Top 10 Grants for Early-Stage Startups in Asia in 2025
As the startup ecosystem in Asia continues to flourish, 2025 presents numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking funding and support. Grants can be a crucial component of early-stage financing, providing not only funds but also mentorship and resources. Here is a list of the Top 10 Grants for Early-Stage Startups in Asia for 2025, complete with detailed information about each opportunity.
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1. Startup SG Founder (Singapore)
Description: Provides mentorship and startup capital to first-time entrepreneurs in Singapore with innovative business ideas.
Funding Amount: Up to S$50,000 in startup capital. Startups are required to co-match S$10,000.
Eligibility: First-time founders with a viable business idea, assessed on business concept, feasibility, team, and market potential.
Focus Area: Open to various sectors, as long as the idea is innovative.
Additional Details: Includes mentorship from Accredited Mentor Partners (AMPs).
2. Startup SG Tech (Singapore)
Description: Supports Proof-of-Concept (POC) and Proof-of-Value (POV) for commercialization of innovative technologies.
Funding Amount: Varies depending on the project.
Eligibility: Startups with innovative and proprietary technology.
Focus Area: Deep tech, technology-driven solutions.
Additional Details: Aims to accelerate the development of proprietary technologies.
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3. PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Program (Asia Pacific)
Description: Aims to foster sustainability innovations with startups in the Asia Pacific region.
Funding Amount: Initial $20,000 USD grant for 10 finalists, with an additional $100,000 USD for the program winner.
Eligibility: Startups with operations in the APAC region with less than $7M USD in sales and a proof of concept.
Focus Area: Circular economy, sustainable agriculture, climate action.
Additional Details: Includes mentorship from PepsiCo leaders, access to PepsiCo's network, and market insights.
4. Future Food Asia Award (Asia Pacific)
Description: Recognizes leading startups in AgriTech and FoodTech across Asia Pacific.
Funding Amount: USD 100,000 equity-linked grant.
Eligibility: Startups in AgriTech and FoodTech sectors with a proof of concept, earning initial revenues, and no more than a Series B round.
Focus Area: AgriTech and FoodTech sectors.
Additional Details: Provides exposure to investors, corporates, industry leaders, and media.
5. Accelerating Asia (Southeast and South Asia)
Description: Early-stage venture capital fund that also provides an accelerator program.
Funding Amount: Up to US$250,000 investment (initial US$100,000 and a potential further US$150,000).
Eligibility: Pre-Series A startups in Southeast and South Asia.
Focus Area: Various sectors.
Additional Details: Investment is combined with a wider network and venture capital.
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6. 9Unicorns (India)
Description: Early-stage startup accelerator and venture capital fund supporting startups in various industries in India.
Funding Amount: Typically invests between $100,000 to $500,000.
Eligibility: Startups in India across various sectors.
Focus Area: Sector-agnostic, including fintech, healthtech, edtech, e-commerce, deep tech, consumer goods, agritech, and mobility.
Additional Details: Provides strategic guidance, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
7. Kaya Founders (Philippines)
Description: Venture capital firm investing in pre-seed and Series A startups.
Funding Amount: Varies depending on the stage and startup needs.
Eligibility: Pre-seed and Series A startups in the Philippines.
Focus Area: Technology-driven solutions, AI, and financial services.
Additional Details: Manages its second fund, targeting US$25 million to be fully deployed within two to four years.
8. Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) (Singapore)
Description: Supports startups across all stages, focusing on co-innovation, scaling, and internationalization.
Funding Amount: Varies, as ACE provides access to various support programs.
Eligibility: Startups at all stages of development.
Focus Area: Open to a variety of sectors, but focuses on co-innovation.
Additional Details: Backed by the Singapore government and partners. Offers a network of ecosystems, investors, and mentors.
9. JFDI.Asia (Singapore)
Description: Seed accelerator for mobile and digital startups.
Funding Amount: Varies by program.
Eligibility: Early stage mobile and digital startups.
Focus Area: Mobile and digital businesses.
Additional Details: Focused on seed funding.
10. Iterative (Southeast Asia)
Description: Accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia.
Funding Amount: Varies by program.
Eligibility: Early-stage startups in Southeast Asia.
Focus Area: Various sectors.
Additional Details: Focused on early-stage ventures and providing venture capital.
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FAQ
Q: What is the Startup SG Founder grant?
A: The Startup SG Founder grant provides mentorship and startup capital to first-time entrepreneurs in Singapore, offering up to S$50,000 in startup capital. Learn more about Startup SG Founder.
Q: How does the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Program support startups?
A: This program offers a $20,000 USD initial grant for finalists and an additional $100,000 USD for the winner, focusing on sustainability innovations in the Asia Pacific region. Discover the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator Program.
Q: What eligibility criteria must startups meet for the Future Food Asia Award?
A: Startups in AgriTech and FoodTech sectors must have proof of concept, initial revenues, and should not have raised more than a Series B round. Learn more about the Future Food Asia Award.
Q: What kind of funding does Accelerating Asia provide?
A: Accelerating Asia offers early-stage startups up to US$250,000 in investment, which includes an initial US$100,000 and potential further funding. Find out more about Accelerating Asia.
Q: What is the primary focus of the 9Unicorns accelerator?
A: The 9Unicorns accelerator provides support to various industries in India, investing typically between $100,000 to $500,000. Learn more about 9Unicorns.
Q: Who is eligible for the Kaya Founders funding?
A: Kaya Founders invests in pre-seed and Series A startups in the Philippines, focusing on technology-driven solutions. Discover Kaya Founders.
Q: What does ACE offer to startups?
A: The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) supports startups at all stages, providing access to various programs focused on co-innovation, scaling, and internationalization. Learn more about ACE.
Q: What type of startups does JFDI.Asia cater to?
A: JFDI.Asia is a seed accelerator that focuses on mobile and digital startups, providing funding that varies by program. Find out more about JFDI.Asia.
Q: What regions does the Iterative accelerator focus on?
A: Iterative is focused exclusively on Southeast Asia, offering support to early-stage startups across various sectors. Discover more about Iterative.
Q: How can startups find more information about these grants?
A: Startups can find detailed information about each grant by visiting the respective links provided in the descriptions above, ensuring they are looking at the most current program details.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
