Incubation Projects
Ideas and technologies from the IIT Madras innovation ecosystem have taken shape as ventures addressing real-world needs, supported by leading industry partners.
AptivAptiv – Nirmaan Entrepreneurship Development Programme
Overview The Aptiv-supported Entrepreneurship Development Programme at IIT Madras strengthens the institute's innovation ecosystem by empowering aspiring student entrepreneurs through the Nirmaan Pre-incubator. Supported by Aptiv Components India Private Limited , the initiative nurtures early-stage startups from ideation to commercialization through structured pre-incubation, mentorship, seed support, and ecosystem access. The programme enables innovators to validate ideas, build prototypes, develop business models, and prepare for incubation, creating a strong pipeline of technology-driven ventures. Vision The Aptiv-supported programme envisions building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem where promising ideas are transformed into impactful enterprises. By strengthening pre-incubation, fostering innovation, and encouraging technology commercialization, the initiative contributes to IIT Madras' mission of creating globally competitive startups that generate economic value while addressing pressing societal challenges. Objectives The programme aims to foster a culture of entrepreneurship by providing comprehensive support to student innovators through Nirmaan's Pratham and Akshar programmes. It equips founders with mentorship, technical guidance, funding opportunities, and entrepreneurial training to transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures while promoting solutions that address real-world challenges. Key Highlights Supported 27 entrepreneurs across Pratham, Akshar, and graduated startup cohorts. Enabled 14 Pratham teams , 5 Akshar teams , and 8 graduated startups through structured pre-incubation. Facilitated the creation of 3 Intellectual Property (IP) filings. Supported innovations aligned with 4 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . Helped multiple startups progress towards incubation at the IIT Madras Incubation Cell while enabling prototype development, customer validation, product refinement, and market readiness. Impact The programme has supported startups across diverse sectors including artificial intelligence, aerospace, healthcare, clean energy, biotechnology, manufacturing, fintech, mobility, agriculture, and sustainability . Through mentorship, product development support, customer discovery, and entrepreneurial capacity building, founders have successfully developed prototypes, acquired early users, secured intellectual property, and advanced towards commercialization and incubation. Beneficiaries The initiative directly benefits: Student entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders Research-driven innovators Technology startups emerging from IIT Madras Faculty mentors and innovation ecosystem partners Society through solutions addressing healthcare, sustainability, education, mobility, agriculture, and digital transformation challenges.
AMEXAMEX - Innovation and Incubation Program at IIT Madras
The Innovation and Incubation Program at IIT Madras , supported by American Express (AMEX) , is designed to strengthen the early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem by supporting technology-driven and socially relevant student startups. The programme is implemented through the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE), Nirmaan – the pre-incubator at IIT Madras – and the IIT Madras Incubation Cell , enabling innovators to progress from ideation and pre-incubation toward scalable entrepreneurial ventures. The programme specifically addresses gaps in the pre-incubation stage of entrepreneurship and promotes ventures that combine technological innovation with social relevance. In FY 2024–25, the AMEX programme aimed to support 20+ student innovator and entrepreneur teams , providing mentorship, resources, grant support and structured guidance to help promising ideas develop into sustainable ventures aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . Vision The programme seeks to build a strong pipeline of student entrepreneurs who can translate innovative ideas into viable products, services and enterprises. Through the partnership between American Express and IIT Madras , selected teams receive structured support to navigate the journey from problem identification and early product development to pre-incubation, incubation, customer validation and eventual growth. A strong emphasis is placed on ventures capable of creating measurable social, environmental and economic value. Startups are evaluated on parameters including market opportunity, business model, team capability, product readiness, financial sustainability, customer traction, impact and scalability , ensuring that grant support is directed toward ventures with both innovation potential and a clear path to impact. Programme Scale During FY 2024–25, the AMEX-supported programme provided support to 25 startup teams : 6 Nirmaan pre-incubation teams 19 Early Bird teams through the IIT Madras Incubation Cell 6 Professors of Practice supported through the training component The programme allocated ₹52.5 lakh to Nirmaan teams and ₹3.20 crore to Early Bird startups. Including training, programme implementation and institutional overheads, total expenditure reported under the programme was ₹4.31 crore . The supported portfolio spans multiple SDGs and technology areas, including health and well-being, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry and innovation, reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities and communities . Startup & Impact Highlights Automagri (Krishaka) is developing an autonomous electric paddy-transplanting robot. In pilot use, it engaged 100+ farmers , deployed 3 units across 5 locations , and achieved 30% higher efficiency with 20–30% reduction in water and input use . Phase 1 revenue target: ₹80 lakh from 20 units . Bhaskara Engineering Services is building indigenous Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for decentralized clean energy. It has fabricated 3 prototypes , with targets of 3 functional units , TRL 7–8 , 2 technical jobs , and 2 institutional pilots/LOIs . BotForge Labs advanced its AI Robot Foundation Model to prototype stage, commissioning 3 GPU workstations . It secured major projects including a ~USD 100,000 Pfizer project and a ₹61.2 lakh Accenture project , achieving strong grant leverage. Cosmic Soul developed an AI wellness platform, reaching 5.5+ lakh views , 4+ lakh Instagram impressions , and ~70,000 users , with access to a potential 15,000+ institutional user base . Inbound Aerospace is developing reusable spacecraft recovery systems. It grew to 7 full-time staff and 7 interns , and raised a USD 1 million pre-seed round supported by early traction. IndieRise Research Labs is building AI tools for filmmaking. It reached 200+ users , signed a ₹9.9 lakh deal , partnered with Envision VFX, contributed to Dhadak 2 , and has a pipeline of 10 films/web series . American Express – Enabling Early-Stage Innovation Through this programme, American Express is supporting the development of a structured pre-incubation and incubation ecosystem at IIT Madras , helping student innovators move beyond promising ideas toward prototypes, pilots, customer validation and commercially viable ventures. The programme combines grant assistance, mentorship, training, milestone-based evaluation and access to IIT Madras' innovation ecosystem , allowing startups to address challenges across agriculture, healthcare, AI, robotics, aerospace, clean energy, financial inclusion, sustainability and digital infrastructure. By supporting 25 startup teams across diverse SDG-aligned sectors , the AMEX–IIT Madras partnership is creating a pipeline of young entrepreneurs capable of building technology-led businesses while contributing to broader social, economic and environmental outcomes.
