FAQ’S

General Faq's

01) What cost do I have to bear to be part of the program?

If the start-up gets selected for the accelerator program, they need to pay a one-time registration fee of INR 20,000/-. The start-up will be charged Rs.3,000/- per seat, up to 5 seats, during the six-month accelerator program, and additional seats thereon will be charged as per STPI tariff.

02) What is the selection process?

The shortlisted applicants will be informed and invited to the pitching session at IMAGE CoE, Hyderabad. The applicants will have to pitch to a panel. The selected start-up will be on board the accelerator program.

03) Will services companies be considered for this incubation program?

No, the primary focus is on product companies

04) When will the cohort start?

The cohort is conducted twice a year, and each cohort runs for six months.

05) Does Image CoE provide Motion Capture infrastructure for the gaming and animation Start-up's and is it a free or paid service?

Yes. IMAGE CoE will provide access to MoCap Lab infrastructure to the start-ups selected for the IMAGE CoE program for free of cost during the six-month accelerator program. After the six-month accelerator program, the start-ups can still access the lab by paying the approved charges.

06) Does the entire company need to sit out of IMAGE CoE?

Preferably. CoE will allow up to 5 seats per start-up at a concessional rate. If more than five seats are needed, the same can be allocated on standard charges subjected to availability.

07) Does the company need to be registered as a Pvt Ltd Company? Will LLPs, Partnerships, Sole Proprietorships be able to apply?

Start-up can be registered as LLP/Partnership/Sole Proprietorship/Private ltd/Registered Partnership Firm. If a start-up is not a registered company, it should register within three months from the date of selection.

08) Will start-ups who join the program be required to sign any agreements?

Yes. The start-ups selected for the CoE program need to sign "incubation cum share subscription and shareholders' agreement."

09) Can E-sports start-up's be a part of Image CoE?

Yes. ESports start-ups also can apply for the IMAGE CoE program.

10) Will a company being incubated in an existing STEP be allowed to shift to Image CoE?

Yes, if it gets qualified for the CoE program.

11) What will be the qualifying criteria for getting selected for start-ups?

The following will be analyzed to select the start-ups for the CoE program:

Innovative Business Idea / Technology leading to product start-up
Years of Establishment
Team Size
Product idea and current stage of development (PoC readiness, IPR status, etc.)
Detailed Business Plan & Management Structure.
1. Founding team's experience & strength, founding/core team's talent mapping, passion
2. Nature of problem being solved & Value proposition of solution.
3. Cost structure, Profitability, Scalability, and Market Size are being targeted.
4. Execution plan.
Fund availability.
Partners and Customers.

12) If the company has its main office in another city or has teams working out of different cities, how do they manage CoE?

The selected start-up should preferably work from the CoE to get the maximum benefit of the program. However, this subject can be discussed during the selection interview.

13) What is the requirement for Top Level Executives (CEO, COO) to work from CoE? How often do they have to work from CoE?

This subject can be discussed during the selection interview.

14) Some companies may be working on IPs that they would like to keep confidential from the rest. How can we ensure that?

Documents submitted by the start-up W.R.T. the program will be confidential and protected, and the information will be used for screening purposes only. The start-ups selected for the program will sign a mutually agreed NDA with CoE to protect each other's IPs and employees.

15) How will companies prevent their employees from being poached by other companies (their competitors) who are also working from the same CoE?

Documents submitted by the start-up W.R.T. the program will be confidential and protected, and the information will be used for screening purposes only. The Start-ups selected for the program will sign a mutually agreed NDA with CoE, which will protect each other's IPs and employees.

16) What will the KRAs be for companies to graduate successfully?

The milestones are clearly defined for this accelerator program. The selected start-ups will undergo an orientation program during the onboarding phase.

17) What will be the schedule of grants received by start-ups during the incubation program?

Start-ups will receive the funding after reaching set milestones. The selected start-ups will undergo an orientation program during the onboarding phase

18) WIll competing start-ups (direct product competition) be allowed to work in the same co-working space?

Yes, they are allowed to work from the same co-working space during the accelerator program.

19) If the company has its main office in another city or has teams working out of different cities, how do they manage CoE?

The selected start-up should preferably work from the CoE to get the maximum benefit of the program. However, this subject can be discussed during the selection interview.

Funding Faq's

01) Will my start-up be eligible for any funding during the program?

Yes, funding is one of the key offerings of this program. Depending on the development stage and the pitch deck, and the tech validation, seed funding will be provided. Start-up will be eligible for additional credits from ECO System partners.

02) Whom should I contact for any other queries?

For further information, drop an email to ramakishore.babu@stpi.in

03) What are the funding options that will be made accessible to incubated start-ups?

Rs. 5 Lakhs Seed fund (goes up to 35 lakhs) and access to investors (Angel + VCs) will be provided by CoE. Ecosystem partners will provide credits to the start-ups selected for the CoE program. Apart from this, right now, few active funds are interested in the seed round. The exact amount that a start-up will receive will be announced soon.

Mentor Faq's

01) Can you tell me more about the mentor network?

IMAGE CoE has a good mentor network for Gaming, VFX, Animation & CV, AI. Mentor Network will provide Technology Mentoring, Domain Mentoring, Strategy Mentoring, End to End market support.
Mentoring is balancing between providing specific subject matter expertise and challenging ventures to see their work from different perspectives.
In addition to offering relevant professional experience and expertise, mentors are good listeners and know how to give constructive feedback that includes actionable suggestions. The mentors provide advice drawn from the wider business community.
Mentors also might provide emotional support to start-up founders. However, a mentor also injects a dose of realism into the conversation by pointing out planning or execution flaws that an entrepreneur might not notice.
A mentoring relationship is based on sharing ideas, techniques, visions, or criticisms. These relationships can frequently develop into funding opportunities, business contracts, or even employment. Mentors provide mentees with introductions to key players and decision-makers, such as venture capitalists or other industry investors, and access people or organizations that may be difficult for start-ups to access on their own, such as potential beta testing sites and industry leaders.
Companies at different stages need different types of mentoring. Similarly, the entrepreneurs' professional backgrounds and experiences also impact what type of mentoring is most effective for them.

02) When you say "mentors," does it mean it'll be like a classroom environment or more one-on-one?

The mentoring sessions will be both classroom environment and one-to-one, depending upon the topic/subject of the mentoring.