February 12, 2025, Bangalore: IIIT-B Innovation Centre and BCIC (Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce) hosted a milestone Demo Day focused on Smart Manufacturing & Industry 4.0 at Holiday Inn, Bangalore. The event marked the culmination of the Industry 4.0 Acceleration Program, which brought together innovative startups and industry leaders.

The program demonstrated remarkable success in bridging the gap between startups and industry leaders. With support from approximately 20 corporate partners and 25 corporate mentors from TVS, Bosch, and many others, the startups received valuable guidance in areas such as strategy, business models, and technical implementation. The program also facilitated multiple industrial visits to corporates like Maini and Continental, allowing startups to interact directly with plant heads and experts to understand real-world applications of their technologies.

The event began with Dr. S. Devarajan, Immediate Past President of BCIC and Senior Vice President of TVS Motor Co. Ltd., setting the context by emphasizing the critical need for manufacturing innovation in India. He highlighted, “The program consists of three key components: expert mentorship, corporate connections, and industry visits with POCs. While ideas may be good, implementation often faces challenges, which is why these experiences are crucial.”

Dr. Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT-Bangalore, provided closing remarks and outlined the way forward. He added, “This is just the beginning of a larger movement to shape the future of smart manufacturing in India.” The event concluded with an award ceremony recognizing outstanding startups and their solutions.

Dr. Lakshmi Jagannathan, CEO, IIIT-B Innovation Centre concluded with, “The Innovation Centre is always open to facilitate any conversations—whether between investors and startups, investors and corporates, or corporates and startups.”

Notable participating startups included SwitchOn, EmbedSense, Flextron, and several others, each bringing unique solutions to address manufacturing challenges. The event marked a significant step forward in promoting innovation in India’s manufacturing sector, particularly focusing on Industry 4.0 technologies and smart manufacturing solutions.

The Demo Day not only showcased technological innovation but also highlighted the growing emphasis on sustainability in manufacturing, with several solutions addressing the future needs of carbon credits and sustainable manufacturing practices. The event successfully demonstrated the power of collaboration between academia, industry, startups, and policymakers in driving India’s manufacturing transformation.