How to Apply to Next Bharat Residency 2026

Suzuki Is Backing India's Impact Founders

Next Bharat Ventures IFSC Private Limited launched its second fund of INR 2,000 crore in July 2026, with Suzuki Motor Corporation serving as the anchor limited partner. The two-year-old firm focuses on sectors including agriculture, rural supply chains, financial inclusion, healthcare, rural mobility and AI for social good, aligning with India's national priorities under Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. For Indian founders building impact-driven businesses for non-metro India, this is the most strategically aligned source of capital available in 2026. The fund writes equity cheques of ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore to founders who complete the Next Bharat Residency Programme, with a 10-day Japan immersion under the Learn in Nippon programme as an additional benefit.

This guide covers everything Indian founders need to know about the Next Bharat Ventures Residency Programme for the 2026 Winter batch. It includes the full eligibility criteria, what Next Bharat looks for in founders, a section-by-section application walkthrough, what gets applications rejected, details of the Learn in Nippon Japan immersion, the Why Club community benefits and a five-point readiness checklist before you apply. The Winter 2026 batch application timeline is to be announced on the Next Bharat website.

Before applying to Next Bharat Ventures, having a clean fundraising profile helps. Next Bharat's selection process evaluates your business model, impact thesis and growth potential across the residency period, the same signals that all institutional investors evaluate at the pre-seed and seed stage. Create your startup profile on Backrr to consolidate your pitch and traction data before you begin the application.

Quick Summary: 
Next Bharat Ventures is a Suzuki Motor Corporation-backed impact fund that invests ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore in early-stage Indian entrepreneurs after a 2-month residency programme in Bangalore. The fund's second corpus stands at INR 2,000 crore. Sectors covered include agritech, financial inclusion, rural supply chain, healthcare, rural mobility and AI for social good. The Winter 2026 batch application date is to be announced at nextbharat.ventures.

What Is Next Bharat Ventures

Next Bharat Ventures is an impact-focused venture fund established in 2024 as a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, led by CEO Vipul Nath Jindal, an IIT Hyderabad alumnus who previously spent five years at Suzuki Japan overseeing the Suzuki Innovation Centre. The fund targets agritech, supply chain management, financial inclusion and rural mobility, with investments spanning 15 years to support businesses benefiting workers in the informal economy including gig workers and waste management workers, as well as those in the rural economy including farmers and artisans.

Next Bharat Residency Programme - Full Details

The Next Bharat Residency Programme offers access to up to INR 5 crore in equity-based funding, 3 weeks of immersive workshops, mentorship from experienced mentors and a pan-India network of impact entrepreneurs. The programme is held in Bangalore. The highest equity holder is mandatorily required to attend all sessions, co-founders can attend on a need basis but cannot replace the primary founder.

Important: To become eligible for funding, full attendance throughout the entire residency duration is mandatory. Partial attendance disqualifies a founder from receiving the equity investment.

Who Should Apply : Eligibility Criteria

Next Bharat's selection criteria are specific. The fund backs founders with a working business model and early revenue who need capital and mentorship to scale. Pre-revenue or pre-product founders are not eligible.

You qualify if:

What gets applications rejected:

Learn in Nippon — The Japan Immersion Programme

Learn in Nippon is the most unique element of Next Bharat Ventures that no other Indian impact fund offers. The programme bridges global business cultures by exposing Indian innovators to Japan's leading industries through real-world exposure. The Summer 2026 batch runs for 10 days inside Suzuki's Japanese industrial ecosystem.

The Japan connection creates a distribution flywheel: founders who complete Learn in Nippon return with introductions to Japanese companies interested in India market entry and potential strategic partnerships. For founders building in supply chain, mobility, agritech hardware or manufacturing, these introductions have commercial value beyond the ₹5 Cr investment.
 

How to Apply — Step by Step
 

Application field guidance:

Application link: nextbharat.ventures/program-detail 

Why Club - The Lifetime Founder Community

Next Bharat Ventures runs the Why Club, a founder-led community that fosters collaboration, funding and long-term support among impact entrepreneurs. Members retain access to the Next Bharat community, mentor network and peer group even after the residency programme ends - lifetime membership, not a time-limited cohort.

For Indian impact founders, the Why Club's most valuable element is the peer network. Other Why Club members are founders who have gone through the same residency, faced the same non-metro India distribution challenges and built businesses in similar sectors. That peer intelligence is often more actionable than mentorship from advisors who have not operated at the grassroots level.
 

5-Point Readiness Checklist Before Applying

Before applying to Next Bharat Ventures, confirm:

✅ Revenue-making business : Pre-revenue startups are not eligible
✅ Impact thesis is clear : Social impact must be linked to the commercial model, not an afterthought
✅ Sector fit : Agritech, financial inclusion, supply chain, healthcare, rural mobility or AI for social good
✅ Founder available for Bangalore residency : 2 months, full attendance mandatory
✅ Equity raise planned in next 3-6 months : Must be actively looking to raise capital

Apply Before the Winter Window Opens

Next Bharat Ventures is the only fund in India that combines equity capital, a structured residency, a Japan industrial immersion and a lifetime founder community in a single programme. For Indian founders building for non-metro India in agritech, financial inclusion, rural mobility, healthcare supply chains or AI for social good, this is the most strategically aligned capital available in 2026. The fund's second corpus of INR 2,000 crore represents Suzuki's largest-ever commitment to Indian entrepreneurs and signals that the impact investment category has reached institutional scale. The Winter 2026 batch application timeline will be announced at nextbharat.ventures - monitor the website and apply as soon as the window opens. For more global funding opportunities, read our guides on government grants for Indian startups, global accelerators for Indian founders, YC Startup School India guide and active angel investors in India.

Before the application opens, get your business profile and impact thesis organized. Next Bharat's selection committee evaluates your revenue model, impact linkage and growth roadmap across the residency - having that information consolidated and investor-ready before you apply significantly improves your chances. Create your Backrr profile to consolidate your pitch, traction and team credentials today. The right fund for the next billion Indians is actively looking for founders like you.