Tech professors turn startup founders, VCs take note

For years, India’s leading research institutions engaged in cutting-edge research and development, much of which remained confined to labs. That’s beginning to change as faculty members are turning entrepreneurs, and investors are taking note.

At Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and BITS Pilani, professor-founded startups have seen a 20-30% year-onyear increase. Venture capitalists (VCs) are viewing these ventures as fertile ground for intellectual property (IP)-heavy, globally competitive deep tech innovation.