AIM Program for Researchers in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Your gateway to deep technology, knowledge intensive entrepreneurship.
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Participant Portal
Manager Portal
Cohort Study
PRIME Videos
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The PRIME program is aimed at promoting science based, deep technology ideas to market through training and guidance over a period of 9 months.
Target Audience
Technology developers and incubations managers
Focus Areas
Science-based, knowledge-intensive, deep technology entrepreneurship
Duration
Paced and staged over a duration of 9 months .
Program Benefits
Business Advisory Services
Selected participants (who complete the program diligently) will have access to free or discounted business advisory services from specialists selected by Venture Center for 6 months post end of the Classroom Sessions.
B2G Advisory
In collaboration with the Niti Aayog team, we have put together a B2G Helpdesk to assist startups looking to work with the government.
Investor Panel
Get access to a curated list of investors to pitch your idea and receive funding.
Classroom Sessions
Learn from global experts on various topics relating to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Live Projects
Work with an interdisciplinary team to actively bring an idea to market.
One-to-One Mentoring
Get access to our mentor panel who can guide you to accelerate your projects.
Deeptech Startup Playbook
Get access to exclusive toolkits compiled in a resource for commercializing deep technology ideas.
Curated Video Library
Get access to insights and lectures from various industry experts from around the globe.
Peer-to-Peer Learning
Network and learn from other experienced startup founders and innovation managers.
Program Schedule
May 10, 2015
31 Mar, 2021
Curtain raiser event and call for applications is opened.
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
30 May, 2021
Call for applications is closed
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
14 Jun, 2021
Launch of PRIME classroom and PRIME library.
Class room sessions: Talks, exercises, mini-projects.
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
15 Aug, 2021
Launch of PRIME video series
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
15 Sep, 2021
Mentoring and guidance sessions
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
2 Oct, 2021
PRIME startup playbook launched
May 10, 2015
May 10, 2015
15 Mar, 2022
Progress reports and program closure.
May 10, 2015
Detailed Schedule
Inaugural Talk
We are happy to announce that Dr RA Mashelkar (Eminent scientist and leading innovation expert) has agreed to deliver the inaugural talk in the PRIME program. He will share his perspectives on taking science from the lab to the market and inspire the cohort with real-world stories of science-based deep tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
Program Eligibility
- Startup leadership team
- Faculty Entrepreneurs
- Incubation Managers
Technology developers and translators from early stage deep tech startups (For example: deep tech startups associated with AICs)
- Scientists/ Engineers/ Clinicians.
- Having a formal and full-time employment engagement with a startup
- Applicant should be advancing a science-based technology (at any TRL level)
- The proposed technology should have significant knowledge intensity or novelty
(Preference shall be given to applicants who have filed IP and have access to formal IP on the technology, startups incubated by an AIC, and startups incubated by an AIC hosted by a publicly funded academic or R&D institution.)
Applied researchers/ technology developers from academic/ R&D Labs with firmed up technology commercialization/
- Scientists/ Engineers/ Clinicians with advanced degrees
- Having a formal and full-time employment engagement with an academic/ R&D institution
- Applicant should have identified a science-based technology (at any TRL level) suitable for developing a new enterprise
- The proposed technology should have significant knowledge intensity or novelty.
(Preference shall be given to applicants who have filed IP and have access to formal IP on the technology, have already taken some efforts towards commercialization of their technology, are host institutions hosting an AIC or publicly funded academic or R&D institutions.)
CEOs/ Senior Managers of Govt supported Incubators especially AIM funded AICs
- Undergraduate degree in any scientific discipline
- Having a formal and full-time employment engagement with an Govt-funded incubator.
- Applicant’s incubator / AIC should have at least one pre-incubatee that is a science-based deep tech startup whose technology should have significant knowledge intensity or novelty.
(Preference shall be given to AIC / AIM-funded incubators, to applicants who have several science-based deep tech startups as incubatees, and is affiliated to a publicly funded academic or R&D institution)
*All program participants :
- Applicant shall be a startup or an incubator
- Each applicant will nominate preferably 2 participants
- All participants shall be Indian citizens.
The People Behind the Program
- All
- Expert and Faculty
- Venture Center Mentor
- Project Manager
expert-and-faculty
Anurag Mairal
Director, Global Outreach Programs, Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign
expert-and-faculty
Ashley Stevens
President, Focus IP Group & Past President, AUTM
expert-and-faculty
Chintan Vaishnav
Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission
expert-and-faculty
Hasit Seth
Counsel, Bombay High Court
expert-and-faculty
Hiran Vedam
Business Consultant & Senior Advisor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, IIT Tirupati
expert-and-faculty
Kaushik Gala
GTM consultant for B2B Tech Startups
expert-and-faculty
MV Shankar
VP, Mahindra & Mahindra
expert-and-faculty
Nevan Hanumara
Research Scientist, MIT & Senior Advisor, New England Medical Innovation Center
expert-and-faculty
Premnath V
Director, Venture Center
expert-and-faculty
Ravi Sarangapani
Med device consultant & Past Director, Adler Mediequip Pvt. Ltd.
