What it does: Strongly backed by the Central Government and State Government, Catalyst strives to incubate technology-based start-ups focused on economic and/or social impacts.
Vision: To serve as a catalyst to nurture and guide entrepreneurial initiatives with social and/or economic objectives
Mission: To foster R&D and Entrepreneurship to spawn knowledge-intensive initiatives that would develop innovations useful to society as a whole.
Launched in 2016, IIT Mandi Catalyst is the first Technology Business Incubator (TBI) in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Supported by the Department of Science and Technology [GoI], HPCED, Startup India and MeitY, Catalyst provides incubation support to technology-based startups focused on creating value and impact in the economic and/or social sector. Catalyst currently hosts ten funding schemes including the schemes sponsored by state and central governments. Through the existing funding schemes, Catalyst has committed funding support of over INR 7 Cr to startups to date. We are likely to provide over INR 40 Cr in the next 5 years to startups as financial support.
Since its inception in 2016-17, Catalyst has supported 220 startups through its incubation programs. Currently, Catalyst has a portfolio of about 113 startups in sectors that include renewable energy, road safety, disaster management, agrotech, edutech, ad-tech, health-tech, travel management, and others. Catalyst also focuses on enabling technology-based solutions for economic and social problems facing the Himalayan region. We maintain a co-work office space facility for startups. Residential facilities are also provided to startups based on availability. Other than regular training and mentoring for startups, Catalyst hosts an annual event titled ‘Himalayan Startup Trek’, a two-day event that attracts startups, investors, and experts in large numbers from across India.