Startup incubators play a crucial role in nurturing startups and creating a vibrant ecosystem. However, as the ecosystem evolves, startup incubators need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant. This paper, authored by Prof. Srivardhini K Jha, Associate Professor, IIM Bangalore and Chairperson, NSRCEL along with Prof. A Thillai Rajan, Professor – Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras discusses the future of incubation in India, focusing on what services incubators should offer, how they should measure their impact, and how they can become financially sustainable.

The discussion, based on the roundtable conversation featuring Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO, NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, Ganapathy Venugopal, Co-Founder & CEO, Axilor Ventures and Sridhar Ramanathan, Senior Vice President, IKP Knowledge Park, and CEO, IKP EDEN deliberates on the future of incubation. The experts discuss what services startup incubators should offer, how they should measure their impact and how they can become financially sustainable.

Business innovation centers promote regional economic development, while university startup incubators focus on commercializing technology and innovation developed in their laboratories. Private startup incubators, either independently operated or under the umbrella of a corporation, seek to identify high-growth ventures and support them with capital, know-how, and networks. Regardless of the type of incubator, they all have an imperative to adapt to the changes in the ecosystem to stay relevant.

This discussion also delves into how Incubators, being at the forefront of Innovation in India should focus on providing access to physical resources, business support services, access to capital, process support, and networking services to help ventures overcome their newness and achieve growth – thus building the entrepreneurial prowess India hold.