IIM-Calcutta: Rs 50 Cr Fund for Cleantech Startups

Kolkata, Aug 19 (PTI) IIM-Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) on Tuesday announced a Rs 50-crore dedicated fund to back early-stage cleantech and sustainability startups.

The fund will be deployed over the next 12-18 months to support ventures in clean energy, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and waste-to-value solutions, a statement said.

"The initiative marks a turning point in how India nurtures sustainability-led enterprises. Beyond capital, the programme will provide startups with mentorship, market access, and partnerships with corporates and governments, creating a full-stack ecosystem," IIMCIP chairman Ajay Jain said.

"The next major wave of innovation in India will come from cleantech and sustainability. For us, success is not just about creating unicorns, but about transforming lives and communities," he added.

IIMCIP also unveiled its 'Mission 2047', which aspires to impact one billion lives by 2047, the statement said.


The roadmap includes scaling women and rural entrepreneurship programmes, catalysing ecosystems in underserved regions such as the east and Northeast, and mobilising larger investment pools through CSR, philanthropy, and investor capital, it said.

IIMCIP CEO Subhrangshu Sanyal said the launch was a natural next step.

"Over the past decade, we have funded more than 130 startups, enabled over Rs 2,000 crore in follow-on investments, and built a portfolio valued at over Rs 8,000 crore," he said.

"Our efforts have created more than 35,000 jobs and touched the lives of over 9.5 million people," he noted.

Since its inception in 2014, IIMCIP has mentored over 2,000 startups and seed-funded more than 130 ventures, including successes such as 'Dehaat' in agri-services and '5C Network' in medical AI, the statement said.