IIT Madras partners with Starburst for 100M Euro Aerospace and Defence Hub

In a significant advancement for India's aviation, space, and defense sector (ASD), French aerospace and defense company Starburst Accelerator SARL is collaborating with IIT-Madras to establish a pioneering hub for startups. With funding support totaling €100 million, this partnership aims to equip startups with essential business tools, facilitating their growth and scalability within the aerospace and defense industries. Through this collaboration, IIT-Madras will facilitate the establishment of accelerator programs tailored to India's ASD ecosystem.

Starburst Accelerator SARL aims to establish venture capital funds dedicated to ASD technology, serving as a catalyst for India's economic transformation and its alignment with global partners. This collaboration will facilitate export promotion and offer assistance to Indian ASD startups in venturing into international markets leveraging Starburst's extensive network.

At the IIT-Madras campus, an MoU formalizing this collaboration was signed by François Chopard, the CEO and founder of Starburst Aerospace; Cedric Vallet, the director of innovation and venture at Starburst Aerospace; along with Prof V Kamakoti, the director of IIT-Madras; and Prof Manu Santhanam, the Dean of IIT-Madras's Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) department.

An MoU was signed by François Chopard, Founder and CEO, Starburst Aerospace; Cedric Vallet, Innovation and Venture Director, Starburst Aerospace and V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras and Manu Santhanam, dean (ICSR), IIT Madras, the statement added. “We together aim at creating a robust ASD ecosystem that supports innovation in deeptech and the production in India to meet the future challenges of aerospace, new space and defence worldwide players”, said Chopard.

V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Encouraging young entrepreneurs is extremely important as we embark on our journey to become a multi-trillion economy. To this effect, reputed higher educational institutions must aspire to nurture future employers than employees. In this context, such collaborations with accelerators to nurture startups in critical and emerging sectors are crucial and timely”.

This partnership will primarily target entrepreneurs, research parks, both public and private investors, government entities, and corporate firms. The objective is to foster the development of innovative startups and facilitate their rapid growth, aligning them with upcoming aerospace and new space programs globally.

Starburst will establish a consulting team comprising IIT-Madras alumni, seasoned military officers, in addition to ASD managers and senior consultants from Starburst offices. This initiative aims to assist startups in scaling up during their growth trajectory. The program will offer entrepreneurs and innovators access to resources, driving the development of new technologies, business concepts, and models, thereby enhancing the innovation ecosystem in the Indian aerospace and defense sector. Furthermore, it will enable startups and entrepreneurs to explore potential collaborations with industry, government, and other stakeholders, while also guiding them towards swift implementation and global commercialization.

Tailored programs will be devised by integrating academic expertise with hands-on startup support, encompassing workshops, seminars, and mentoring sessions tailored for Indian startup clusters and research initiatives. Starburst will equip startups with the necessary business resources to expand and thrive in the aerospace and defense sectors, positioning them as prospective suppliers for the future. These initiatives will also enhance startups' ability to attract external funding, mitigate investment risks, and expedite their development process.