Folium Sensing Wins Top Prize at IIT Madras' Sangam 2025 Innovation Summit
- Folium Sensing won the top prize at Sangam 2025 for its fibre-optic sensor technology that monitors ageing infrastructure in real-time.
- Over 500 participants attended the Bengaluru event, which showcased 20 deep-tech and AI startups to 250+ investors.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced Rs 10,000 crore in additional startup funding and a Rs 1 lakh crore loan to boost tech innovation.
A fibre-optic sensor startup, Folium Sensing, clinched the top prize of Rs 3 lakh at Sangam 2025 the flagship global innovation and alumni summit hosted by IIT Madras and its alumni association. The annual event, held on July 4-5 in Bengaluru, spotlighted deep-tech entrepreneurship and cutting-edge innovation under the central theme of Artificial Intelligence, research, and entrepreneurship.
At the heart of the summit was the Startup Pitchfest, where 20 deep-tech and AI-driven ventures pitched their innovations to an audience of over 250 investors, venture capitalists, and ecosystem enablers. Folium Sensing stood out for its game-changing fibre-optic sensing technology designed for real-time structural health monitoring. By enabling scalable detection of stress and degradation in bridges, buildings, and industrial facilities, the startup aims to revolutionise infrastructure safety, particularly across ageing urban landscapes.
The second prize went to Q-axis Motors, a startup that has developed India’s first sub-100rad precision gimbals. These high-precision motion control systems have promising applications in defence, surveillance, and drone technologies, enabling improved stability, tracking, and targeting for unmanned and autonomous vehicles.
Third place was awarded to Zentor Medtech, which showcased the world’s first patented solid-state laser technology for ophthalmic surgery. Their laser platform aims to enhance both the precision and safety of eye surgery, offering a robust alternative to traditional laser devices.
Sangam 2025 attracted over 500 participants including entrepreneurs, alumni, faculty, students, and investors. The two-day event included keynotes and discussions led by technology pioneers and policy leaders, reaffirming IIT Madras’s position as a national and global hub of deep-tech research and startup incubation.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking at the event, highlighted the government’s commitment to innovation-driven development. He announced that a second tranche of Rs 10,000 crore under the 'Fund of Funds' had been sanctioned following the successful deployment of the initial Rs 10,000 crore allocation in the previous budget. He also shared that the Cabinet has approved an interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh crore ($12 billion) to the Department of Science and Technology, designed to support emerging technologies through reinvestable and flexible funding mechanisms.
Commenting on the role of IIT Madras, Prof. V Kamakoti, Director of the institute, stated: “IIT Madras is committed to playing a pivotal role in shaping Viksit Bharat 2047. Innovation and entrepreneurship are key drivers of this vision, and Sangam 2025 stands as a vibrant platform that reinforces our nation’s journey toward becoming a global product innovation powerhouse”.
The event also featured thought-provoking sessions with prominent IIT Madras alumni including Kris Gopalakrishnan (Chairman, Axilor Ventures & Co-founder, Infosys), Dr. S Somanath (Vikram Sarabhai Professor and former ISRO Chairman), Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft), Srinivas Narayanan (OpenAI), and Tarun Mehta (Co-founder, Ather Energy).
Sectors such as AI, healthcare, biotechnology, quantum computing, logistics, and climate tech were prominently showcased during the pitchfest. Startups selected at the event will now be onboarded into the IIT Madras Innovation Ecosystem, which has already supported over 500 ventures in the past decade.
Reflecting on the summit’s impact, Shyamala Rajaram, President of the IIT Madras Alumni Association, said: “Sangam 2025 is a powerful confluence of IIT Madras and its global alumni sparking bold conversations on innovation, entrepreneurship, and nation-building”.
With such dynamic initiatives, IIT Madras continues to strengthen its role as a catalyst for technology-driven transformation and economic progress on both national and global stages.
