IIT Madras Pre-Incubator Hosts ‘Nirmaan Demo Day 2024,’ Showcasing Innovative Student Projects

The inaugural ‘Nirmaan Demo Day 2024’ will showcase student innovations from Nirmaan, a pre-incubator at IIT Madras dedicated to empowering young innovators. Know details here

IIT Madras Pre-Incubator Hosts ‘Nirmaan Demo Day 2024

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras hosted the inaugural ‘Nirmaan Demo Day 2024’ to highlight student innovations backed by Nirmaan, a campus pre-incubator aimed at empowering young innovators and assisting them in converting their ideas into market-ready solutions. In collaboration with the IIT Madras Incubation Cell, Nirmaan connects students with essential entrepreneurial support, fostering the development of sustainable ventures.

Nirmaan is distinguished by the unique opportunities it offers to aspiring entrepreneurs. With dedicated workspace, targeted mentorship, and tailored training programs such as ‘Pratham’ and ‘Akshar,’ Nirmaan fosters a supportive environment where students can experiment, innovate, and refine their ideas.

A total of 30 Start-Ups at the idea stage in different sectors like AI, Healthtech, Deeptech and Sustainability, presented their innovations to investors, industry experts and the IIT Madras community during ‘Nirmaan Demo Day 2024’, which the Institute plans to make an annual event.

Nirmaan Demo Day 2024

Nirmaan Demo Day 2024 was inaugurated by Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, in the presence of Guest of Honor Dr. Srikanth Sundararajan, General Partner - VentureEast, Mr. Navratan Kataria, Director (Startup engagement & Innovation Ecosystem) NASSCOM Centre of Excellence for AI & IoT, Prof. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, Advisor (Innovation and Entrepreneurship), IIT Madras, students and faculty.

Addressing the students during this event, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The inaugural Demo Day is a key milestone for our pre-incubator, and we are thrilled to showcase the talent, creativity, and drive of our student entrepreneurs. This event is a testament to IIT Madras’ commitment to fostering innovation and offering our students a platform to shape the future.”

Nirmaan supports over 85 active student-led startups across various fields. So far, 26 startups have graduated from its program, achieving a collective valuation of over INR 1,000 crore and securing more than ₹108 crore in venture funding. Notable successful graduates of Nirmaan include Urban Matrix, Modulus Housing, Tan90, Tocal, Infyu Labs, Involve, Melvano, Susstains, GIMS, Plenome Technologies, Prescribe, and Galaxeye Space, which recently raised INR 17 crore from Infosys.

Highlighting the importance of such events to make students into entrepreneurs and job-generators, Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, Advisor (Innovation and Entrepreneurship), IIT Madras, “At Nirmaan, we strive to catalyze faculty and student innovations into market-ready prototypes and start-ups. With the motto of ‘IITM for all’ as per vision of Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director. Our support services are now also available for teams in the wider region who wish to connect with IIT Madras in some way.”

Afterward, startups progress to the Akshar program, where they receive additional funding and support to develop and launch their products while gaining pilot implementations. Nirmaan also connects startups with a network of experienced mentors, offering guidance throughout their entrepreneurial journey. This blend of resources, mentorship, and a supportive environment for idea exploration makes Nirmaan a premier platform for startup development at IIT Madras.

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