SIIC, IIT Kanpur, is one of India's oldest technology business incubators, established in 2000 to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Initially launched in collaboration with SIDBI, the center has supported over 200 startups across various sectors and has played a pivotal role in nurturing a robust startup ecosystem. In 2018, its operations were streamlined under the Foundation for Research & Innovation in Science & Technology (FIRST), a Section 8 company established by IIT Kanpur.
The center connects startups with academics, mentors, investors, and industry experts, offering comprehensive support from ideation to commercialization. SIIC focuses on developing science- and engineering-based solutions to address critical societal challenges, particularly those affecting underprivileged communities.
By providing state-of-the-art facilities, mentorship, and funding opportunities, SIIC helps entrepreneurs transform their ideas into impactful products and sustainable businesses, driving innovation and growth.
The journey of SIIC, at IIT Kanpur, began when a team of creative visionaries came together to build an ecosystem with an objective to build with a purpose. From then to now, the very dynamic SIIC continues to evolve and grow just like another startup!.
SIIC existed when incubation was in its infancy, seed-funding did not exist, mentorship was neither easily available nor popular. A bunch of misfits with an out-of-the-box vision - we thought, why not overcome the obstacles that we are facing by helping others overcome them too? Seed-funding did not exist.
Our journey of growth has been a challenging one, with myriad lessons along the way. We are a group of thinkers and problem-solvers, continuously monitoring startups needs.