IIT Kanpur’s SIIC Incubates Over 500 Startups, Including 150 Women-Led Ventures Valued at ₹12,000 Crore

The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has achieved a significant milestone by incubating over 500 startups, making it one of the first IIT-led incubators in the country to reach this landmark. Established in 2000 in collaboration with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), SIIC has developed into a major platform for entrepreneurship and technology-driven innovation.

Startups incubated at SIIC have collectively reported a valuation of around ₹12,000 crore through fundraising. The incubator has supported more than 150 women-led companies, and the top 253 startups nurtured under SIIC have created over 10,800 skilled and unskilled jobs across 22 states in India.

SIIC has supported ventures across various sectors, including medtech, agritech, defence, aerospace, artificial intelligence, fintech, clean technology, and social tech. Notable success stories include Offgrid Energy Labs, which secured $15 million in Series A funding to advance its zinc-bromine-based battery system, and Primary Healthtech, which is expanding its IoT-enabled Mobilab device for point-of-care diagnostics.

Other startups such as Lifeandlimb.ai and AgrowSure represented India at the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship in the UK, while Royal Bengal Greentech Pvt. Ltd. secured investment on Shark Tank India. In 2025, SIIC also partnered with US-based accelerator NMexus to expand international access and regulatory support for its incubated ventures.

IIT Kanpur stated that SIIC’s work aligns with national programmes such as Make in India, Vocal for Local, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. By supporting entrepreneurs across diverse fields, SIIC contributes to both economic development and technology-led solutions addressing societal needs.

The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre at IIT Kanpur is among the country’s earliest academic incubators. It offers infrastructure, mentorship, and partnerships with government and industry to support innovation-driven startups. SIIC focuses on enabling ventures to scale from prototype to market-ready solutions, while aligning its activities with India’s broader innovation and self-reliance agenda.