The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi's Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) Forward 2025, brought together startups, investors, policymakers and industry leaders over two days.
The flagship innovation summit, is positioned as a launchpad for India’s deep-tech decade, and showcased market-ready solutions across health, mobility, robotics and smart materials, as well as facilitated policy dialogues, investor connects and SME collaborations.
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The FITT Forward 2025 at IIT Delhi gave a platform to deep-tech startups that are reshaping daily life—from fabrics that killed bacteria within minutes to India’s first autonomous pool-cleaning robot.
There were also innovations like herbal wellness textiles, AI tools for traffic management, auto simulation software, portable diagnostic kits, predictive wearables, and nutrient-delivering smart patches.
On the second day of the event, FITT IIT Delhi and AIC IIT Delhi Sonipat, in partnership with Cadence, launched a 24-month incubation program to groom fabless semiconductor startups in chip design, IP, EDA innovations and edge-AI hardware, a press statement informed.
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{{/usCountry}}FITT MD Dr. Nikhil Agarwal made the announcement of the launch. The initiative is aimed at building India’s next generation of semiconductor champions.
As per the release, the program offers startups access to Cadence’s EDA tools, IIT Delhi’s labs and prototyping facilities, as well as technical and business mentorship, investor connects, legal/IP support and milestone-based grants.
As part of the initiative, around 15–20 teams will be shortlisted for a bootcamp through a national selection process, with up to two ventures taken forward for full incubation.
The incubation program will focus on areas like fabless SoCs, NPUs and AI accelerators, RISC-V, AI-driven design tools, supply-chain intelligence, and energy-efficient design workflows.
Dr. Agarwal said, “India is at a pivotal moment in semiconductors. This program provides the missing bridge—from brilliant design talent to globally competitive deep tech companies.”
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Speaking at the TechFront panel, Rajat Taneja, President of Technology at Visa, emphasised that trust and security must remain at the core of innovation.
He said at a time when technology is becoming smarter and more borderless, the need has come for regulators, academia, researchers and industry to work together and ensure it is developed responsibly, ethically and transparently.
Besides, the session on “Unity in Diversity – Embassies in Dialogue” brought together diplomats from Germany, Australia, Switzerland and the UK alongside NITI Aayog wherein discussions were held on global collaboration in science, technology and innovation.
Speakers shed light on how cross-border partnerships in deep tech, space tech, AI and startup exchanges are strengthening ecosystems, and emphasised unity in diversity is not just a principle but a strategy for resilience.
Meanwhile, Honeyloop Technologies won a ₹3 lakh cash prize, while Earth Sense Labs received ₹5 lakh at the FITT Forward award ceremony.
In addition, Green Aero Propulsion was recognised as the most promising startup, and Vecmocon Technologies was named the most impactful startup.