DPIIT Partners GEAPP To Boost Climate Tech Startups

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has partnered with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to boost innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurship in India’s clean energy and manufacturing sectors.

The two-year partnership aims to support early-stage climate tech startups by providing access to funding and mentorship from industry experts, opportunities to pilot their technologies and connections to markets and customers.

As part of this initiative, DPIIT and GEAPP will launch Energy Transitions Innovation Challenge (ENTICE), a competitive platform offering up to $500,000 in rewards for high-impact clean energy solutions. 

ENTICE will also enable investment support through partners such as Spectrum Impact and Avana Capital.

DPIIT will integrate the programme with the Startup India network, ensuring wide outreach through key government schemes and maximising its impact on the broader startup ecosystem.

GEAPP vice president India Saurabh Kumar described the MoU as a pivotal move to foster systemic change through collaboration between industry, government and innovators. 

He said GEAPP’s global experience, combined with Startup India’s network and DPIIT’s institutional support, would unlock new opportunities for clean energy entrepreneurship.

As per Inc42, as many as 63 Indian cleantech startups are making a significant impact in this sector. Ather Energy, Ola Electric, and ReNew Power are among the notable unicorns from the segment. 

In terms of funding, the Indian cleantech ecosystem was the fifth most funded sector in 2024, raising $829 Mn across 75 deals. 

India has introduced several schemes and partnerships to boost climate tech startups by offering funding, mentorship, R&D support, and regulatory ease. 

Earlier in January, commerce minister Piyush Goyal launched the ‘Bharat Cleantech Manufacturing Platform’ to unify stakeholders from policy, industry, finance, and research to spur cleantech manufacturing in the country across sectors such as solar, wind, hydrogen, and battery storage.

Key initiatives include the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) have been launched by the government to support startups over the years. 

The Union Budget 2025 doubled the government’s commitment by adding another INR 10,000 Cr to the FFS, bringing the total government allocation to INR 20,000 Cr since inception.