startitup-mcp

MCP server for StartItUp.in — search Indian startup opportunities from any AI agent.

Gives AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and more) access to 1000+ startup grants, credits, accelerators, incubators, government schemes, fellowships, and competitions across India.

Get an API Key

1. Sign in at startitup.in
2. Go to Profile → API Access
3. Click Generate API key — copy it immediately, it's shown only once

Setup

Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "startitup": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["startitup-mcp", "--api-key", "siu_live_YOUR_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "startitup": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["startitup-mcp", "--api-key", "siu_live_YOUR_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "startitup": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["startitup-mcp", "--api-key", "siu_live_YOUR_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Environment variable (all clients)

Instead of passing the key as an argument, set it as an env var:

export STARTITUP_API_KEY=siu_live_YOUR_KEY

Then use "args": ["startitup-mcp"] without the --api-key flag.

Available Tools

list_categories

List all opportunity categories with counts.

No input required

Returns: Grants (338), Incubators (194), Startup Credits (141), Government Schemes (105), Accelerators (101), Competitions (79), Fellowships (24), Investor Programs (18)

list_filters

Get valid filter values for search. Optionally scope to a category.

category?: string   — e.g. "Grants"

Returns: all valid industries, stages, and locations to use in search_opportunities.

search_opportunities

Search and filter opportunities.

q?:        string   — full-text search
category?: string   — e.g. "Accelerators"
industry?: string   — e.g. "SaaS", "FinTech"
stage?:    string   — e.g. "Pre-Seed", "Seed"
location?: string   — e.g. "India", "Global", "Bengaluru"
limit?:    number   — max 20 (default 10)
offset?:   number   — for pagination

get_opportunity

Get full details of a specific opportunity.

id: string   — opportunity ID from search results

Returns: name, org, description, eligibility, amount, deadline, source URL.

Example Usage

Once connected, ask your AI agent:

"Find me government grants for a women-led SaaS startup at pre-seed stage in Bengaluru"

"What accelerators are open for fintech startups?"

"Show me all fellowships available for student founders"

"What are the eligibility requirements for the Startup India Seed Fund?"

Direct HTTP Access

The MCP server is also accessible as a JSON-RPC endpoint for custom integrations:

curl -X POST https://startitup.in/api/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer siu_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"list_categories","arguments":{}}}'

License

MIT © StartItUp.in