IIT Madras has launched a INR 200 crore venture capital fund to support startups from the institute. The fund was announced at the Sangam 2025 alumni meet in Bengaluru. The IITM Alumni Fund will focus on pre-Series A and Series A investments in early-stage startups.
It will operate independently and follow standard VC fund processes. The fund aims to attract investments from IIT Madras alumni and high-net-worth individuals. “In our first fund, we want to raise INR 200 crore through the IITM Alumni Fund.
All of you—our alumni—can invest in this fund to help IITM startups and yourselves,” said Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras. The fund launch comes as IIT Madras’ startup ecosystem is growing rapidly. The IIT Madras Incubation Cell has supported over 500 startups valued at more than INR 50,000 crore ($6 billion) and generated over 11,000 jobs.
Notable successes include Ather Energy and Uniphore. “We are at the cusp of an entrepreneurship revolution at IITM,” said Professor Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations. “A focused Series A-level VC fund, with investors from our own alumni and well-wishers, is exactly what is going to scale the exciting startups coming out of our ecosystem.”
The IITM Alumni Fund is expected to fuel the next wave of innovation from IIT Madras and strengthen ties between alumni capital and campus-born startups.
IITM Alumni Fund supports startups
It supports the institute’s vision of launching 100 deeptech startups annually under the Startup Shatam program. IIT Madras also hosted the Sangam 2025 global innovation summit, where 20 startup founders pitched ideas to investors.
The startups focused on AI, climate tech, health, biotech, and semiconductors. Each founder had 10 minutes to present their unique value propositions and real-world applications. The event emphasized Deep Tech solutions that address fundamental global problems.
“From AI and Deeptech to founders and investors, this is where ideas ignite and futures are shaped,” said Shyamala Rajaram, president of the IIT Madras Alumni association. Investor Manu Iyer found pitches in space, defence, semiconductors, material science, and energy particularly compelling. He noted a positive shift in India towards commercializing research and development.
One notable pitch was an AI solution for quick cervical cancer diagnosis from Vyuhaa Med Data. Another was from Morph Electric, which aims to convert petrol vehicles to electric. The selected startups will receive funding and support from the IIT Madras Innovation Ecosystem, which has nurtured over 500 startups in the past decade.
The initiatives affirm IIT Madras’ commitment to enabling the next wave of innovation and unicorns in India.