Taking science to market

These are not distant possibilities. They are among the technologies taking shape at startups emerging from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. From AI-powered diagnostics and autonomous surveillance balloons to thermal batteries and next-generation solar cells, these ventures are tackling problems long addressed through imported technology.

Incubated at IISc’s Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), they represent a different kind of startup story. Their products are not built for quick launches or instant scale. They are born in laboratories, shaped by years of research and engineering, and driven by a bigger ambition: to turn scientific breakthroughs into technology that can reach the market.

For Enlife, that ambition lies in changing how neurodegenerative diseases are detected. The startup is developing an AI-powered blood test for early detection of Alzheimer’s and other conditions. Its platform can analyse 25 to 100 biological markers simultaneously and combine the results into a single risk score that a primary care physician can interpret.

The technology uses engineered molecular binders to improve the sensitivity of detecting disease-related markers. Its bigger differentiator is localisation. “The test is being calibrated for Indian genetic and metabolic profiles, rather than simply adapting diagnostic systems developed for Western populations,” says co-founder Deepak Nair. Enlife is moving from a lab-validated prototype towards field testing, with collaborations involving NIMHANS and IISc’s Centre for Brain Research. It is targeting equipment costs of around ₹15 lakh, compared with ₹8-10 crore for some existing diagnostic systems, and is seeking $2 million in funding.

If Enlife is bringing advanced diagnostics closer to the patient, Botloka wants to make robotics more useful inside the home. Founded by Pooja Ravishankar, the woman-led startup has developed Jiva, a robot vacuum cleaner built through four generations of prototypes over five years.

The product combines mechanical design, electronics, embedded software, navigation and AI. It features a sealed airflow architecture, obstacle detection sensors and a battery offering upto 180 minutes of runtime. Ravishankar estimates that India sells around 3 lakh robot vacuum cleaners annually, compared with more than 60 lakh in China. The opportunity, she believes, is bigger than cleaning floors. Botloka wants to build a robotics platform for household applications, with ambitions to eventually design, manufacture and export robots. It has raised around ₹1.75 crore through founder capital, grants, seed and angel funding.

The defence sector offers another opening for indigenous technology. Brothers Rushabh and Saurabh Chalke, founders of Thinking Balloon, are developing tethered balloon platforms connected to autonomous ground stations. These systems can launch, fly and recover without a person on site, carrying cameras, radar and communications equipment while drawing power through a tether.

A platform operating at upto 1 km altitude could provide surveillance coverage comparable to multiple ground-based radar towers, the founders say. The technology is aimed at military posts, ports and critical infrastructure, particularly locations where low-flying drones can evade conventional surveillance. Thinking Balloon has secured approximately ₹60 lakh in grants and is discussing a $1 million seed round. Counter-drone capabilities are planned for the next phase.

The energy transition is creating its own set of hard problems. Voltanova, founded by Jaicky Kumar and Deepak Mishra, is developing thermal battery energy storage systems for factories and data centres. Instead of storing energy electrochemically, its technology stores it as heat for industrial applications. The company claims 95% efficiency and costs at one-fifth those of conventional battery storage for relevant uses.

“We are targeting industries such as steel, textiles and chemicals, where replacing fossil-fuel-based industrial heat remains a difficult part of decarbonisation. Commercial deployments are expected to begin in the coming months,” says Kumar, co-founder, Voltanova. The company has raised ₹6 crore and received around ₹50 crore in order of interest from industry. Its backers include Rainmatter Investments, Thub and FSID.

In agriculture, Green Collar Global is addressing a less visible but important bottleneck: quality testing. Its TARAM portable near-infrared analyser allows commodities such as spices and grains to be tested at farms or procurement points instead of being sent to centralised laboratories.

The company’s AI-powered systems cover cumin, turmeric, chilli, pepper and coriander. Its TARAM-IQ platform offers predictive quality analytics during crop growth. “The technology is aimed at reducing quality disputes and helping farmers, exporters and other buyers make faster decisions,” says co-founder Hema Annamalai. The company is already generating revenue, with deployments across multiple commodities and geographies. It has been incubated across IISc Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and KEC Perundurai.

The sixth venture, ABX3PV, is working on perovskite solar technology at IISc’s Centre for Nano Science and Engineering. Perovskite cells can be made on flexible substrates and could eventually find applications in buildings, vehicles and space systems. Combined with silicon in tandem cells, they could also improve efficiency. For India, the opportunity is to move beyond conventional silicon panels and build capabilities in a technology that could shape the next phase of solar manufacturing.

Deeptech, however, does not come with quick wins. Research, specialised infrastructure and testing can take years before a product reaches the market. FSID helps bridge that gap with access to IISc’s laboratories, mentorship, industry links and incubation support. The challenge now is to turn promising science into products that can compete beyond the lab.