IIT Bombay has taken a landmark step in India’s innovation landscape with the launch of the country’s first academia-linked deep tech venture capital fund, a ₹250-crore initiative aimed at powering early-stage science-led start-ups.

Announced in Mumbai on December 9, 2025, the Y-Point Venture Capital Fund has been set up by the institute’s technology incubator, the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), marking the first time an Indian academic incubator will create and manage its own VC fund.

The move significantly expands SINE’s role from mentorship and incubation to direct capital deployment in high-impact technological ventures.

Early capital for deep tech challenges

The fund seeks to bridge one of the most persistent gaps in India’s start-up ecosystem: early-stage capital for deep tech companies that require long development cycles, specialised infrastructure and sustained investment before reaching the market.

It will back ventures across robotics, material science, advanced engineering, AI, space technologies and biotechnology — areas that often struggle with seed and pre-series investments due to their high-risk, research-heavy nature. Beyond capital, the fund aims to plug founders into IIT Bombay’s research ecosystem, labs, advisory networks and industry connect.

Strengthening the innovation pipeline

SINE said the fund is designed to help promising ideas move seamlessly from academic research to scalable enterprises, creating globally competitive Indian deep tech firms.

By linking academia directly with venture capital, the model offers a new playbook for accelerating frontier technologies and could inspire similar institutional funds nationwide.

Officials noted that reducing early-stage funding hurdles is essential if India is to strengthen its innovation pipeline and build breakthrough companies capable of competing at a global scale.

With the Y-Point VC Fund, IIT Bombay aims to catalyse a stronger, more resilient deep tech ecosystem — and place India firmly on the map of frontier technology leadership.