March 23, New Delhi: The Academia Industry Training India (AIT) program took place in Switzerland, bringing together Swiss and Indian scientists selected to validate and commercialize their inventions during a week-long intensive program.
Eight Indian startups participated, attending workshops, presenting their ideas to companies, and visiting Swiss firms. These startups focus on sustainability, machine learning, AI, and defense technology.
In the pitch competition, the Indian startup Flask AI, led by Kiran Bettadpur, won 1st place, while the Swiss startup Impact Build, led by Kunaljit Chadha, won CHF 10,000.
The AIT program is jointly funded by the Government of Karnataka and Swiss Leading House South Asia. Programs like AIT strengthen bilateral ties between scientific communities, researchers, and startups in Switzerland and India.
AIT alumni have gone on to secure significant funding: Hycosys from Bangalore raised USD 1 million, 4BaseCare USD 9.8 million, and Switzerland's Oxyle USD 16 million, demonstrating that early-stage support boosts startup success and cross-border collaboration.
(Caption: Swiss-Indian Scientists Join AIT Program to Translate Research to Products)
