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The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has incubated over 500 startups, becoming one of the first IIT-led incubators in the country to reach this milestone. According to an official statement, SIIC was established in 2000 in collaboration with SIDBI and has since developed into a centre supporting entrepreneurship and technology-driven innovation.
Startups incubated at SIIC have collectively reported a valuation of around Rs 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, as per the institute.
Moreover, according to them, the SIIC has supported ventures across 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.
