India Deep Tech Accelerator announced to help scale up IIT startups

New Delhi: The India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Tuesday announced the launch of the India Deep Tech Accelerator, a 10‑week programme designed to help IIT‑affiliated deep‑tech startups scale internationally.

The initiative, led by Polsky Center, is developed in collaboration with leading Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) innovation networks and incubators, including SINE at IIT Bombay, FITT at IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras Research Park, a statement said.

The programme, aimed at supporting India’s emerging deep tech startup ecosystem, will run from April through June 2026 and will be structured for a cohort of up to 15 startups through targeted workshops, coaching, and strategic customer and investor connections.

The accelerator will also include "an India showcase and a Bay Area showcase for top-performing companies in June," the statement said.

The initiative builds a structured, repeatable pathway connecting startups from India’s premier technical institutions with the potential for fundraising and the Polsky Center’s deep experience in venture creation, startup acceleration, and international market access.

The accelerator will run from April through June 2026 and take a cohort of up to 15 startups through targeted workshops, coaching and investor and customer connections. Top performers will be showcased at an India event and a Bay Area showcase in June.

The India Deep Tech Accelerator aims to support globally ambitious, IIT-affiliated startups for near-term commercializsation and financing milestones in the United States and other global markets.

IDTA will provide strategic guidance and founder support, while Aroa Venture Partners has committed up to $2,00,000 per startup for select companies emerging from the accelerator. Several other venture capital firms have committed to contribute to workshops, office hours, selective mentoring, and may provide potential investment support to cohort startups.

“India’s IITs produce world‑class engineering and research, but too many deep‑tech breakthroughs still struggle to cross the last mile into scalable commercialisation,” said Sriram Viswanathan, Founding Managing Partner, Celesta Capital, and Founding Executive Committee Member, IDTA.