SBI Foundation and NSRCEL Launch Second Cohort of iCube

NSRCEL, the startup hub at IIM Bangalore, and SBI Foundation, under its Innovators for Bharat initiative, have launched the second cohort of the Incubating Incubators (iCube) initiative. The program aims to strengthen incubators across India by helping them adopt better practices and build institutional capacity.

The second cohort includes three incubation partners: AIC MAGIC (an initiative by CMIA, the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture), the Incubation Centre at IIT Patna, and The Tripura Institution for Transformation (TIFT). These partners will join NSRCEL’s ecosystem, gaining access to its network of mentors and resources.

The initiative aligns with capacity-building efforts by NITI Aayog, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) through MeitY Startup Hub. AIM’s Human Capability Development initiatives focus on training incubator managers, mentors, and ecosystem enablers.

iCube covers structured learning, peer engagement, mentoring, and governance frameworks to help incubators function as stronger regional innovation anchors.

Participants get access to NSRCEL’s network of over 110 mentors, industry connect programs, learning modules, and institutional tools. The program also enables incubators to exchange experiences and adapt models to their regional contexts.

Subhadip Mondal, Team Lead – LEAP, SBI Foundation, said the Innovators for Bharat initiative focuses on strengthening incubation ecosystems beyond metropolitan hubs, with the goal of helping regional innovators access better resources and networks.

Rasika Prashant, CEO, NSRCEL, added the challenge for India’s startup ecosystem is no longer adding more incubators but building robust ones, given that each region has different regulatory and entrepreneurial contexts.