expert-and-faculty
Satya Dash
Founding Head Strategy, BIRAC & Ex-Director PATH
expert-and-faculty
Shailendra Vyakarnam
Non Executive Director at CorrosionRADAR
expert-and-faculty
Srikant Sastri
Chairman, i3G Advisory Network
expert-and-faculty
Srivardhini Jha
Chairperson, Entrepreneurship at IIM, Bangalore
expert-and-faculty
Sundara Nagarajan
Managing Director at Innovation ScaleUp Advisors
expert-and-faculty
Sujata Bogawat
Founding Director at AvantEdge
expert-and-faculty
Uday Phadke
Chief Executive at The Triple Chasm Company
venture-center-mentor project-manager
Manisha Premnath
COO and General Manager, Venture Center
venture-center-mentor project-manager
Mugdha Lele
Sr. Manager, Social Innovations – Venture Center
venture-center-mentor
Soma Chattopadhyay
Sr. Manager, Incubation & Mentoring – Venture Center
venture-center-mentor
Shruti Devasthali
Manager – Equity and Grant Portfolio – Venture Center
venture-center-mentor project-manager
Anmol Jaguste
Sr. Associate – Incubation and Mentoring – Venture Center
project-manager
Ishita Agrawal
Programme Director, Atal Innovation Mission
project-manager
Anurag Wasnik
Strategic Partnerships Development, Niti Aayog
project-manager
Anish Somani
Consultant, NITI Aayog
project-manager
Anjani Bansal
Deputy Director, Global Development – Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
project-manager
Ayesha Chaudhary
Officer on Speical Duty, Office of PSA to Govt. of India. 
project-manager
Mudit Narain
Technology Officer, Office of PSA to Govt. of India.
The Cohort
Media Coverage
Experts Say
Do great science. Don’t sacrifice publishing good science to be secretive. Then go to the next step and patent them, and do licensing and start companies. That can be incredibly fulfilling because it gives you the opportunity to take your ideas—and give your students the opportunities to take their ideas along with you—and create things that could change the world and make it a better place.
Robert (Bob) Langer
India needs a total transformation, from Imitation to Innovation, Risk aversion to Risk taking & Venture capital to Adventure capital. We need to seamlessly link Incubators to Accelerators to Scalerators for a rapid journey from our ideas to impact, both economical and social
Dr. R A Mashelkar
Resources
PRIME Classroom
Access your portal for participating in all the lectures and classroom sessions
PRIME Playbook
A deeptech startup playbook designed as a guide for entrepreneurs.
PRIME Library
Resources to track progress and perform various exercises to support your growth.
PRIME Videos
A curated video series on various aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship.
FAQ
What is the target audience for this program?
This program is aimed at technology developers (scientists, engineers, clinicians etc) and innovation managers who are currently working on translating science-based technology ideas and taking it into the market via the entrepreneurship route. This program shall be focussed on science-based deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
How is science-based deeptech entrepreneurship different?
Science-based deeptech entrepreneurship is usually anchored around a technical invention or novelty. The knowledge and science intensity is high in the product/ service being offered. Consequently, the entrepreneurial journey emphasizes different aspects and requires a different approach to resourcing and navigating the derisking process
What are some unique challenges for science-based deeptech startups?
- Technology development and de-risking in multiple stages, scale-up, testing/ validation/ certification/ clinical trials etc.
- Intellectual property strategy
- Partnering with public institutions and govt. for technical know-how and R&D funding.
- Need for a supportive ecosystem with the right expertise, special facilities, talent, diverse funding mechanisms, partners etc.
- First generation entrepreneurs with science and technology orientation
What are some unique offerings of the program ?
- Teaching sessions will be led by mentors with international experience engaging with innovators and entrepreneurs in global innovation hot spots.
- Combination of selected frameworks used internationally with practical, India-specific methods developed by the Venture Center for Indian entrepreneurs.
- In-depth learning via live team projects, exercises and project specific mentoring.
- Access to a playbook, collection of templates, and a comprehensive lecture series.
- Peer-to-peer learning opportunities with academic faculty entrepreneurs, full-time scientist entrepreneurs and deeptech incubation managers.
Who is eligible for the first Wave of this program?
The first Wave shall focus on technology developers who have already made up their mind to jump into entrepreneurship and senior incubation managers who are supporting such science-based deep tech entrepreneurs. The first Wave will focus on institutions and incubators affiliated to the Atal Innovation Mission.
A few exceptional cases of budding entrepreneurs with strong science-based deeptech business ideas will be considered for support.
On completion of the program, will participants get a certificate?
Yes, certificates will be provided to participants who satisfactorily complete the program.