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Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), for the first time in its history, has incubated over 100 start-ups in one financial year. In keeping with IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti’s vision of ‘Startup 100 Mission’ set in early 2024, IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) incubated 104 new startups during 2024-25 FY.
This achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of IITMIC (with its sector-specific incubators - Pravartak, Bioincubator, HTIC MedTech, RTBI) and the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IITM.
A key highlight of this milestone is that more than 50 per cent of these 104 startups were founded by IIT Madras members — faculty, staff, students and alumni. This reflects the strong innovation and entrepreneurship culture at the Institute where its faculty, students, researchers and alumni continue to lead groundbreaking advancements in emerging deep-tech sectors.
The remaining 48% of startups were founded by external entrepreneurs, further strengthening and showcasing IITMIC’s diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, made the formal announcement during the World IP Celebrations on campus today (26 April 2025) organized by the Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR), IIT Madras.
Prof. V. Kamakoti made the announcement in the presence of key stakeholders in achieving this monumental feat, including Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean (ICSR), Prof. Prabhu Rajaopgal, Head, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Faculty-in-charge, IITM Incubation Cell, Dr. Tamaswati Ghosh, CEO, IITM Incubation Cell, other faculty, students and researchers.
Several tech talks were held during the occasion besides the presentation of awards for startups and inventors who had filed for patents.
DEEP TECH SECTORS
Congratulating all the stakeholders of IIT Madras working in the Innovation Ecosystem, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “As we march towards Viksit Bharat 2047, the technology superpower that our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is envisioning will be a Product Nation and a Startup Nation. We need to have a lot of products that make both economic and social sense. IIT Madras has always aspired to deliver many more startups, looking at socio-economic problems.”
Further, Prof V Kamakoti added, “This year, we have filed 417 patents during the 2024-25 Financial Year, more than ‘One Patent a Day’. The challenge of ‘Start-up Shatam’ (100 start-ups), which translates to incubating one start-up every third day, was taken up on 1st April 2024. I am proud to announce that the Institute has met this challenge by incubating 104 start-ups. These are deep core-tech start-ups in sectors such as manufacturing, robotics, automotive materials, battery, construction, defence, ship building, aerospace, UAVs and health tech, besides space technologies, pharma and quantum, among others. The institute has incubated start-ups across a broad spectrum. This is our humble contribution to a Product Nation, a Start-up Nation and Viksit Bharat 2047.”
The newly incubated startups are working across a variety of high-impact deep-tech sectors, including:
- Manufacturing, Robotics, Automotive & Batteries, Materials & Defence/Aerospace
- AI, ML, AR/VR, Blockchain, Quantum Computing, Analytics/SAAS & Fintech
- Healthtech
- Biotech, Pharma, neutraceuticals & agritech
- IoT, cyber physical systems
START-UP VOICES
Mr. Abhijit Bhutey, co-founder of space manufacturing startup - Inbound Aerospace (founded by IIT-Madras PhD alumni and externals), and one of the 104 incubated start-ups, said, “At Inbound, our mission to push the boundaries of space-tech has been made possible through the unwavering support and vision of the IIT Madras entrepreneurial ecosystem. From our early days at the ‘Nirmaan pre-incubator’ to being incubated at IITMIC in FY25, we’ve seen the immense value of deep mentorship, technical guidance, and a community that fosters innovation. We are especially grateful to the IITMIC team, whose dedication and hands-on support have been pivotal to our growth. It’s an honor to be part of the 100+ startups nurtured here, all contributing to a future built on knowledge, impact, and vision.”
Mr. Sarthak Saurav, BTech 2024 graduate from IIT-Madras and CEO of AI powered 3D printing startup – Matterize said, “The foundation built during my time at CFI and later at Nirmaan equipped us with vital business acumen, setting the stage for our progress within the IITMIC. Being part of 100+ startup incubated in FY25 the network, mentorship, and resources at IITMIC have been instrumental and are a testament to IITM’s commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship at scale.”
‘CULTURE OF TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH’
Elaborating on the efforts that led to this achievement, Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, Head, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras, said, “Reaching the target of 100 startups a year as envisioned by our Director Prof. V Kamakoti seemed like an impossibility to many of us, and yet we are here already. This is largely thanks to the systematic mechanisms in the Institute for supporting a culture of translational research based on deep science and starting up, institutionalised through multiple organisations working in concert. In the coming year, we plan to strengthen the mentoring and go-to-market strategies as well as drive the emergence of ‘multinational’ startups, another vision articulated by our leadership.”
Further, Dr. Tamaswati Ghosh, CEO, IITM Incubation Cell, said, “Incubating over 100 startups in FY25 marks a significant leap from our previous annual average of 60 startups. This achievement reflects the dedication of our team and the effectiveness of our strategic partnerships, enabling nearly equal representation from both the IITM ecosystem and across India in the IITM Shatam incubations. This milestone showcases the maturity of the IITM ecosystem, which provides deep-tech startups the confidence and resources to build, scale and thrive. Looking ahead, IITMIC is focused on expanding our startup pipeline, accelerating the commercial success of existing incubated companies in India, and facilitating global market access through strategic international collaborations. We will also welcome startups from regions like East Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, further reinforcing IITM’s leadership in deep-tech innovation.”
Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Faculty-in-charge, IIT Madras Incubation Cell, said: “Our focus on nurturing deep-tech startups is driving real-world impact, and this milestone is just the beginning. At the heart of our mission is supporting startups that solve complex challenges with cutting-edge technologies. Our ecosystem, visionary leadership at IIT-Madras & IITMIC, and collaborative spirit are key to fueling innovation. We’re excited for the future and remain committed to enabling deep-tech ideas to scale and succeed.”
NODAL INCUBATOR
As the nodal incubator for IIT Madras, IITMIC has been instrumental in creating India’s most dynamic deep-tech startup ecosystem, with the potential to impact industries globally. The School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship synchronises startup-related activities within the institute, providing systematic support through maker spaces, pre-incubation and academic initiatives.
Over the last 12 years, IITMIC has incubated a total of 457 deep-tech startups, collectively valued at over ₹50,000 Crores (based on investments raised from VCs), with two unicorns and one company on the verge of an IPO. These startups, founded by IITM members (faculty, staff, students and alumni) and external entrepreneurs, span a wide range of critical and emerging sectors
Notable success stories emerging from this ecosystem include Ather, Uniphore, Medibuddy, Hyperverge, Stellapps (MooPay), Planys, Agnikul, GUVI, Detect, and Galaxeye, among others. Meanwhile, the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which houses IITM’s pre-incubator Nirmaan, hosts 129 pre-venture teams actively working on deep-tech themes, with 113 under the Pratham training phase and 16 under the Akshar pre-incubation phase.