Our Model

Yet another Incubator? 

The question of whether we are just any other incubator or offer something unique has often come up. This first-of-its-kind incubator has the following advantages.

Iconic Eco Rejuvenation Campus 

Strategic network

 GIC is India’s only rural-based incubation centre focusing on rural nano entrepreneurship. It operates from an expansive eco-friendly campus with residential facilities & scenic hillside view. It is located right in the heart of rural Visakhapatnam.

Piggybacking on the extensive reach of BCT over the past 46 years in over 200 villages, GIC is strategically located, making it accessible to nearby villages. 

Unique rural-intensive model

Growth & relevance

GIC operates via a unique model for nano entrepreneurship by empowering rural entrepreneurs to establish or scale up their enterprises through mentoring, training and finally financial linkage for better growth trajectory and focus on creating 'rural startups for rural India'. 

With a strong talent pool, GIC has established cutting edge training sessions and residential facilities in a sprawling 50 acre campus with scenic hill side view in the village of Haripuram, Andhra Pradesh. 

Women Entrepreneurship Program

Women entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly important role in the business and economic growth in our country.  Women owned enterprises not only lead to their self sustenance but also to high employment opportunities in the region.

This is increasingly visible in rural areas too, where women were once confined only to their homes and household chores. 

With a vision to promote sustainable development of rural women entrepreneurs, GIC is committed towards strengthening women led businesses through training, mentoring and financial assistance through peer organisations and investors. 

PwD Entrepreneurship Program

People with Disabilities are often considered a burden on their family, especially in rural areas. 

The GIC PwD support platform has been created to empower them and enable them as self-reliant individuals who can contribute to society.  

Despite their disabilities hampering the day to day functioning of PwD’s, there are many success stories of PwD entrepreneurs under GIC, who have overcome their challenges.  GIC assists them in establishing their livelihood, thereby making them self-reliant and be part of the workforce. 

Operational Process

The operational model of Grameena Incubation Centre is based on a successful and dedicated community-driven ideology. Our work process, involves the following aspects.

Exploratory Meetings

Conduct exploratory meetings with village-level communities 

Selection process

Identify vulnerable and needy with interest in entrepreneurship through self-selection  

Launchpad

Create a platform for the selected entrepreneurs& provide support at the incubation center& at their homes. 

Incubation

Provide guidance, mentoring and other assistance to strengthen business plans, validate business scalability & provide linkages with NBFCs for financial support.  

01

COHORTS

Primary challenge: Lack of awareness

  • While lack of awareness about rural incubation was a hurdle, since inception, GIC has successfully assisted in establishing 25 entrepreneurs. All of them are first time entrepreneurs while 23 are female entrepreneurs.
  • GIC successfully conducted training for the first batch of cohorts of 285 micro and small entrepreneurs based on their interests.
  • Through self-selection, 65 candidates were shortlisted and we commenced mentoring for the first batch of 20 entrepreneurs in December 2021. Of this, 4 entrepreneurs received financial assistance to establish their first business.

Primary challenge: Unpredictability with Covid 19  

  • GIC shortlisted 19 agri-entrepreneurs with focus on agriculture and agri-startup linkages and aggregators with the rural businesses. However, Covid-19 forced entrepreneurs to abandon work and turn towards agriculture for livelihood.
  • Despite the adverse conditions in 2020 and 2021, our team constantly kept in touch with each cohort, giving them advice, motivation and financial support, enabling them to overcome the adversity. We could successfully launch the entrepreneurs.

02

COHORTS

03

COHORTS

Primary challenge: Lack of reach and unique business ideas

  • Serving the rural entrepreneurs, encouraging women and people with disabilities in over 60 villages of Andhra Pradesh continued for GIC with renewed energies.
  • For the 3rd batch of COHORTS, focus was on unique business ideas. GIC identified 267 entrepreneurs and mentored them.
  • Work is now on in linking these entrepreneurs with startups and financing options.

Primary challenge: Lack of low interest loans, failure of banks, tough loan disbursement. 

  • Having faced difficulty in acquiring loans through public/private sector banks, and after 10 months of scouring, the emergence of NBFCs changed things for the better.
  • GIC associated with RangDe, a Bengaluru based NBFC startup that has supported many rural entrepreneurs in their dream to establish their primary business, by providing loans through social enterprise.

For the 4th batch of COHORTS, GIC surveyed more than 100 women retrenched from nearby SEZ's and were looking for support  in establishing a business to help them earn a respectable livelihood.  Mentoring of the fourth batch of 30 entrepreneurs commenced in December 2022, out of which 15 entrepreneurs have been provided loans and financial aid for establishing their business. 

04

COHORTS

Linkages

Serving rural entrepreneurs and connecting local and nationwide startups

SMERKATO

Connecting with local kirana entrepreneurs

TATA AIG

Mentoring and grounded 10 women/PwD's

MERA BILLS

Training, implementation of Smart accounting system for rural entrepreneurs

RANG DE

Assessing of loans, collection, security and monitoring of timely payouts to NBFC

BUSI WORLD

Mentoring, assisting in setup of portfolio, items for webportal

YOUNG INDIANS

Facilitating and Knowledge partner

S.no Start Up Partner Area of Expertise
1 Transity Digital Solutions Agri-Supply Chain
2 TraceX Technologies Blockchain Technology
3 Temperate Technologies Cold Storage Solutions
4 Intech Harness Pvt Ltd IoT based Pump Controllers
5 Smerkato Kirana Aggregators
6 Rukart Cluster based smart farming