i2india is an early stage seed-funding/Technology Commercialization and Incubation firm based out of Bangalore. With a focus on the sectors such as healthcare, energy & clean tech and engineering the firm aims to improve the innovation ecosystem in India, with a special focus on products and technology-driven services.



The last two decades have seen very few projects or companies developing innovative products in India and even lesser research driven ideas for products. The major solutions in India are Westernized models which do not necessarily work well in the Indian context. I2india addresses these issues and focuses on technology based innovative startups which can be used to provide a sustainable advantage for a product.
We intend to create scalable and big impact companies which will develop products aiding in India’s growth in the sectors of health, energy and education.


It is collaboration between Imperial Innovation, few Indian NRI VCs, certain companies like Tata Sons and some individual investors all collectively wanting to fill this gap of IT staged product startups in India.


Anatomy of investment


Early stage product startups ecosystem in India is fairly underdeveloped and this trend is changing at a glacial pace. The dearth of early stage investment in India is because of the lack of breakthrough viable technologies along with lack of experienced entrepreneurs playing mentors.


Unlike a traditional investing fund i2india does more than just cash investments. An in house technology and market research team looks for technology entrepreneurs who could create successful companies. We create a pool of technology where we think we can invest. Investment is done on two different levels; firstly by siphoning in a few hundred thousand dollars into the development of the company in a span of a year and secondly by aiding the building of these companies in house by covering their daily costs and also the cost of certain market advisers. This approach is applied to several ideas and the successful ones are later incorporated into companies.


Resembling a pro active incubation centre the i2india also runs ‘ Technovate’, a non-profit incubator run in collaboration with the government department of science and technology which is focused on building competent entrepreneurs capable of running companies.



Opportunities in the Indian context


It is difficult for India to play on a global stage of innovation at this point. Several may disagree but other than the services sector, India is decades behind the developed nations. Gradually yet steadily have realized that services alone cannot fuel the requirement for growth or profit for entrepreneurs and hence we are evolving from a services economy. People are now moving towards the product sector although most of the products developed have been internet based, such as e-commerce. The shift can be seen towards value added services such as intellectual properties and product development.


Opportunities lie in addressing various situations and comprehending the needs of different markets. Since western solutions do not fit well with our Indian problems the solution need to come from within us making this a potential area. Entrepreneurs should build solutions that are molded keeping the Indian context in mind. Several companies such as GE are starting to think with the Indian perspective.


Contrary to popular belief there is no dearth of money within the country but unless a team has the perfect mix of people with experience and technological knowledge, the investment will not pan out. There is a high interest in entrepreneurship where young people are willing to work on innovative ideas by stepping out of their comfortable jobs. It is an exciting trend.


Indian entrepreneurs; a hit and a miss


Indian entrepreneurs often score an A+ on intention but a C- on finding real ideas to build on. The blame cannot fall completely upon them as they lack the right role models. Most of them end up working on unscalable ideas and ultimately lose interest. It happens because they are focusing on the unimportant problems.


Entrepreneurs should find mentors who have had the relevant experience on the field. If you have a good mentor and have the passion for a certain area you should look further into areas to venture. Segments such as pharmaceutical and automotive does not work well for a startup. Similarly the IT segment is overcrowded. Entrepreneurs can focus more on newer and more relevant areas such as clean tech.


Clean tech for a cleaner India


Most clean tech solutions today are based on Westernized models which do not suit the Indian context well. Such models also have high capital investments. There are opportunities galore in clean tech in India but it requires some market research.


For an instance in terms of cooling and refrigeration used to preserve either food crops or FMCG distribution in rural areas requires large number of systems. This problem needs a solution from within India. Same is the case of water purification. Sectors like these provide ample opportunities to the Indian entrepreneur.


Chose your markets wisely and do not go after green tech based on how the western world defines it. There are several good opportunities but they cannot be gauged by sitting comfortably inside an air-conditioned chamber. An entrepreneur must venture out and talk to researchers to find out the missing part of the solutions. Only then can he work to build the best possible solution for a problem. By coupling the right research along with the required technology solutions, an entrepreneur can surely hit the nail right on its head.