In a landmark achievement for India’s deep-tech ecosystem, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), through its IITM Incubation Cell (IITMIC), has successfully incubated 104 deep-tech startups during the financial year 2024–25.
This development comes at a time when Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has emphasised the need to steer India’s startup landscape away from superficial ventures and toward meaningful investments in deep technology.
Over the last 12 years, IITMIC has backed 457 deep-tech startups, with a combined valuation exceeding ₹50,000 crores. This growing portfolio now includes two unicorns and one company preparing for an IPO, underscoring IIT Madras’ pivotal role in shaping the country’s innovation frontier.
This year’s achievement marks the completion of the ambitious ‘Startup Shatam’ mission, envisioned by IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti. The institute described the milestone as a record-setting feat in deep-tech entrepreneurship.
In a LinkedIn update, IIT Madras noted that over half of these 104 startups were launched by its community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni, while the remaining ventures stemmed from entrepreneurial talent across the nation. The institute hailed this as a strong indicator of the inclusive and dynamic innovation ecosystem it has built.
The startups span a wide range of advanced sectors such as space exploration, health technology, defence, automotive systems, biotechnology, battery innovation, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, agritech, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The journey from early-stage support at NIRMAAN IITM to aspirations for global impact reflects the institute’s deep-rooted culture of translational research and cutting-edge innovation.
Some of the standout ventures to emerge from IIT Madras’ ecosystem include Ather Energy, Uniphore, MediBuddy, HyperVerge, Stellapps Technologies (MooPay), Planys Technologies, AgniKul Cosmos, GUVI Geek Networks, Detect Technologies, Mindgrove Technologies, and GalaxEye.
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“This milestone reinforces our mission to nurture deep-tech innovation and drive global change through entrepreneurial excellence,” IIT Madras said, affirming its role in shaping India into both a Product Nation and a Startup Nation, aligned with the national vision for Viksit Bharat 2047.
