1 How to read this guide
We grouped 100 ideas into ten buckets of 10 each. For every bucket you’ll see:
Typical start-up capital (₹)
Skill bias — Tech / Creative / Operational
Licences you’ll probably need (so you can budget time & fees)
Use the quick-scan table first, then jump to the bucket that fits your passion and wallet.
Bucket | Starter capital range | Skill bias | Typical licences / filings |
Digital‑lean services | ₹25 k – ₹2 L | Tech & marketing | GST after ₹20 L, MSME UDYAM, data‑privacy consent |
Creator economy & ed‑tech | ₹15 k – ₹1 L | Creative, teaching | GST, FSSAI (if nutrition), DPDP compliance for data |
Neighbourhood F&B | ₹3 L – ₹12 L | Operational | FSSAI, Shop & Establishment, Fire NOC, GST |
B2B manufacturing (micro) | ₹5 L – ₹25 L | Operational / tech | Udyam, Factory licence (if > 20 workers), GST |
Green & recycle plays | ₹2 L – ₹10 L | Operational / tech | Pollution Board CTO, GST, e‑waste return |
Health & wellness | ₹50 k – ₹5 L | Health, fitness | GST, Drug & Cosmetics or AYUSH (if supplements), local trade licence |
Agri & food processing | ₹2 L – ₹15 L | Operational | FSSAI central/state, APEDA (export), Agri‑infra scheme filings |
Tourism & experiences | ₹1 L – ₹6 L | Creative, ops | GST, state tourism registration, transport permits |
Rural & Bharat SaaS | ₹30 k – ₹3 L | Tech | GST, DPDP, GSP if e‑sign APIs used |
Deep‑tech & climate labs | ₹10 L – ₹50 L | High tech | DPIIT start‑up cert, BIS/ISO, DPIIT R&D incentive forms |
2 Bucket-by-bucket idea list (10 each)
Tip: Beacon Filing can bundle the exact licences for any idea below into a fixed-fee “Launch-Pack”.
A. Digital-lean services
Local-language SEO studio
WhatsApp commerce chatbot builder
Micro-SaaS for society maintenance bills
UPI-enabled donation pages for NGOs
Hyperlocal paid-newsletter (Substack clone)
Drone-shot real-estate video agency
E-book cover design shop on Fiverr
Remote cyber-security audits for MSMEs
Shopify store set-up agency for Tier-3 sellers
Voice-over marketplace for regional ads
B. Creator economy & ed-tech
Coding bootcamp for kids (Scratch ↔ Python)
Spoken-English YouTube channel + paid course
AR filter design studio for Instagram creators
Online tabla or Carnatic vocal classes
Digital art NFT masterclasses (post-regulation)
Exam-prep micro-subscription app (UPSC MCQs)
Nutritionist consultations via Zoom + meal plans
DIY craft kits with video tutorials
Micro-influencer agency for rural brands
Career-switch cohort courses (e.g., data analytics)
C. Neighbourhood food & beverage
4-seater artisanal coffee bar
Millet-only dosa cloud kitchen
Kombucha brewing & subscription growlers
Pet-friendly dessert truck
DIY meal-kit delivery (regional cuisines)
Bento-box lunch service for co-working hubs
Vegan cheese micro-dairy
Low-sugar sweets pop-up stall
AI-driven dynamic menu pricing tool (SaaS)
Weekend farmer-producer bazaar kiosk
D. Micro manufacturing (B2B)
3D-printed spare parts for agro-machines
Bamboo toothbrush unit
Solar lantern assembly line
Reusable sanitary-pad stitching unit
Smart-irrigation sensor PCB shop
Biodegradable packaging moulding
Custom PCBs for EV chargers
Modular furniture from recycled wood
Organic soap & shampoo bar factory
LED street-light retrofitting kits
E. Green & recycle plays
E-waste door-pickup + refurb store
Mushroom farming on agri-waste
Plastic-to-paver-block compression unit
Home compost-kit D2C brand
Rain-water harvesting consultancy
Used cooking-oil biodiesel aggregator
Second-life laptop marketplace
Carbon-credit verification SaaS
Textile off-cut upcycling studio
EV battery-swap kiosk franchising
F. Health & wellness
Mobile physiotherapy service
Women-only functional-fitness box
Ayurvedic skincare D2C line
Blue-light filter eyewear e-shop
