AIC Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum and the National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) have signed a memorandum of understanding to support startups working in electric vehicles, automotive mobility and connected mobility, Autocar Professional reported. The MoU was signed at EKA Mobility's Trucks and SCV Plant in Chakan by AIC Pinnacle CEO Dr Avinash Thakur and NATRAX Director Dr Manish Jaiswal.
The partnership marries two complementary assets: AIC Pinnacle's startup incubation, mentoring and industry network with NATRAX's automotive testing and validation infrastructure near Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. The goal is to carry startups from prototype to product development, testing, validation and commercialisation — with electric mobility as a key focus area.
As an immediate step, the two organisations discussed a startup hackathon and opening NATRAX's testing facilities to suitable startups from AIC Pinnacle's existing cohort, alongside access to technical expertise and industry networks. The collaboration will also connect founders with government stakeholders, academic institutions, strategic partners and ecosystem players across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
"The partnership with NATRAX opens an important bridge between startups and the automotive testing and validation ecosystem," said Dr Thakur. Dr Jaiswal said the tie-up would give innovators access to testing and validation capabilities that typically sit beyond a young startup's reach.
Why it matters for founders
Testing and homologation is where many EV startups stall — world-class tracks and labs are expensive and hard to access. An incubator-to-NATRAX pipeline means mobility founders can validate hardware without building their own proving ground. If you're building in EVs or connected mobility, get on AIC Pinnacle's radar now.