iTIC Incubator: IIT Hyderabad's Deep-Tech Launchpad

iTIC Incubator is the Technology Business Incubator (TBI) under the aegis of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad), supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Operating as a not-for-profit society since 2015, it exists to turn entrepreneurial ideas in technology into sustainable, scalable businesses.

Thesis and focus areas

iTIC is unapologetically deep-tech: its focus sectors include Healthcare, AI/ML, Quantum Computing, AR/VR, Cybersecurity, Robotics, IoT, Industry 4.0, Blockchain, Electronics, Advanced Materials, Drones and Biotechnology. Startups get mentoring, financial aid, IP support, networking, office and coworking space, software, access to IIT Hyderabad's research infrastructure and its Makerlab.

Scale and track record

Press coverage around 2023 reported that since inception iTIC had supported 130+ startups through pre-incubation, incubation and acceleration programmes, directly sanctioned more than INR 8 crores to startups, with its startups generating over INR 1,200 crores in revenues and creating 1,000+ jobs — figures that have likely grown since. (Its fund size is not publicly disclosed; it operates as an incubator with grant-sanctioning powers rather than a VC fund.)

Flagship programmes

Three programmes stand out. ABCD (Acclimatization Boot Camp for Defence) was launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with iDEX-DIO and the College of Defence Management, familiarising civilian tech startups with defence applications and procurement. BUILD, launched with the Greenko Group, extends IITH's studentpreneur scheme nationwide. And iTIC partnered with US deep-tech accelerator H4XLabs on an INDUS-X accelerator, linking Indian and American defence-tech ecosystems.

The programmes come with real mechanics, not just branding. BUILD — originally an IITH scheme for its own students — was opened to student innovators across India with the Greenko Group, offering a path to convert student ideas into products. The ABCD defence bootcamp, built with iDEX-DIO and the College of Defence Management, gives civilian tech startups feedback from the defence ecosystem, help with defence procurement and grant proposals, and routes into the defence market — an unusual and valuable bridge for a university incubator. Practically, incubated startups work out of dedicated office and coworking space at the IIT Hyderabad campus with access to research labs, software and the Makerlab for prototyping.