Vinayak Grants Program

Edward Liu — Fall 2026

I am giving 10 grants of $700 ($500 cash, $200 for a coding plan) to Indian student entrepreneurs.

I believe that Indian talent is suffocated by structural barriers. Smart people in India are missing three things that have nothing to do with talent:

Starting capital
Frontier AI tools, which cost $200 a month
A way to take payment from a foreign customer

This grant removes all three. Then only one question is left: can you get a stranger to pay you?

What you get

$500 cash (about ₹44,000), paid by UPI
A $200 (about ₹17,500) Claude Code or Codex plan, your pick
A way to get paid by foreign customers: your customer pays in dollars through Stripe, you receive rupees by UPI

What I ask

During the program you sell. Aim for your first foreign sale within 30 days.

Who can apply

Indian citizen, 18-24, living in India
Enrolled or dropped out, any major, any college
You've built something and other people used it
You got other people to give you money for something (e.g. freelancing)
If you are already rich, this does nothing for you. This is for people for whom ₹60,000 is real money. I take your word for it, I will never ask for bank statements or income proof.

How to apply

Rolling applications. You hear back within 7 days.

Sell something to one stranger. Any product, any price, a ₹100 sale counts. It must be a new sale, made in the last 30 days. This is the test.
Submit this form: a link to something you built, plus what you sold and for how much
15-minute interview. Bring proof of your sale, a screenshot is fine.
₹44,000 arrives by UPI within 48 hours of the interview

What happens after

The grant is a gift. You owe nothing, no matter what happens.
If this thesis is correct, I may turn this into a micro-VC and invest five-figure amounts in the most promising ventures.

FAQ

Is this a scam?
No. I will never ask you for money, a fee, an OTP, or your bank login. Money only moves from me to you. Anyone asking for these in my name is a fraud.

Why free?
I think $700 at the right moment makes some people unstoppable, and I want to be early. If a grantee goes on to build something big, I hope to invest. That is the whole model.

How does the money reach me?
By UPI, in rupees. No foreign wire touches your account, so there is nothing for your bank to question.

Is this legal? Will I be taxed?
The cash is a personal gift. In India, gifts from non-relatives are tax-free up to ₹50,000 per financial year, and ₹44,000 is under that line. If you receive other gifts this year, ask a CA.

What does the form ask for?
Name, email, college, links to your work, what you built, and what you sold. No Aadhaar, no PAN, no bank details. I ask for your UPI ID only after you are selected.

Why "Vinayak"?
My friend's middle name, which coincidentally means remover of obstacles.

Contact

vykdom@nytery.com · LinkedIn