Bangalore, India – February 11, 2025 – The IIIT-B Innovation Centre and the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) recently hosted a successful Demo Day showcasing cutting-edge Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 solutions. This event marked the culmination of their joint Industry 4.0 Acceleration Program, designed to connect startups with established industry leaders.
The program provided participating startups with invaluable support through mentorship from approximately 25 corporate experts representing companies like TVS and Bosch, strategic guidance from around 20 corporate partners, and firsthand experience through industrial visits to facilities like Maini and Continental. These visits enabled direct interaction with plant heads and industry experts, fostering a deeper understanding of real-world manufacturing challenges.
Dr. S. Devarajan, Immediate Past President of BCIC and Senior Vice President of TVS Motor Co. Ltd., opened the event, emphasizing the importance of manufacturing innovation in India and highlighting the program’s focus on mentorship, corporate connections, and practical experience. Dr. Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT-Bangalore, delivered closing remarks, underscoring the event as a starting point for a larger smart manufacturing movement in India. Dr. Lakshmi Jagannathan, CEO, IIIT-B Innovation Centre, reiterated the Centre’s commitment to facilitating collaboration between investors, startups, and corporations.
The Demo Day featured presentations from promising startups, including SwitchOn, EmbedSense, and Flextron, each offering innovative solutions for the manufacturing sector. A key theme throughout the event was the increasing importance of sustainability, with several solutions addressing carbon credits and sustainable manufacturing practices. An awards ceremony recognized the most impactful startup contributions.
The event demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration between academia, industry, startups, and policymakers in driving India’s manufacturing transformation and promoting the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and smart manufacturing solutions.
