The Startup Incubation Sector- The Dice is loaded.

For over a year, I have wasted a tremendous amount of time and effort trying to get development funds from various startup programs, incubators, NGOs, Overseas agencies with almost zero results. I got at least 15 rejections for a development grant from India and overseas in one year.  Yes, my work is niche technology, but with no local or imported analogues, quite indispensable in defence sectors and tremendous social impact potential. So why the mass rejections?? At some point, I re-read all my applications to find out what's so wrong and after thorough introspection and revision of my presentations, write-ups, strategy and my product offering, dawned the realisation that most of these programs are a charade with the dice loaded against most applicants. 

They are like Facebook, which exists and profits only due to its users who are the free content providers. For almost all Startup funds and Incubators, their raison d'etre is to collect as many applicants as possible, conduct boot camps and training sessions(elevator pitch in local language) to justify their salaries which are usually paid either by a government agency or a private fund(much like the corporatized child-welfare NGOs).  And secondly to nitpick and choose those startups whose valuation can be bloated up as quickly as possible(mostly app-based service providing ecosystems) to be palmed off to larger investors pocketing their commission. 

Most Angel Investor's despite their name prefer Startups whose valuation can be ballooned at minimal cost to be palmed off to VCs under the "Bigger Fool" scheme.

At the other end of the spectrum are a couple of government funds, tied up in red tape and academia which clearly state that it can't be used for paying even basic sustenance to the innovators or inventors as a salary or stipend. Many private investors follow suit, offering only to support the development work but not salaries, or offer such a minuscule amount that only a fresh graduate living with parents or supported by a spouse would agree to such an arrangement. Their justification being they are not investing so that someone may live off their hard-earned money, completely ignoring the fact that in order to develop a product or business one must eat too.