CoE-IoT

Choosing a route

• Pick incubation if you need a seat, lab equipment and hardware workspace in Bengaluru, and you have at least a prototype.
• Pick virtual acceleration if you want the centre's support without a seat. It is charged per year.

How to apply

• Apply through the F6S form linked from the centre's startup page.
• Intake is rolling. Apply when you are ready rather than waiting for a cohort date.
• Pre-screening checks your data, your idea and your potential.

How selection works

• Shortlisted startups pitch to a jury of industry, government and academic members.
• The jury scores three things: innovation, feasibility and relevance to market.

What reviewers look for

• Technology-led innovation
• A capable team
• Product market fit
• Impact

CoE-IoT is the Centre of Excellence for IoT and AI in India. It is a Digital India initiative led by MeitY and NASSCOM, and its Bengaluru brochure describes it as a joint initiative that also involves the Karnataka state government and industry. It helps startups building IoT, AI, machine learning and other deep-tech products move from a working prototype towards a market-ready product. The main centre is in HSR Layout, Bengaluru, with further centres in Gurugram, at IIT Gandhinagar and in Visakhapatnam.

How the programmes work

The centre runs two startup routes. Incubation gives a startup a seat at the Bengaluru centre for six months, renewable for up to two years based on progress and need. Virtual acceleration is for startups that do not want a seat. It follows the same application route and offers similar support, and it is charged per startup per year. Incubation seats are charged per seat per month, plus GST, at a government subsidised rate. Neither route runs fixed-date cohorts. Startups apply at different times, and the centre takes them on as they are accepted.

Who can apply

Startups focused on IoT, AI, ML, deep tech or other emerging technologies can apply, and they need at least a prototype. The centre says it is sector agnostic but names AgriTech, HealthTech, Industry 4.0, Energy, Water, CleanTech, Automotive and Smart Cities as preferred areas. Founders should check the current intake on the centre's startup page before applying, because the intake form is hosted by a third-party platform.

Facilities

The InnovateLab at the Bengaluru centre holds test and measurement equipment, including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, DC power supplies, waveform generators, logic analysers, vector signal analysers and generators, a power meter and a DC power analyser. Development kits from TI, Bosch, Intel, Qualcomm and Cisco are available for prototyping, and the team gives technical help with building a secure Big Data infrastructure. The Bengaluru site is air-conditioned and covers 9,000 sft, including a 2,500 sft ESD-protected floor. It has 144 seats for startups across open desks, ESD lab tables and cabins, along with a 150-seat seminar hall and meeting rooms.

Locations

Bengaluru is the main centre, at KEONICS in HSR Layout. Gurugram, Haryana is a second centre. The Gujarat centre sits in the academic block of IIT Gandhinagar, and the Visakhapatnam centre is on the North Campus of Andhra University. The centre's pages do not say which programmes run at each site, so confirm this before applying to a centre outside Bengaluru.

Support on offer

Startups get mentorship, market access and enterprise connects, including co-create work with enterprise partners and central and state government entities. The centre also lists funding connects and sessions, strategic fundraising through a curated community of investors, cloud credits from curated providers such as AWS and GCP, help with manufacturing partners and product certifications, and support on intellectual property. The centre describes its model as FAME, which stands for funding, incubation, acceleration, mentor support and enterprise connect. Its in-house team also works with incubated startups on hiring, business model refinement, startup metrics and workshops. Incubated startups also get deals and credits from service partners that the centre has vetted.

Who runs it

Sanjeev Malhotra is the CEO. His background spans hardware and software, and he has set up and led many multinational development centres and operations in India and the US. Archana Kulkarni is the Programme Director and manages the startup programmes. The centre's governing council includes senior officials from MeitY and state governments as well as industry leaders.

Contact

General enquiries go to coe-iot@nasscom.in. Enterprises that want to join as partners write to co-innovate@nasscom.in.