T-Hub and Atal Innovation Mission to Nurture and Scale Indian Semiconductor Startups

• The semiconductor cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program is designed to help a group of promising semiconductor startups to encourage innovation in this space.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog partnered with T-Hub to set up AIC T-Hub Foundation and launched three cohorts focused on healthcare, mobility, and sustainability.
• Selected startups will be provided expert-led workshops, specialised mentorship, market access, and investor and industry connect.

T-Hub, which leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem, today announced the launch of the semiconductor cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program to foster innovation and entrepreneurship across the semiconductor sector. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of scaling the startup through expert-led workshops, specialised mentorship, market access, and investor and industry connect.

This is a six-month-long intense hybrid cohort-based program which will mentor 20 startups with potentially disruptive technologies that could reshape semiconductor supply chains in the future. The startups will be selected based on technological innovation, go-to-market readiness, scalability, and team composition. Interested startups can apply here, and the application closing date is 5 September 2022.

MSR, CEO of T-Hub, said, “Indian engineers have contributed massively to the semiconductor sector while working with global companies. Therefore, we must aid them in setting up and scaling their design startups with solid support from the ecosystem. T-Hub and AIC, together with other ecosystem enablers through this program, are trying to provide the semiconductor startups access to the right mentorship, funding channels and networking opportunities.”

The semiconductor cohort of the program will ensure that the selected startups get customised consultation for product commercialisation and market access with the help of global mentors from the industry. T-Hub and AIM will help the startups gain government connections with Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Semiconductor Complex and GAETEC(Galium Arsenide Technology Centre) for quick compliance, certification, and testing to go to market seamlessly. T-Hub partners like the Central Institute of Tool Design (CITD) and Qualcomm will provide startups free access to Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools for Very Large Scale Integration(VLSI) front and back-end development and evaluation platforms to design, validate, and simulate fabless designs. Furthermore, T-Hub and AIC, along with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and IIT -Hyderabad (Indian Institute of Technology), will help startups leverage free access to the Multi Project Wafer (MPW) shuttle. This will enable them to prototype pre-production concepts of semiconductors, verify IP, and characterise device performance with a low-cost, fast feedback loop.

Rajesh Adla, CEO of AIC T-Hub Foundation, said, “Semiconductors are more strategically and economically essential to the world than ever, and we need to significantly scale up research, innovation, design, and production facilities to support our industry’s future growth. Our program is a much-needed initiative that will play a key role in helping startups accelerate their products and solutions, elevating India’s global semiconductor market position.”

The startups will be mentored by researchers, namely Venkata Simhadri from MOSCHIP, Pradeep Vajram from AlphaICs, Muthukrishnan from SAFL (Semiconductor Fabless Accelerator Lab), Sagar Pushpala from Orcha Systems and other elite institutions like INCeNSE of The Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) for quick product architecture. Startups will also stand a chance to gain a free interface with semiconductor foundries and assembly houses to manufacture IC prototypes, test and simulate.

The startups will be provided access to T-Hub’s network of premium service providers and global investor pool, including HNIs and banks, for debt or equity financing to access capital needs and invest in the product. In addition, T-Hub will help them with government grants, funds, and incentives, like T-Fund, SISF (Startup India Seed Fund), Meity, and ISM for quick monetary gains.

T-Hub’s programs have been successfully scaling startups in partnership with a robust ecosystem of partners. T-Hub, to date, has impacted over 2000 startups through various programs and initiatives, has over 600 global and national corporate partners and has provided 2000 mentor connects to help the startup scale.

ABOUT T-HUB

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based out of Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem. With a mission of enabling and empowering an ecosystem hungry for innovation, T-Hub is creating an impact for startups, corporations, and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Incorporated in 2015, it has provided over 1800 national and international startups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies. It has elevated innovation for leading national and global corporations, transforming their business models for the better. Working in collaboration with innovation partners and enablers in Telangana, India and worldwide, T-Hub is building a future-ready innovation ecosystem.

ABOUT AIC-AIM

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) intends to support the establishment of new greenfield incubation centres called Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) that would nurture innovative startups in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable business enterprises. AIM will support these AICs in creating world-class incubation facilities across the country with the state-of-the-art physical infrastructure, in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities available to their incubated startups, coupled with the availability of sectoral experts for mentoring. Apart from this, business planning support, access to seed capital, industry partnerships, training and other relevant components required for supporting innovative startups will be provided.