Sri Sairam Techno Incubation Foundation

Choosing a path

• Students and faculty with an idea or research project: use the student path.
• A registered venture seeking incubation, labs or funding pathways: use the startup path.
• An established company that wants to partner, mentor or run R&D: use the company path.

What the form asks for

• The lead applicant's name, role, email, phone, institution and city.
• Team profiles for each member, with a short bio on experience and skills.
• The idea title, thrust area, current stage and a description of the problem, the solution and what you need from the foundation.
• Optional attachments: a pitch deck, demo video or supporting documents, and a link to your work.

How selection works

• Screening, with a shortlist within 10 working days.
• A pitch to the incubation panel.
• Onboarding, covering lab access, a mentor match and a funding plan.

What the panel looks for

• The apply page says the panel shortlists specifics, not buzzwords. Name the problem, the users and what you have already tested.

Sri Sairam Techno Incubator Foundation (SSTIF) is an incubator set up in September 2020 inside Sri Sairam Institutions, on a campus in West Tambaram, Chennai. It takes students, faculty and external startups at the idea, prototype or early-revenue stage, and offers labs, prototyping facilities, mentoring and a funding plan.

How the programme works

Applications are made online through one apply page. The applicant picks a path: student, startup or company. A startup applicant is screened, presents to the incubation panel and, if accepted, goes through onboarding. Onboarding covers lab access, a mentor match and a funding plan. The site says shortlisting takes place within 10 working days.

Who can apply

Current students or faculty of any institution with an idea or research project can apply, as can external startups at the idea, prototype or early-revenue stage. Established companies can apply to partner with the foundation, mentor its startups or run research and development with it.

Facilities

The foundation offers laboratories, advanced prototyping facilities and an incubation co-working floor. The site describes an innovation space of 75,000+ square feet.

Thrust areas

The site lists work across Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductor Design, Robotics, Drones, Marine Technology, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Additive Manufacturing, Agriculture Technology, AR/VR/MR and Rescue Technologies. The apply form asks for one thrust area from a shorter list that includes Defence and Aerospace, Drones and UAV, Robotics, Healthcare, Agriculture, Solid waste management and Additive manufacturing.

Scale

The homepage says the foundation hosts over 165 startups. That is the foundation's own figure and is undated on the site. The site also says its startups have secured external funding through named bodies, including the Startup India Seed Fund, iDEX, EDII-TN, StartupTN and several IITs.

Recognition

The foundation says it is an MSME-approved business incubator and a SEC-TDC Facilitation Centre.

Who runs it

The foundation is described as the flagship platform of Sairam Institutions. Its approach is built on a 'One Student, One Startup' idea and competition-based innovation teaching aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The site names industry partners including SIRD, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, TIEMA, AIEMA and PETC.

Locations

The foundation is based at Sai Leo Nagar, West Tambaram, Chennai 600 044.