NICEorg and Jaipur Rugs Foundation offer mentorship and funding opportunities to cultural enterprises in the Home Decor and Furnishing sector.

Program Structure

1. Application through Business Plan

2. Indika

– Entrepreneurial Journey and Leadership with Jaipur Rugs Foundation

– Market Expansion

– Fundraising and Finance

– Organization building

3. NICE Angels Meet

– Preparing cultural enterprises to pitch to investor

– Working on the pitch deck

– Cultural enterprises pitch to NICE Angels

Important Dates

• 24 October 2023: Applications Open | Download Pitch Deck & Prepare | Submit on the Website

            Priority Deadline – 24 November 2023 (11:00 pm IST)
            Final Deadline – 19 January 2024 (11:00 pm IST)
            Selection will be done on a first come, first served basis.

• December 2023 – January 2024: Selections through 3 phase evaluation process.
• 5 February – 31 May 2024: Mentorship in hybrid mode including field visits and experiential sessions. Will culminate with an investor meet.

Eligibility

• Only for Indian companies or startups that are registered in India or will be registered in India.
• Open only for startups which meet the Indian Cultural Enterprise criteria. Read more here.
• Please visit niceorg.in for more details on Values and Code of Conduct. Read the Blogs to have more clarity on cultural enterprise definition.
• Open to cultural enterprises with a minimum revenue of Rs. 10 lac for FY 2022-23.
• Open ONLY for the founding team/proprietor/entrepreneur(s) and not employees.
• Startups which have not registered earlier with NICE or attended any other NICE programs are also eligible to apply.

Application

• All applications will be accepted from 24 October – 19 January 2024 ONLY on the program website – Indika.
• Selections will be done on a rolling basis. Priority deadline for applications is 24 November 2023.
  All applications MUST be submitted online via the Google Form link: https://bit.ly/Indika.
• All applications MUST include the pitch deck in the given format.
• Applications that are not submitted on the online page and are not as per the pitch deck format WILL NOT be accepted.
• Please follow the instructions on the Pitch Deck for filling up the slides.
• For any clarifications during preparing your pitch deck, please email: namaste@niceorg.in.
• Please submit only ONE application per startup/ idea.
• Business plan deck submitted for your application has to be Original and not a copyright infringement of any other entity.
• If the NICE committee discovers any dispute of copyright/intellectual property – the submission will stand cancelled.

Selection

• NICE and JRF teams will first filter all applications and share with Selection Panel comprising of Industry Experts.
• Selection Panel will score the shortlisted applications. Based on the scoring, 12 cultural enterprises will be selected for the program.
• The cohort of 12 cultural enterprises will receive mentorship and will be coached for pitching to investors.
• The decision of NICE, JRF and selection jury in finalizing the 12 cultural enterprises is final and not open to any dispute in any form.
• Upon selection, the cultural enterprises MUST pay a program fee of INR 7,500 to confirm their participation. Payment details will be shared only with the selected enterprises.

Participation in Indika

• Entrepreneurs must show seriousness and commitment for the entire duration of the program.
• Entrepreneurs are encouraged to implement their learnings from the program into their businesses and growth plans.
• A program calendar will be shared with all the entrepreneurs so they can block their time accordingly.

– During the offline sessions, enterprises MUST participate in all the sessions physically.

– During the online sessions, enterprises MUST participate in all the Zoom webinars.

• Entrepreneurs will be expected to participate in all the sessions. No show will be understood as a lack of commitment. In case there is a genuine reason for absence, the program managers should be informed well in advance.
• Entrepreneurs MUST fill up the self-assessment workbook provided at the beginning of the session. This will help the program organizers plan subsequent sessions and mentor interactions.
• Sessions may be added or removed based on the feedback from the Entrepreneurs.
• Mentors will conduct group and one-on-one sessions on specific entrepreneurial challenges as indicated by the entrepreneurs.
• Respecting the time of the mentors and entrepreneurs is necessary. All entrepreneurs should login 10 minutes before the sessions.
• Program facilitators will be attending the sessions along with the cultural enterprises. In case any queries or follow-ups are needed, the entrepreneurs must inform the facilitators.
• Mentors may ask tough and challenging questions that are meant to push the entrepreneurs to think differently. We encourage the entrepreneurs to be open in their communication with the mentors and take the challenges in good spirit.
  However, at any point, if the entrepreneurs or mentors feel uncomfortable during the interactions, the program facilitators must be informed immediately.
• Mentor contact details will not be provided to the entrepreneurs. If the entrepreneurs wish to connect with the mentors separately, they should do so via the organizing team.
• The organizing team must be informed of all interactions between the mentors and the entrepreneurs outside the program.

NICE Angels Meet

• NICE Angels Meet is a unique program that brings together a curated pool of investors willing to invest in cultural businesses. Know more: niceorg.in/nice-programs/nice-angels-meet/.
• Participating cultural enterprises will pitch to these NICE Investors.
• Based on the discretion of the investors, these enterprises may raise funds
• NICE Angels Meet prepares cultural enterprises to face real world challenges in fundraising. However, NICEorg doesn’t guarantee funding for cultural enterprises participating in this program. NICEorg will not be a party in the fundraise and will have no stake in investors’ decision.

Program-related Costs

• Selected cultural enterprises will have to pay INR 7,500 for confirming their participation in the program. There are no scholarships or discounts.
• The decision to waive off the program fee rests solely on the organizers.
• Selected entrepreneurs will have to bear their own travel expenses to Jaipur.
• Accommodation on twin-sharing basis in the JRF guesthouse and meals will be provided in Jaipur by the organizers during the offline program duration.
• Enterprises are expected to make their own arrangements for travel, food, and accommodation (if needed) outside the scope of the program.

Information & Privacy

• NICEorg and Jaipur Rugs Foundation will ensure utmost privacy and security of all applications on password and access protected folders.
• We will delete all the applications 30 days from processing the results and hence applicants must save their original versions securely.
• All participants MUST maintain confidentiality during the program regarding the sessions and investor information.
• NICEorg and JRF branding must be used wisely by the entrepreneurs and all attribution must be given to the organizers where necessary.
• Any misuse of the NICEorg or JRF branding by the cultural enterprises can lead to disqualification.