BENGALURU (India CSR): Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. today announced the launch of Season 2 of the Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme, a bold expansion of its flagship CSR initiative designed to support early-revenue stage startups with deep mentorship, market access, and catalytic funding.
Running from October 2025 to November 2026, Season 2 will support 75+ startups across India, with a continued focus on deep-tech, sustainability, clean energy, fintech, digital technology, edtech, agritech, and healthtech. The programme expands its national footprint across North, South, West, and Central India, and welcomes IIT Delhi’s Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer (FITT) as a new incubation partner, joining IIMA Ventures, NSRCEL – IIM Bangalore, and T-Hub. The selection of ventures and acceleration support is managed by the incubators.
| Phase 1: Driving Tangible ImpactIn its debut year, Kotak BizLabs has made a mark on India’s startup landscape:1,500+ applications received from across the country500+ founders engaged through outreach and knowledge sessions55 startups accelerated with structured mentorship and incubation32 ventures received funding support, fuelling their next stage of growthLow touch engagement through roadshows, networking mixers, workshops etc. in 14 cities | Phase 2: In its second year, Kotak Bizlabs is looking to elevate the initiative:800+ startups expected to be engaged through outreach and knowledge sessions 75+ startups expected to accelerated with structured mentorship and incubation 60+ ventures to receive funding support, fuelling their next stage of growth Low touch engagement through roadshows, networking mixers, workshops etc. in 20+ cities |
“Kotak has always believed in backing the entrepreneurial spirit of India—not just in metros, but in Tier-II and Tier-III cities where innovation is thriving,” said Himanshu Nivsarkar, Head – CSR & ESG, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. “With Season 2 of the Kotak Bizlabs Accelerator Programme, we are scaling our commitment to founders who dare to dream big and build bold.”
“Kotak BizLabs is our way of walking the talk—it’s a mission to power audacious dreams that can truly shape India’s future,” said Rohit Bhasin, President – Head of Affluent, NRI, and Business Banking and Chief Marketing Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. “We believe that when you back the right ideas with the right intent, magic happens. That’s the spirit of ‘Hausla Hai Toh Ho Jayega’ in action.”
Anand Sri Ganesh – CEO, NSRCEL “We are thrilled to partner once again with Kotak Mahindra Bank in empowering India’s dynamic startup ecosystem through Season 2 of the Kotak BizLabs. By extending deep mentorship, market access, and catalytic funding to promising startups across diverse sectors, this initiative catalyzes transformative innovation in Tier-II and Tier-III cities in addition to the metros. At NSRCEL, our mission aligns closely with Kotak’s vision of nurturing audacious entrepreneurs who build impactful solutions that drive India’s growth.”
Chintan Bakshi – Partner Incubation, IIMA Ventures “What sets Kotak BizLabs apart is the intensive and structured supported offered to founders from tier 2 and tier 3 cities – startups leveraging tech to solve some of the toughest social and environmental challenges. In partnership with IIMA Ventures, the program is structured to provided multiple levels of support for startups founders from the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP and Maharashtra – pitches at four cities to activate local angel investors and HNIs, intensive bootcamp at IIMA and structured mentoring and technical assistance”
Season 1 of Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme saw 32 high-potential startups awarded grants for breakthrough solutions across agritech, climate tech, fintech, edtech, healthcare, indigenous art & craft, deeptech, cleantech, and sustainability. These ventures are already creating jobs, raising follow-on capital, and solving real-world challenges with ingenuity and purpose. The success of Season 1 has inspired Kotak to scale up its efforts, expanding the programme’s reach and ambition in Season 2.
Kavikrut, CEO of T-Hub: “Kotak’s outcome-focused programme has reinvented how CSR engages with impact-first startups. Founders who are building with T-Hub have worked with mentors to refine their growth plans, deployed capital towards creating capabilities, and the programme has further validated their product–market fit. We are excited to scale this partnership between startups, Kotak, and T-Hub with the launch of the next cohort.”
Dr Nikhil Agarwal, MD, FITT IIT Delhi “At FITT IIT Delhi, we are excited to join hands with Kotak Mahindra Bank to nurture bold, innovation-driven startups and help them scale with global ambition and deep social impact—because at the heart of our mission and Kotak’s belief, Hausla Hai Toh Ho Jayega.”
With India now the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme is uniquely positioned to bridge critical gaps in mentorship, market access, and seed capital—especially for founders outside the traditional VC spotlight.
Kotak Bizlabs Accelerator Programme is a CSR initiative of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited.
Applications for Season 2 are now open to DPIIT-registered startups: https://kotakbizlabs.accubate.app/ext/form/8675/1/apply
(India CSR)
