Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has achieved a major milestone in deep-tech entrepreneurship, incubating over 100 startups for the second consecutive year under its ‘Startup Shatam’ mission.
Through its nodal incubator, IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC), the institute supported 112 startups in FY26, building on last year’s landmark achievement.
At the same time, IIT Madras continued to drive innovation-led research, filing 431 patents during the year underlining its leadership in translating research into real-world impact.
Milestones and ecosystem scale-up
FY26 marked several firsts for the IIT Madras startup ecosystem. In its 13th year, IITMIC crossed the 500-startup milestone, taking its total portfolio to 567 startups. The portfolio is valued at over ₹74,100 crore (around $8 billion), based on recent funding rounds, and includes two unicorns along with multiple mergers and acquisitions.
A key highlight was the IPO of Ather Energy, the first publicly listed company to emerge from the IITMIC portfolio.
These milestones reinforce IIT Madras’ position as a leading hub for deep-tech entrepreneurship, translational research, and intellectual property creation.
Leadership commentary
IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, who had set the goals of ‘100 startups a year’ and ‘one patent a day’, announced the achievements during World Intellectual Property Day celebrations held on campus on April 24, 2026.
He said the milestones reflect a deeply embedded culture of innovation across the institute, with faculty, students, researchers, alumni, and external entrepreneurs building technologies and enterprises with global relevance.
Dean (ICSR) Manu Santhanam highlighted the institute’s robust IP ecosystem that supports researchers across the entire innovation lifecycle—from disclosures and prior-art evaluation to patent filing and portfolio management.
Growing diversity and national reach
A notable trend this year was the increasing diversity of the startup pipeline. Over 60% of the startups incubated in FY26 were founded by external entrepreneurs from across India, reflecting IIT Madras’ expanding national footprint and its ‘IITM for All’ vision.
The newly incubated startups span critical deep-tech sectors, including manufacturing, robotics, automotive, batteries, defence, aerospace, AI/ML, quantum technologies, fintech, healthtech, agritech, biotech, climate tech, IoT, and cyber-physical systems.
On the IP front, the institute reported strong activity across frontier domains such as AI/ML, quantum technologies, semiconductors, 5G/6G, robotics, advanced manufacturing, sustainable energy systems, photonics, blockchain, AR/VR, biomedical imaging, and advanced materials.
Incubator leadership speak
IITM Incubation Cell CEO Tamaswati Ghosh said FY25 had set a benchmark with 103 startups, while FY26 focused on consolidation with over 1,200 applications received and 112 startups incubated, maintaining a strong deep-tech orientation.
IITMIC faculty-in-charge Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, said the institute remains committed to supporting startups that address complex challenges through cutting-edge technologies and scale globally.
Notable startups and recognition
Prominent startups from the IIT Madras ecosystem include Uniphore, MediBuddy, HyperVerge, Agnikul Cosmos, Planys Technologies, Detect Technologies, GalaxEye and NeoMotion.
Innovation, patenting, and technology transfer continue to strengthen the institute’s academic and research standing, including securing the top rank in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the seventh consecutive year.