G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science for Women

Choosing the right programme

• Have an idea and want to learn how to test it? Start with Envisage, the 3-month pre-incubation programme.
• Have a working prototype or proof of concept and a technology-based venture? Apply to Incubation.
• Already selling a product or service and earning revenue? Apply to Acceleration.

How applications work

• Incubation and acceleration start with a business plan. Send a sound plan rather than a finished pitch deck.
• If you do not have a full business plan yet, a provisional application can still be considered if the idea looks promising.
• Use the registration on the AIC-GNITS site to start an application, or write to aic@gnits.ac.in.

How selection works

• An internal committee reviews the plan, you present it, and an expert committee decides.
• Reviewers look at the merit of the proposal, your background, the financial case, the market research, growth potential and the time and money you commit to the venture.
• For acceleration, reviewers also look at how far your product is in the market and how clearly you need the centre's services.

What the centre offers

• Mentoring from the centre's experts, with help from consultants and resource centres where needed.
• Access to a co-working space and a prototyping room with 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC machines, for registered users.
• Training in IP rights and filing, through the Envisage programme.

G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science for Women runs an incubator for women founders through its Atal Incubation Centre, known as AIC-GNITS. The centre is on the Shaikpet campus in Hyderabad and focuses on deep tech and sustainability ventures.

How the programmes work

AIC-GNITS runs three stages in order. Envisage is a 3-month pre-incubation programme for women with an idea or a prototype. It covers idea validation, product-market fit, the business model canvas and the basics of IP rights. Incubation takes women entrepreneurs who have a working prototype or proof of concept and a venture with a technology component, for six to twelve months. Acceleration is for women whose products or services are already in the market and who earn revenue. It ends with a demo day in front of onboarded investors.

Incubation and acceleration are selective. An applicant submits a business plan, an internal committee reviews it, the founder presents to the committee, and an expert committee makes the final decision. Accepted ventures sign a licence agreement with AIC-GNITS and agree short-term goals with the centre. Progress is reviewed against those goals.

Who can apply

Pre-incubation is open to women who want to become entrepreneurs, women with an idea, and women with a prototype. Incubation and acceleration are open to women entrepreneurs, and to students and faculty who have come through the pre-incubation programme. The programme pages do not set a country restriction.

Facilities

The co-working space is open to startups, freelancers and entrepreneurs. It offers 24-hour access, air-conditioned workstations, meeting rooms, internet, power backup and an activity hall. A prototyping room has 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC machines. The equipment and co-working areas are for registered users only. The college is also setting up an AICTE IDEA Lab for design thinking and prototyping, funded by AICTE and the GNITS Alumnae Association.

Scale

The first Envisage cohort began with 16 ideas in December 2022 and finished in August 2023. The 2023 ideathon drew 42 submissions from first-year GNITS students, and 15 were selected for the second cohort. Two companies have been started by GNITS alumnae and run from the college's technology incubation centre. The AIC-GNITS startups page lists 18 companies by name, but it does not state how many have graduated or how much they have raised.

Mission

The centre's stated mission is to foster an ecosystem that nurtures, catalyses and accelerates entrepreneurship and design-led innovation. It supports ventures that take up the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Its areas include clean tech, electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM), sustainability, electric vehicles and drones.

The wider campus ecosystem

Beyond AIC-GNITS, the college runs several cells that support student and faculty ideas. The Innovation Cell works under the Ministry of Education's Institution's Innovation Council and makes the college's labs, workshops, libraries and research centres available to students. The Entrepreneurship Development Cell runs workshops and panel discussions for women, in association with JNTU Hyderabad. The IPR Cell helps protect and commercialise inventions. The college's National Innovation and Startup Policy (NISP) activities encourage students and staff to take part in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Recognition

In February 2023, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog selected GNITS to set up the Atal Incubation Centre.

Who runs it

Dr. Shashwat Pathak is the CEO of AIC-GNITS. Ms. Srividya Reddy Gunampalli and Dr. Seetha Maddala are its directors. Dr. Nara Kalyani is Dean of Innovation and Incubation at GNITS and in charge of the AIC-GNITS Foundation, and Dr. K. Ramesh Reddy is the Principal. The centre's board includes members from government, industry and other institutions.

Where to find it

The centre is at Shaikpet Road, Ambedkar Nagar, Shaikpet, Hyderabad, Telangana 500104. Write to aic@gnits.ac.in for enquiries about the programmes.