With the emphasis on self-sufficiency and technology-led development in India, colleges are increasingly moving beyond the campus and playing an important role in shaping the startup & entrepreneurship culture in the country. An innovation program meant for nascent start-ups, it aims to transform them into investment-ready companies. Mr. Hardik Joshi, COO, TIH, IIT Bombay shares his insight on startups and the Indian startup ecosystem.
1. IIT Bombay's Technology Innovation Hub has just announced the launch of ATMAN 3.0. What gap in India’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem does this new edition aim to address?
A: ATMAN 3.0 is intended for founders who are looking for support in terms of validation, regulatory readiness, and commercialization opportunities. In India, there are many innovative projects that are unable to make it to the market because there is no proper structured support provided to the founders regarding these aspects. During this eight-week acceleration journey, we plan to incubate promising innovative HealthTech concepts into projects that are ready for the market as well as investors. This initiative also strengthens the HealthTech community by connecting innovators, doctors, startups, and corporate leaders who can then collaborate and make an impact together.
2. How does ATMAN 3.0 build upon the learnings and successes of its previous editions, and what’s distinctly new this time around?
A: ATMAN 3.0 is based on learnings from our success in the earlier editions and has honed in on the accelerator focus. ATMAN 1.0 targeted agri-startups, while ATMAN 2.0 was for academic researchers in agriculture. There is a definite tilt towards HealthTech startups in this edition. The novelty lies in how deeply this accelerator process is structured. The startups are provided mentorship in terms of polishing their business models, understanding market fit, and then polishing their investment pitches. The climax is a Demo Day where founders are pitching solutions that are investment-ready and scale-ready.
3. Student-led innovation is increasingly being seen as a driver of economic growth. How do accelerator programs like ATMAN 3.0 help translate campus ideas into scalable, real-world solutions?
A: Accelerator programs fill the gap between innovation that happens in academia and market demand. ATMAN 3.0 brings innovative intensity along with market acumen in terms of facilitating mentoring, industry interactions, validation by actual users, and business and regulatory road-map development. This also helps in making sure that ideas raised by university students, or for that matter, innovation in university settings, are not restricted to a laboratory but are made into a scalable startup that can usher in economic as well as societal change.
4. From IIT Bombay TIH’s perspective, why is it important for academic institutions to go beyond education and actively enable startup creation?
A: Research can actually realize its true potential only when it helps in the resolution of practical, tangible problems. Academic institutions are positioned uniquely to bridge the gap that exists between research and the marketplace. By helping in the creation of start-ups, IIT Bombay ensures that even the most innovative work done in the field of research is aligned with the needs of the market and society.
5. ATMAN 3.0 emphasizes breakthrough and scalable technologies. How does TIH encourage deep-tech innovation rather than incremental ideas?
A: We emphasise strong technological differentiation, real problem validation, and long-term scalability. Through ATMAN 3.0, startups undergo rigorous mentoring, technical reviews, and business strategy refinement. This process pushes founders to move beyond incremental improvements and develop research-backed solutions with the potential to scale meaningfully and sustainably.
6. How does the platform connect student innovators with industry leaders, researchers, and mentors, and why is this ecosystem approach so crucial?
A: ATMAN 3.0 brings startups, clinicians, industry leaders, investors, and academic mentors together through curated sessions, focused mentorship engagements, and Demo Day interactions. Innovation thrives at intersections, where technology meets clinical needs, market realities, and capital. This ecosystem approach accelerates the transition from concept to commercialization by ensuring founders receive diverse and relevant inputs at the right stage.
7. In your experience, how does early exposure to industry and research networks shape the long-term success of young entrepreneurs?
A: Early exposure helps entrepreneurs understand market demands, regulatory constraints, and scalability challenges from the outset. It reduces learning curves, prevents avoidable mistakes, and builds confidence. Over time, this creates founders who are more resilient, market-ready, and capable of building sustainable businesses.
8. How do initiatives like ATMAN 3.0 align with India’s broader goals around self-reliance, technological leadership, and economic growth?
A: ATMAN 3.0 directly supports the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by strengthening indigenous innovation in HealthTech. By nurturing scalable startups, we reduce dependence on imports, build local technological capabilities, and drive technology-led economic growth that is rooted in Indian research and talent.
9. What kind of impact does IIT Bombay hope ATMAN 3.0 will create over the next few years—for students, industry, and the startup ecosystem at large?
A: We see ATMAN 3.0 creating a multi-layered, long-term impact. For students and founders, it aims to build confident, market- and investment-ready entrepreneurs. For industry, it creates a strong pipeline of validated innovations and collaboration opportunities. At the ecosystem level, it strengthens India’s startup landscape by nurturing high-quality, investable ventures that contribute to a self-reliant, innovation-driven economy.
10. How will the shortlisting and awarding be finalised? How will the winners be measured for ATMAN 3.0: in terms of startups created, technologies commercialized, or long-term societal impact?
A: The 13 startups that have been shortlisted will make pitches in front of the investors and members of the TIH Investment Committee. Criteria that will form the basis for these assessments will cover aspects such as unique value proposition, intended market, customer insights, competitive analysis, development strategy, and intellectual property information. Startups that show promising aspects under these criteria will be shortlisted for funding. Coinciding with this event is the display by TIH of its 23 portfolio startups.
11. What message would you like to give young innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs who may be seeking such opportunities?
A: Entrepreneurs and young innovators must embark on entrepreneurship with a clear mind and a passion for solving present-day challenges by building solutions that are based on facts and are open to continuous learning and development. Utilize opportunities created by initiatives such as ATMAN 3.0 to improve your idea and make solutions that will continue to make a difference.
