Kotak BizLabs launches Season 2 to empower 75+ audacious startups in India

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Season 2 of the Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme, an expansion of its flagship CSR initiative designed to support early-revenue stage startups with mentorship, market access, and catalytic funding.

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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.

In its debut year, Kotak BizLabs made a measurable impact on India’s startup ecosystem. The programme received more than 1,500 applications from across the country and engaged over 500 founders through outreach and knowledge sessions. A total of 55 startups were accelerated through structured mentorship and incubation, while 32 ventures received funding support to fuel their next stage of growth.

Kotak BizLabs also conducted extensive low-touch engagements such as roadshows, networking mixers, and workshops across 14 cities, strengthening grassroots participation and startup access to resources.

Building on this foundation, Phase 2 aims to elevate the initiative’s scale and impact. In its second year, Kotak BizLabs expects to engage over 800 startups through outreach and knowledge sessions and accelerate more than 75 startups through structured mentorship and incubation. Additionally, 60+ ventures are projected to receive funding support to advance their growth journeys.

The programme will further expand its engagement footprint through roadshows, mixers, and workshops in over 20 cities, extending opportunities for collaboration, learning, and investment to a broader spectrum of India’s startup ecosystem.

“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.”

Season 1 of Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme saw 32 startups awarded grants for breakthrough solutions across agritech, climatetech, fintech, edtech, healthcare, indigenous art & craft, deeptech, cleantech, and sustainability. 

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."