Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has achieved a historic milestone by incubating over 100 deep-tech startups in a single financial year for the first time.

Under the 'Startup 100 Mission' launched by Director Prof. V. Kamakoti in early 2024, the IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) incubated 104 startups during FY 2024-25.

This achievement was announced during the World IP Day celebrations organized by IIT Madras' Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) on Saturday. Over 50 per cent of the newly incubated startups were founded by IITM faculty, staff, students, and alumni, reflecting the institute's vibrant innovation ecosystem.

Congratulating the stakeholders, Prof. Kamakoti said, "As we move towards Viksit Bharat 2047, IIT Madras is committed to fostering a Startup Nation and Product Nation. Incubating over 100 deep-tech startups across diverse sectors like manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, AI, and healthtech is a proud achievement."

Highlighting the Institute's research output, he added that IIT Madras filed 417 patents during the 2024-25 financial year, averaging more than one patent a day.

Founded by IITM community members and external entrepreneurs, the startups span emerging sectors such as spacetech, biotechnology, automotive materials, quantum computing, and fintech. Companies like Ather Energy, Uniphore, Agnikul Cosmos, and GalaxEye have emerged as notable success stories from this ecosystem.

Dr. Tamaswati Ghosh, CEO, IITMIC, emphasized that this milestone marks a significant leap from their previous average of 60 startups annually, reflecting the growing maturity of the IITM innovation ecosystem.

Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, Head, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, noted that this success stems from a strong culture of translational research, while Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Faculty-in-Charge, IITMIC, stressed the commitment to nurturing deep-tech startups with global impact.

Currently, IITMIC has incubated 457 startups over 12 years, collectively valued at over ₹50,000 crore, with two unicorns and one firm nearing an IPO.