VR guided-meditation sessions
On-demand pathology sample pick-up
Gluten-free bakery subscription
Pet physiotherapy & hydrotherapy pool
Digital clinic for PCOS management
Tele-psychiatry app in vernacular languages
G. Agri & food processing
Turmeric-latte spice blend exports
Solar-dried fruit snacks factory
Organic honey aggregation & branding
Plant-based meat keema unit
Hydroponic leafy-greens racks (urban)
Cold-pressed mustard-oil micro-mill
Goat cheese farm & Airbnb experience
A2-milk testing & certification lab
Packaged jackfruit biryani‐mix
Farm-machinery rental via mobile app
H. Tourism & experiences
Heritage walk curator (audio-guide + bookings)
Weekend glamping pods near metros
Drone photography tours for influencers
Culinary homestay network (grandma’s kitchen)
Night-cycling tour packages
Motorcycle rental with UPI-meter
Responsible tiger-safari guide school
Handloom village day-trips
Travelling pottery workshop van
Micro-weddings in heritage havelis
I. Bharat SaaS (rural-first software)
Vernacular invoice & GST filing app
Dairy-farm milk-yield tracker SaaS
Panchayat-level grievance-redress portal
Micro-finance loan origination engine
AI voice bot for crop-price alerts
Co-op society digital ledger tool
Skill-voucher management system (CSR)
Rural tele-med booking & e-pharma link
Mobile marketplace for artisanal clusters
Water-pump predictive-maintenance IoT dashboard
J. Deep-tech & climate labs
Graphene additive manufacturing service
Carbon-capture algae bioreactor start-up
Smart-grid peer-to-peer energy trading platform
Agri-drone swarm for crop spraying
Rapid genomic-testing lab (precision agri)
Solid-state Li-ion cell prototyping facility
Bio-degradable electronics R&D
Hydrogen fuel-cell scooter pilot line
Ocean-plastic to 3D filament recycler
AI-based flood-prediction SaaS
3 Licence & compliance map (bucket-wise)
Bucket | Key central licence | State/municipal | When GST is unavoidable | Beacon Filing pack |
Digital services | MSME Udyam opt‑in | Shop & Establishment (home‑office exempt in many states) | Turnover > ₹ 20 L (services) | Solo “DS‑Launch” ₹ 18 k all‑in |
F&B & food‑processing | FSSAI (central or state) | Trade licence, Fire NOC, pollution if > 100 kg/day waste | Turnover > ₹ 40 L (goods) | “Food‑Fast” pack from ₹ 32 k |
Manufacturing / green | Udyam + BIS if mandatory | Factory licence, PCB consent | Turnover > ₹ 40 L | “Make‑in‑India” pack from ₹ 41 k |
Health & wellness | AYUSH, CDSCO, MCI as relevant | Clinical Establishment Act, bio‑waste | Turnover > ₹ 20/40 L | “Health‑Hub” pack from ₹ 29 k |
Tourism / experience | Incredible India / MOT registration (voluntary) | State tourism NOC, transport permits | Turnover > ₹ 20 L | “Explore‑India” pack from ₹ 22 k |
4 Funding & incentive cheat-sheet
SIDBI Prayas loans up to ₹5 L for idea-stage prototypes at 9 % p.a.
CGTMSE collateral-free limit raised to ₹5 cr (2024).
Start-up India seed grant: ₹20 L convertible note for DPIIT-certified start-ups.
PLI small electronics: 3-6 % cashback on incremental sales — Scheme II opens Oct 2025.
Beacon Filing’s incentive cell writes the application deck and audits utilisation reports.
5 Beacon Filing — your “idea-to-invoice” partner
Entity selection workshop: LLP vs Pvt Ltd vs GST-only sole-prop.
Fixed-fee launch packs matched to bucket & state.
One dashboard for GST, ROC, FSSAI, EPFO, ESIC — no juggling six portals.
Quarterly CA review keeps books investor-ready; pitch deck shows clean compliance score.
Got an idea in the list? Book a free discovery call and let Beacon Filing turn it from bullet-point to bank-balance.
Disclaimer (23 July 2025): Laws, incentives and cost estimates may change. Always seek personalised professional advice before acting.
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