Idea to Start (ideatostart.in) is owned and operated by Daily Growth India Marketing Private Limited, a private limited company incorporated in India on 6 November 2023 (CIN: U47820RJ2023PTC090981), with its registered office at Shop No. 208, Second Floor, Shankheshwar Enclave, Sector 5, Hiran Magri, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001, India.
These terms apply to every funding programme listed on Idea to Start (each a "programme") and to every application made to one. The page of each programme — eligibility, funding range and type, dates and application fee — forms part of these terms. By submitting an application you confirm that you have read and accepted them on behalf of yourself and your startup.
1. What a programme is
A programme is a private startup selection and investor-introduction programme run by Daily Growth India Marketing Private Limited under the Idea to Start brand. It is not a scheme of, or affiliated with, any Central or State Government, ministry, department or government agency, and it is not a public offer of securities, a loan, a deposit, a lottery or a collective investment scheme. Idea to Start is not an investor, lender, fund, stock exchange, crowdfunding portal or SEBI-registered intermediary.
2. Who can apply
- Founders with a founder account on Idea to Start, applying for a startup they own or are authorised to represent.
- One application per startup per programme.
- Where a programme says so, only registered entities (company, LLP, partnership or proprietorship) may apply.
3. Your information and documents
You must give complete, true and current information and upload genuine documents. We may verify any detail with the issuing authority or other sources. Aadhaar is accepted only as a masked copy; never send the full Aadhaar number. If any information is false, misleading or incomplete, or a document is not genuine, we may disqualify the application at any stage, without refund, and take action on the account.
3A. Your signature and the electronic record
When you apply, you add your signature (drawn on screen or uploaded as an image) and accept the declarations and these terms electronically. You agree that:
- the signature you add, together with your electronic acceptance, is your signature on the application and on these terms, with the same effect as a handwritten signature on a paper form, for every purpose connected with the programme;
- your application, its declarations, these terms as accepted by you and the records of your payment form a binding agreement between you (for yourself and on behalf of your startup) and Idea to Start;
- the electronic record of your application kept on the Idea to Start platform — including the downloadable application form bearing your signature and the date — is the final and conclusive record of what you submitted and agreed to, and may be relied on as evidence in any matter or dispute, in line with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023; and
- you will not dispute the validity or enforceability of your application, the declarations or these terms only because they were made, signed or accepted electronically.
4. Application fee
A programme may charge an application fee, shown on the programme page and before you pay. The application fee is a fee for the use of the Idea to Start platform and its services (a platform fee) and is Idea to Start's service charge, inclusive of applicable taxes, for:
- receiving, scrutinising and verifying your application and documents;
- evaluating your startup through our team and independent domain experts;
- organising the round 2 review and the round 3 jury sessions, online or offline, including scheduling, platform, venue and jury costs;
- guiding you to prepare the documentation investors expect; and
- presenting shortlisted and selected startups to investors, funds and partners in our network, and facilitating the process that follows; and
- the platform facilities you use for the application — the online application form, secure document and video storage, the application tracker, the downloadable and printable application form, notifications and support.
The fee is consideration for these services. It is not an investment, a deposit, a security or a payment towards any funding, and paying it does not guarantee shortlisting, selection or funding. Your application is treated as submitted only after the fee is received — for a UPI transfer, after our team has verified it. A receipt is issued for every payment.
5. Refunds
The application fee is refunded in full, to the original payment method (or, for UPI transfers, the account it came from), only in these cases:
- Not shortlisted in round 1. Because the evaluation of all applications concludes only when the programme ends, the refund is processed after the programme's result date shown on the programme page, within 15 working days of that date.
- Programme cancelled by us before round 1 results are announced — within 15 working days of the cancellation.
- Duplicate payment or technical failure — as described in our refund and cancellation policy.
The fee is not refundable in any other case, including: once you are shortlisted for round 2 (round 2 and round 3 services begin then); if you withdraw; if round 2 material is not submitted by its due date; if you don't attend the scheduled round 3 session; if you are not selected in round 2 or round 3; if the application is disqualified under section 3 or for a breach of these terms; or if no agreement is reached with an investor or partner. No interest is payable on refunds.
6. How selection works
- Round 1 — application and screening. The full application with documents.
- Round 2 — video pitch and documents. Two selfie videos: a 1-minute introduction (your background, education, experience and why you chose this industry) and a 2-minute business pitch (problem, solution, market size, business model, funding ask, valuation, use of funds and your 3–5 year plan). Each video is uploaded (up to 20 MB) or shared as a link. The programme may also ask for a 3-year revenue projection, a valuation report and a fund utilisation plan.
- Round 3 — live pitch. A session of about 15 minutes with a jury of at least two members, online or in person, where you present your pitch deck and answer questions. The date, time and joining details are shown in your account and emailed to you. We may reschedule a session; missing it without notice may end the application.
Deadlines are shown in your account. Decisions of the jury and the Idea to Start team are final, and we are not required to give reasons. We decide how many startups are selected and may select none.
7. After selection and funding
A selected startup becomes eligible to be considered for funding by investors and partners in our network. It must complete offline documentation (KYC, company records and agreements), usually within 7 to 15 days of selection. Funding, if any, is provided by the investor or grant partner — not by Idea to Start — as an equity investment or a grant, on terms the investor or partner decides after its own due diligence, and is usually released within 30 days of completed documentation. These timelines are indicative. Idea to Start does not guarantee that any investor or partner will fund a startup, or the amount, valuation or terms; does not receive, hold or pass on investment money; and is not a party to any investment or grant agreement unless it says so in writing. Each startup is responsible for its own legal, tax and regulatory compliance, including under the Companies Act, 2013 and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
8. How we use your application
We use your application, documents and videos to evaluate, verify and present your startup, and share them in confidence with jury members, experts and prospective investors or partners for that purpose only. We don't publish your documents or videos without your consent. Everything else is covered by our privacy policy.
9. Conduct
Don't contact jury members, experts or investors outside the programme to influence a decision, and don't offer anything of value to anyone for selection. Doing so ends the application without refund.
10. Changes and cancellation
We may change a programme's dates, rounds or format, or cancel it (for example, if too few applications are received or for reasons beyond our control). We'll tell applicants by email and in their account. Refunds on cancellation follow section 5.
11. Liability, law and jurisdiction
To the extent the law allows, our total liability for any claim relating to a programme is limited to the application fee you paid for it. These terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Udaipur, Rajasthan have exclusive jurisdiction.
12. Questions and grievances
Email admin@ideatostart.in with your application number, or raise a ticket under Help & support. We acknowledge within 24 hours and resolve within 15 days.