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18 Startups Showcase Telecom & AI Breakthroughs in Samarth Incubation Demo Day

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) hosted a Demo Day for the second cohort of its 'Samarth' incubation programme, featuring 18 startups. These startups worked on innovative problem statements in areas like artificial intelligence, 5G/6G, cybersecurity, and drone technologies. The programme provides selected startups with a financial grant, office space, and access to advanced lab facilities alongside expert mentorship. The top five performers from the first cohort have already been selected for an additional stage of grant funding.

Key Points: Samarth Incubation Demo Day: 18 Startups Showcase Tech Innovations

  • 18 startups in telecom & ICT incubation
  • Rs 5 lakh grant & lab access per startup
  • Focus on AI, 5G/6G, cybersecurity & drones
  • Top 5 Cohort-I startups advanced to Stage-II
2 min read

18 startups under 'Samarth' showcase tech advancements with remarkable outcomes

18 startups in Cohort-II of C-DOT's Samarth programme showcased advancements in AI, 5G/6G, cybersecurity & drones, with top performers receiving grants.

"All onboarded innovators under cohort II showcased their technological advancements with remarkable outcomes - Official Statement"

New Delhi, March 13

The Centre for Development of Telematics successfully hosted the Demo Day for cohort-II of the 'Samarth' incubation programme for 18 startups, it was announced on Friday.

'Samarth', a cutting-edge incubation programme for startups in telecom and ICT sector, was structured in two cohorts of six months each, accommodating up to 18 startups per cohort, thus supporting a maximum of 36 startups to work on set of five innovative problem statements in areas of telecom applications, cybersecurity, 5G/6G technologies, artificial intelligence, IoT, and quantum technologies.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) have been roped in by C-DOT as implementation partner for the programme.

According to an official statement, the programme offered holistic support with financial grants of Rs 5 lakh per startup along with fully furnished office space and access to state-of-the-art lab facilities at C-DOT's Delhi and Bengaluru campuses to the selected startups.

Expert mentorship by C-DOT scientists, power-packed acceleration sessions by industry leaders on topics spanning across multiple domains like Product Development Lifecycle, building a minimum viable product, financial management, Go-To-Market strategies, legal and IP aspects, pitching and fund raising were unique features offered under Samarth incubation programme, said the statement.

C-DOT is an autonomous telecom R&D institution under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The selected 18 Cohort-I startups showed remarkable outcomes during the Demo Day organised in September 2025.

Based on their performance, the top five startups - Turtleneck Systems & Solutions, Purvanchal Engineering Systems, Vital Carbon, Agriverse Innovations, and Jumps Automation - were successfully selected for the Stage-II grant.

Building upon this foundation, Cohort-II was launched in July 2025, focused on five niche problem statements in AI, Li-Fi, Security, and drones.

"All onboarded innovators under cohort II showcased their technological advancements with remarkable outcomes, which was applauded by the industry experts and investors present during the event," said the statement.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Great initiative, but I hope the selection process is truly merit-based and reaches beyond the usual metro cities. We have brilliant minds in tier-2 and tier-3 towns who need this kind of support. Also, would love to see more women-led startups in the next cohort!
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Vikram M
Agriverse Innovations making it to the top five is very promising. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, and applying AI and IoT there can revolutionize the sector. Jai Kisan! 🚜 Hope their solutions are affordable for our small farmers.
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Rohit P
Samarth is a good step, but Rs 5 lakh is quite a small amount for deep-tech startups working on 6G or quantum. The real test is what happens after the demo day. Do they get follow-on funding and government contracts? That's where most Indian startups struggle.
S
Sarah B
Working on Li-Fi and drone security? That's cutting edge. India's startup ecosystem is really maturing. Partnering with STPI and TiE brings the right mix of government support and entrepreneurial expertise. Kudos to all the teams!
M
Meera T
The focus on cybersecurity is crucial. With Digital India growing, we need homegrown, trustworthy security solutions. Hope these startups get the right guidance to not just build products but also protect them from IP theft. More power to them!

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