Accelerate AI-powered fintech solutions for India’s women-centric Self-Help Group
AI for Inclusive Finance is a national innovation challenge co-created by IIMA Ventures and RBIH, with support from financial institutions and ecosystem partners.
This initiative aims to strengthen the financial inclusion ecosystem for India’s nearly 91 lakh Self-Help Groups by deploying secure, AI-enabled fintech solutions across Sakhis, SHG women entrepreneurs, and the broader base of SHG members. More than a competition, it is a capacity-building movement designed to build the infrastructure layer required to enable and sustain mass-scale livelihoods for women across the country, culminating in a cohort launch showcase at Global Fintech Fest 2026.
Access to SHGs, Sakhis, and Federations for pilot testing and real-world integration.
Mentorship from IIMA Ventures and RBIH experts, fintech leaders, and domain advisors.
Structured pilot enablement and ecosystem network access for top-performing startups.
Startups with AI-native fintech solutions like credit scoring, decisioning, automation, or personalisation, that can be adapted for low-income, rural women customers, with at least an MVP or demonstrable early traction.
Rural and agri-tech builders with experience designing for Bharat-first users in low-bandwidth, assisted-use environments.
Startups building digital commerce, B2B, or supply chain tools relevant to SHG producer groups, with scalable, affordable solutions ready for field deployment.
Applications open as part of a 45 day outreach window. The closing date will be August 15, 2026.
Applications are evaluated across team strength, problem fit, and business viability, depth of AI usage, product readiness, and potential impact for SHGs. Selection proceeds through two rounds: internal screening followed by external panel review involving RBIH and other ecosystem representatives, over a 2-week period.
Only one application per innovation will be considered. If multiple entries are submitted for the same idea, only the strongest version will be reviewed.
Yes, you can still apply. We request you to highlight the support you have received from previous programs.
Selected startups will be onboarded for pilot opportunities through NRLM/SRLM networks, with support for deployment, monitoring, and ecosystem integration post-program.