DST, Intel India & SINE-IIT Bombay Collaborate to Incubate Hardware and Systems Startups

Reinforcing their commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship as a step towards making Digital India successful, Department of Science &Technology (DST), Government of India, Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd (“Intel India”), and Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay have collaborated to launchtheCollaborative Incubation Program for Hardware and Systems Startups (“Program”).

This is a uniqueprogram wherein the industry, academia and Government have come together to support hardware and systems-based start-ups in the country through mentoring, training, lab facilities, hardware kits, prototyping, business services,  funding, etc.,

The announcement was madeon Saturday in the presence of Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, Nivruti Rai, General Manager, Intel India,Vice President, Platform Engineering Group, Intel, Professor DevangKhakhar, Director of IIT, Bombay.

Collaborative Incubation Program for Hardware and Systems Startups

·         The Program will address gaps in the hardware and systemsstart-up ecosystem that companies face inproduct design, development, commercialization, and creating scale for their solutions.

·         DST, Intel India and SINE aim to support up to 20 start-ups under this Program, and the call for applications for the first batch will be announced in early August 2016.

·  During theyear-long Program, start-ups will be supported for six months on-site at SINE, IIT, Bombay or Intel India, Bengaluru. After a period of six months, the start-ups’solutions will beshowcased to investors and industry players at a demo day, post which, theProgram will extend virtual support for another six months.

·  Participating start-ups will be incubated through intensive training periods, one-on-one mentoring, technology related support from Intel experts, business service support from SINE, as well as prototyping and manufacturing support.

·  Intel India will:

o    Build capacities through mentors, and provide technology related support for productization, and

o Facilitate ideation, design thinking, prototyping workshops and manufacturing support through industry experts.