A record feat for India's deep-tech ecosystem, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) incubated 104 deep-tech startups within the financial year 2024-25, through its IITM Incubation Cell (IITMIC). The feat underscores the increasing prominence of IIT Madras in the development of innovation in the forefront technology spaces.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently emphasized the need to shift India's startup ecosystem from mere superficial startups to more effective deep-tech innovations in line with the vision of IIT Madras. IITMIC has so far supported 457 deep-tech startups in the last 12 years, valued at a total of over Rs 50,000 crores collectively. Among those are two unicorns and a company gearing for an IPO, indicating the wide growth and achievement of its projects.

The milestone also completes IIT Madras 'Startup Shatam' initiative, initiated by IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti, further solidifying the institute's position in defining India's innovation frontier. Over half of the 104 startups incubated this year were started by IIT Madras' own people, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni, with the rest coming from entrepreneurial talent all over India.

These startups operate across a range of cutting-edge domains, ranging from space exploration to health tech, defence, AI, quantum computing, agritech, and IoT. The institute's widespread support through initiatives such as NIRMAAN IITM has helped these startups set their sights on global influence, with Ather Energy, Uniphore, MediBuddy, and AgniKul Cosmos being some of the prominent names to have emerged from the ecosystem. This achievement reflects IIT Madras' critical position in India's deep-tech ecosystem and its ongoing dedication to driving technological innovation.

“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.