, or a live product.
Something concrete you're working on - not just a notion.
Criterion 02
You're working on it full-time.
Not as a side project. Not on weekends. This is the thing you're doing.
Criterion 03
You're in this for the long haul.
Building takes years. We back people who are willing to put them in.
Not building full-time, or just exploring? Join the Shifu Builder Community - district screenings, founder seminars, and meetups happening near you. No application bar.
FAQ
Things you might be wondering.
Early-stage driven founders with a well-formed idea, a product, a business plan working full-time. We specially focus on founders from non metro cities.
Yes. Always. We don't take a stake, we don't take a board seat, we don't take any portion of your company. The grant is a grant.
The grant is up to ₹5L of direct capital to your account. This may come in tranches based on approval levels.
We help you raise 25× more funding. This may come from government grants or via private investors. We will guide you in the process and open doors with warm intros.
There are no fixed graduation dates. Once a Shifu Fellow always a Shifu Fellow. You will always have access to the benefits.
The structured sessions runs alongside your build. Mentorship and bootcamps continue for as long as you need them.
Mostly remote, with periodic in-person bootcamps and meetups in different cities. Wherever you are in India, you can apply.
Shifu Fellowship is for full-time founders. If you're earlier in your journey - curious, learning, exploring - join the Shifu Builder Community.
Applications are reviewed every month. Apply anytime - we'll get back within 14 days.
Your district is waiting.
Become part of the next decade of district entrepreneurship — apply for the fellowship.
Apply for Shifu Fellowship
Not ready to be a Shifu Fellow yet?
Founders from every district of India
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Shifu Foundation · Section 8 nonprofit · Building India's first district-level startup movement.