Early-stage VC ThinKuvate and deep-tech ecosystem enabler Sanchi Connect announced the launch of their joint accelerator programme, PULSE, designed to discover, invest & scale 4-6 early-stage startups leveraging AI in solving financial world problems.
By combining capital, mentorship, and market access, the Pulse program aims to catalyse fintech success stories from Bharat and build scalable solutions across payments, lending, risk, embedded finance, and more.
The 24-week programme will support a select cohort of AI-first FinTech startups with ₹2-3 crore funding each, quick term-sheet issuance, and access to Sanchi Connect’s ecosystem of mentors, enterprises, and investor network. Shortlisted startups will go through curated mentor-sessions, corporate pilot opportunities with banks, NBFCs and FinTech firms, regulatory clinics and participation in the 2026 Global Demo Day.
Addison Appu, Managing Partner, ThinKuvate Fund, said, “India’s FinTech ecosystem is entering a new phase – one driven by AI, data intelligence, and regulatory innovation. Pulse will empower early-stage founders to build globally scalable, compliant, and commercially viable products that address real-world challenges in finance.”
Dr. Sunil K. Shekhawat, the founder of SanchiConnect, said, “AI is changing the rules of FinTech, and India is at the heart of this change. Indian startups have a unique chance to create solutions that not only help Bharat but also change the way the world works in finance. This is because of their talent, size, and willingness to try new things. We at SanchiConnect think that this is India’s time to take the lead in the next wave of AI-driven financial innovation. With our partnership with ThinKuvate, we intend to streamline our efforts on 4 to 6 early-stage startups that have a lot of potential and try to make them big.”
