IIT-M launches I-NCUBATE programme

This is to bring the deep-tech ideas from the laboratories of academic institutions to the marketplace. GDC hosts seven weeks ‘I-NCUBATE’ programme with George Washington University in the US. 

The first cohort of seven teams that have gone through I-NCUBATE programme with instructors from George Washington University completed their session on Monday.

Addressing the finale of I-NCUBATE held at IIT Madras, Raj Melville, executive director of Deshpande Foundation, US, said, “As sponsors of the original National Science Foundation I-Corps programme in the United States, we hope the I-NCUBATE programme will prove to be a unique national model in India.” 

In the I-NCUBATE programme, each team will have a faculty lead, an entrepreneur lead, and a mentor, who come together under the GDC umbrella and go through a customer-discovery exercise with their respective business ideas. 

The I-NCUBATE programme is designed to have several outcomes, including enabling each team to get a deep understanding of the product-market contours for their business idea based on the first-hand feedback obtained from customers on their needs and the market gaps, providing each team a clear definition of the minimum viable product (MVP), along with value propositions. This will help each team arrive at a ‘Go/No-Go’ decision based on the viability of the market and overall business model.