SIIC, IIT Kanpur Breaks Ground by Crossing 500 Startup Incubation Mark; Ushers in New Milestone in Entrepreneurship Development
Bengaluru, 30 September 2025: The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), IIT Kanpur, has achieved a historic milestone by incubating more than 500 startups, making it one-of-the-first IIT-led incubators in India to cross this landmark. Established in 2000 in collaboration with SIDBI, SIIC has grown into one of the country’s most enduring and impactful technology business incubators, fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and market-ready solutions that are transforming industries and communities alike.
The celebration was graced by the distinguished Board of Directors of Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology (FIRST), IIT Kanpur, including Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur; Prof. Braj Bhushan, Deputy Director of IIT Kanpur; Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean of Research and Development, IIT Kanpur; Prof. Deepu Philip, Professor-In-Charge of SIIC; and Mr. Srikant Sastri, Chairman, Geospatial Data Promotion & Development Committee; along with Mr. Anurag Singh, CEO of SIIC and Mr. Piyush Mishra, COO and CFO of SIIC. Together, they acknowledged SIIC’s pivotal role in transforming cutting-edge innovations into ventures that contribute significantly to India’s fast-growing startup economy.
Reflecting on the achievement, Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, stated: “Crossing the milestone of incubating over 500 startups is a testament to IIT Kanpur’s unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship for national development. Through SIIC, we are consistently bridging the gap between research and real-world application, empowering entrepreneurs to create solutions that matter. This achievement reinforces our role as a catalyst for transformative change in India’s innovation ecosystem.”
SIIC’s impact today extends well beyond incubation. Startups nurtured at the centre have collectively reported an approximate valuation of ₹12,000 crore through fundraising, underscoring their credibility in competitive markets. More than 150 women-led companies have emerged from the SIIC ecosystem, reflecting the incubator’s commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship. The top 253 startups supported by SIIC have generated over 10,829 skilled and unskilled jobs, with their footprint spread across 22 states in India, demonstrating the centre’s contribution to both economic growth and social development.
Speaking on SIIC’s evolving role, Prof. Deepu Philip, Professor-In-Charge, SIIC, IIT Kanpur, remarked: “This milestone underscores the resilience and ingenuity of our startups. At SIIC, our mission has always been to provide the right mix of mentorship, funding, infrastructure, and networks to help deep-tech entrepreneurs thrive. The fact that this is one-of-the-first instances of an IIT-led incubator crossing this milestone is a testament to the vibrant ecosystem we have built together.”
Over the years, SIIC has nurtured ventures across a wide spectrum of critical sectors—medtech, IoT, AI/ML, clean technology, agritech, social tech, defence and aerospace, cybersecurity, and fintech—creating a thriving ecosystem of problem-solvers who are designing solutions for India and scaling them to global markets. This breadth of focus has allowed the incubator to empower innovators working at the intersection of technology and societal impact, from sustainable energy alternatives to advanced robotics and affordable healthcare diagnostics.
These efforts have translated into remarkable success stories. Offgrid Energy Labs raised $15M in Series A funding to expand its proprietary zinc-bromine-based battery system (ZinGel), a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion storage. Primary Healthtech is scaling its IoT-enabled, AI-powered Mobilab device, a point-of-care blood testing solution supported by the Technology Development Board of India. Lifeandlimb.ai and AgrowSure carried the SIIC flag to the global stage when they were chosen for the prestigious Commonwealth Startup Fellowship in the UK, where they showcased groundbreaking work in affordable prosthetics and climate-resilient agri-machinery. Similarly, Royal Bengal Greentech Pvt. Ltd. made headlines by securing three times its expected funding commitment from Rayzon Solar, following a compelling pitch on Shark Tank India.
In 2025, SIIC further expanded its global footprint through a partnership with NMexus, a US-based accelerator offering international access and regulatory guidance to startups such as Aethrone Aerospace. Such collaborations strengthen SIIC’s position not only as a national leader in incubation but also as a springboard for global entrepreneurial ambitions.
As India advances toward its aspirations under Make in India, Vocal for Local, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, SIIC IIT Kanpur continues to demonstrate how deep-tech incubation nurtured within academia can catalyze entrepreneurial success and drive both the state of Uttar Pradesh and the nation towards economic growth.