HDFCHDFC Parivartan - Technology Development for Commercialization Accelerator (TDCA)
The Technology Development for Commercialization Accelerator (TDCA) is a project supported by HDFC Bank Parivartan that enables deep-tech startups to bridge the critical gap between technology development and commercial deployment. The programme provides financial support for R&D, prototyping, pilot validation, manufacturing readiness and commercialization, helping technology ventures transform innovative solutions into scalable products with real-world applications. The progress report specifically identifies HDFC Parivartan/TDCA-HDFC support in the startup portfolio. The programme supports startups developing technologies across clean energy, industrial decarbonisation, water conservation, circular economy, waste recycling, sustainable construction, advanced materials and industrial sensing . HDFC-supported ventures are using their grants to build prototypes, procure equipment, establish manufacturing capabilities, conduct field trials, validate products with industrial customers and progress toward commercial-scale deployment. Vision TDCA seeks to create an innovation ecosystem in which promising deep-tech solutions can successfully transition from research and prototype development to industrial validation and market adoption . Through HDFC Bank Parivartan's support , startups are being enabled to demonstrate their technologies under real-world conditions, establish customer and industry partnerships, strengthen manufacturing capabilities and develop commercially viable business models. The broader objective is to accelerate technologies capable of generating measurable environmental and industrial impact—including water savings, waste diversion, reduced cement consumption, lower carbon emissions, resource recovery and improved industrial efficiency —while simultaneously supporting the growth of technology-led enterprises. Project Highlights The HDFC-supported TDCA portfolio demonstrates strong progress in transforming deep-tech innovations into commercially viable solutions. Supported startups are advancing technologies across advanced materials, clean energy, industrial decarbonisation, waste recycling, sustainable construction, water conservation, and industrial sensing . Across the portfolio, ventures have progressed from product development and prototyping to industrial validation, field deployments, pilot projects, intellectual property creation, manufacturing readiness, and customer engagement . Collaborations with leading industry and institutional partners have enabled technologies to be tested in real-world environments, while several startups are building commercial pipelines and preparing for wider market adoption. The portfolio also demonstrates meaningful environmental impact through resource recovery, plastic waste upcycling, reduced cement consumption, lower-carbon construction, industrial water recovery, improved energy efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing solutions . Impact Technology Commercialization HDFC Bank Parivartan's support is enabling startups to progress beyond laboratory research into prototype development, field validation, manufacturing and commercial engagement . The portfolio includes successful industrial pilots, paid pilots in the pipeline, commercial customer engagement, manufacturing infrastructure development and technology demonstrations with major organisations. Environmental Sustainability The technologies supported through TDCA demonstrate measurable environmental outcomes, including: 29.76 lakh litres of estimated annual water savings from an industrial cooling-tower recovery application. 30% water recovery and 90% TDS reduction demonstrated by EarthFokus. 40 kg of MLP waste diverted from landfill or incineration during initial waste-recycling trials. Approximately 95% separation efficiency achieved in plastic-aluminium recovery trials. 30–45% cement reduction demonstrated in a 190 m³ low-carbon concrete application. 50–60% carbon-footprint reduction reported for cement-free geopolymer products. Industry and Market Readiness The programme is also creating pathways for startups to work with industrial customers and partners. The report records engagements involving organisations such as Caterpillar, EID Parry, PGP Glass, ISRO, Tata Power, Sobha Construction, Google, JSW Steel, Hindalco and MRF , among others. Beneficiaries The TDCA project supported by HDFC Bank Parivartan benefits multiple stakeholders across the technology and industrial ecosystem: Deep-tech startups , through grants that enable R&D, prototype development, equipment procurement, testing, pilot deployment and commercialization. Industries and MSMEs , through access to validated technologies designed to reduce resource consumption, improve efficiency and lower operating costs. Researchers and technology innovators , by creating pathways for laboratory innovations to become commercially deployable products. Workers and supply-chain participants , including those engaged in waste sourcing, sorting, fabrication, manufacturing and technology deployment. Communities and the environment , through technologies addressing water conservation, waste recycling, carbon reduction, sustainable construction and industrial decarbonisation. Investors and industry partners , through access to increasingly market-ready startups with demonstrated prototypes, field validation and commercial potential. HDFC Bank Parivartan – Enabling Innovation to Market Transition HDFC Bank Parivartan is a key supporter of the TDCA initiative , providing financial backing that enables participating startups to move from technology development toward market-ready execution. The report directly acknowledges that HDFC Parivartan's support enabled EarthFokus to move "from concept to market-ready execution" , illustrating the programme's role in accelerating the translation of innovation into measurable commercial and sustainability outcomes. Through TDCA, HDFC Bank Parivartan is supporting an innovation-led approach to CSR , where investment in deep-tech entrepreneurship contributes simultaneously to technology development, enterprise growth, industrial sustainability, resource conservation and climate impact .
