- Published on September 30, 2025
- In AI Startups
India’s Industrial AI Moment: Why VCs Need to Partner with Universities and Startups Now
Structured collaboration offers a defensible sourcing advantage, providing access to proprietary technologies before they enter the open market.
Image by Nalini Nirad
- By Smruthi Nadig
India's universities and technology institutes have often brought out cutting-edge industrial research. From predictive modelling for polymers to AI for cybersecurity, some of the most ambitious industrial AI innovations are sprouting inside labs.
These hubs of innovation, though, are faced with a glaring question: how to scale these breakthroughs into viable, globally competitive businesses?
Collaborations between academic institutions, startups, and venture capitalists could bridge the stubborn “lab-to-market” gap and aid India in emerging as a hub for industrial AI.
Research to Returns
The partnership between the TCG Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) and Haldia Petrochemicals is an example of research translating into industrial va
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Smruthi Nadig
Smruthi brings over two years of experience in reporting on the global energy industry. They hold a Master's Degree from the University of Leeds in International Journalism and a Bachelor's Degree from Christ University in Media Studies, Economics and Political Science.
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