College and University Incubators in Bengaluru
30 college and university incubators in Bengaluru. Campus incubators sit inside a college, institute or university, so they tend to take earlier-stage teams and can give access to labs, faculty and student talent. Some admit only students and alumni while others take outside founders; check who each one is open to before you apply.
NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore
IIM Bangalore's startup incubator: free programmes for founders at idea, prototype and growth stage, plus sector tracks in climate, mobility, fintech and healthcare.
DERBI Foundation
Healthcare and medtech incubator at Dayananda Sagar's DSU Innovation Campus in Bengaluru, created in 2015 with DST-NSTEDB support, running a PACE-GALLOP-EMERGE ladder plus a BIRAC BioNEST track and five national funding schemes.
IIITB Innovation Centre
IIIT Bangalore's startup incubator in Electronics City, running ATOM pre-incubation, Orbit incubation, FLASH acceleration and MeitY TIDE 2.0 grants — open to outside founders.
NaaViC, ICAR-NIVEDI
The agri-business incubation centre at ICAR-NIVEDI, Bengaluru, for animal health, veterinary and agri startups.
ACSEL Technology Forum
AI centre under the IIT Alumni Centre Bengaluru, running the Avinya accelerator for Karnataka-based AI startups.
GINSERV
Bengaluru technology business incubator and accelerator backed by DST, running incubation and acceleration cohorts since 2010.
BMS Institute of Technology and Management
Bengaluru engineering college whose BICEP innovation centre runs a campus business incubator for its students and faculty.
NMIT Bangalore
Engineering college in Yelahanka, Bangalore, with an MSME-supported business incubator, an innovation council and a student entrepreneurship cell.
RNS Institute of Technology
Bangalore engineering college with innovation programs and startup incubation in VTU's technology corridor.
Scaler School of Technology
On-campus incubator at Scaler School of Technology in Bengaluru, helping students build deep-tech startups before they graduate.
DAYANANDA SAGAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Campus pre-incubation for students and outside founders at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in Bengaluru, run through its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre.
ACHARYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Acharya TBI is the technology business incubator of Acharya Institutes in Bengaluru. It supports technology startups and student entrepreneurs.
B M S College of Engineering
The innovation and incubation cell of B.M.S. College of Engineering in Bengaluru, for its own students and faculty.
AMC Engineering College
AMC Engineering College is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology
Engineering college in Bengaluru, affiliated to VTU, whose Ambedkar Centre for Tech Startup (ACTS) supports student tech startups from idea to company.
Bangalore Institute of Technology
Bangalore Institute of Technology is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
East West Institute of Technology Bengaluru
East West Institute of Technology Bengaluru is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
RV College of Engineering
RV College of Engineering is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
S.E.A College of Engineering & Technology Bengaluru
S.E.A College of Engineering & Technology Bengaluru is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
S.E.A. College of Science, Commerce and Arts
S.E.A. College of Science, Commerce and Arts is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
Alliance University
Private university in Anekal, Bengaluru, recognised by the UGC, whose Technology Business Incubator (AU-TBI) supports technology start-ups from idea to scale.
RAJARAJESWARI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
RAJARAJESWARI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Incubation and pre-incubation centre of New Horizon College of Engineering in Bengaluru, open to students, staff and outside founders with a business idea.
Cambridge Institute of Technology
Cambridge Institute of Technology is an institution in Bengaluru (Urban), Karnataka.
National Design Business Incubator (NDBI), Bengaluru
NID's design-led business incubator, with a Bengaluru campus at Rajajinagar Industrial Estate and an 18-month programme open to any Indian-registered startup.
FSID, IISc
IISc Bengaluru's deep science incubator and research foundation — its STEM incubator takes applications all year and is open to founders with no IISc link.
NSRCEL
The startup incubator of IIM Bangalore, running cohort programmes for founders from idea stage to growth, several of them free of cost.
Remote Incubator
Platform offering startup education, community access, resources, and funding assistance
AIC-DSU Innovation Foundation
Sector agnostic startup incubator backed by Atal Incubation Center & Dayananda Sagar
India Sweden Innovation Centre
Startup incubator backed by Government of India
Related lists
Browse incubators by sector
Browse incubators by institute
Browse incubators by who they are for
Choosing a college or university incubator in Bengaluru
College and university incubators sit inside an institute, which shapes everything about them. They are often the most accessible route for first-time founders: they take earlier-stage teams, they can offer lab and workshop access, and they put you near faculty and student talent. For a deep-tech or hardware idea that came out of research, an institute incubator can be the only place that has the equipment you need.
The main question to settle is who is allowed in. Some campus incubators take only current students, alumni or faculty-led spin-outs, and others are open to outside founders. Some are tied to one institute's research areas, and some serve a wider region. The college and university incubators above include both kinds, so the eligibility on each profile matters more than the name of the institute.
Think about what you need from the campus. If it is a lab, ask exactly which equipment is available and how it is booked. If it is a network, ask how often mentors are on site. If it is credibility, ask how many startups have come through and what became of them. A well-known institute with a thin programme is a worse choice than a smaller one that gives you what you actually need.
The numbers on this page
- 30 of the 300 organisations we list in Bengaluru (10%) are tagged "Academic".
- By stage focus, the most common are Ideation (19), Validation (17) and Early Revenue (6).
- Many are also tagged Incubator (26) and Accelerator (5), so the same organisation can appear on more than one list.
- 5 of 30 offer coworking space on site.
What to ask a campus incubator
- Is it open to outside founders, or only to students, alumni and faculty?
- Which labs, workshops and equipment can a startup use, and how are they booked?
- Is there a desk or a dedicated space, or is it mainly mentoring?
- Does the incubator take equity, and does the institute claim any rights over what you build?
- How many startups has it supported, and are any still active?
- Does the programme run during the academic calendar, or all year?
Frequently asked questions
How many college and university incubators are there in Bengaluru?
We list 30 college and university incubators in Bengaluru, out of 300 startup support organisations in the city. The count updates as profiles are added and verified.
Can I join a college incubator in Bengaluru if I am not a student there?
Some campus incubators accept outside founders and some do not. The eligibility is stated on each incubator's profile or application page, so check who it is open to before you apply.
Do college incubators take equity?
Practice varies. Some take a small stake, some charge a fee for space and services, and some take nothing. Ask for the terms in writing, including who owns intellectual property developed during the programme.