CITI BANKCITIBANK - Pathways – Innovation to Incubation
Pathways – Innovation to Incubation is a three-year CSR initiative supported by Citibank N.A. and implemented by IIT Madras to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The initiative supports promising technology ventures while enabling faculty members and researchers across Indian STEM institutions to translate research and innovation into scalable, market-relevant enterprises . The initiative brings together startup incubation and entrepreneurship capacity building, creating a pathway that supports innovation from research and early-stage ideas to venture validation and commercialization . Vision Pathways aims to create a stronger pipeline of technology-led entrepreneurs and research-driven ventures by connecting innovation with market opportunities. The programme enables startups to develop and validate their ventures while helping researchers and faculty understand customer needs, assess entrepreneurial readiness and explore the commercial potential of their innovations. The larger vision is to nurture an ecosystem where innovators, academic institutions, mentors, industry partners and investors work together to transform promising technologies into sustainable enterprises that create meaningful value for society and the economy. Key Components The initiative is implemented through two complementary programmes : Program A – Incubation Program Support: Led by the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE), IIT Madras , it supports early-stage startups in Agri-Tech, Clean-Tech and Fin-Tech through grants, mentoring, incubation linkages, business guidance, investor connections and access to the IIT Madras entrepreneurship ecosystem. Program B – Capacity Building Across Institutions: Led by the Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GDC) through its I-NITIATE programme , it equips faculty members, researchers and technology teams from STEM institutions with entrepreneurial skills and helps them assess market opportunities and the commercial potential of their research. Project Highlights During FY 2025–26 , the programme recorded significant progress across startup incubation and entrepreneurship capacity building: 76 startup applications received 55 startups selected and supported 13 Agri-Tech startups 27 Clean-Tech startups 15 Fin-Tech startups 17 startups with women founders 55 startups mentored 21 patents filed 268 people and fresh graduates employed by supported startups The capacity-building component also achieved: 7 cohorts conducted 218 faculty members and researchers engaged/trained 25 STEM institutions engaged 182 training sessions conducted 3,580 training hours delivered 7 outreach events 88 team-selection meetings 16 speakers engaged in accelerator workshops Beneficiaries The Pathways programme benefits multiple groups across India's innovation ecosystem: Early-stage startups and entrepreneurs , particularly ventures working in Agri-Tech, Clean-Tech and Fin-Tech. Women entrepreneurs , with 17 of the 55 supported startups having women among their founding members. Faculty members and researchers , with 218 participants receiving entrepreneurship-oriented capacity building. STEM institutions across India , with 25 institutions participating, including IIT BHU, IIT Jammu and IISc Bengaluru. Young professionals and fresh graduates , with supported startups collectively employing 268 people and fresh graduates . Research and technology teams , by helping them understand customer needs, validate market opportunities and assess pathways for commercializing their innovations. Impact Citibank's support is enabling impact at two interconnected levels . At the startup level , the programme is helping 55 ventures advance product development, market validation, pilots, early revenue generation, intellectual property creation, regulatory preparedness and investor readiness. The filing of 21 patents and employment of 268 people and fresh graduates demonstrate early outcomes extending beyond incubation into innovation and employment generation. At the research and institutional level , the programme has delivered 3,580 hours of entrepreneurship training to faculty and researchers across 25 STEM institutions , strengthening their capabilities in customer discovery, market validation and venture creation. Citibank N.A. – Enabling Innovation to Incubation Through its CSR partnership with IIT Madras, Citibank N.A. is supporting a comprehensive pathway that connects research, innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization . By simultaneously supporting 55 early-stage startups and building entrepreneurial capacity among 218 faculty members and researchers across 25 STEM institutions , Pathways creates an ecosystem where promising ideas can be evaluated, validated and developed into sustainable, market-oriented ventures. Way Forward The programme will continue to deepen support for early-stage startups through mentoring, milestone-based guidance, ecosystem connections, market opportunities and investor engagement . It will also expand entrepreneurship capacity-building among faculty members, researchers and technology institutions, enabling more research-led teams to explore, validate and pursue entrepreneurial pathways.