Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras unveils AI studio

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The Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI (WSAI) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will launch ‘AI Studio’, a venture studio designed to build artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data science companies from the Institute’s research.

The AI Studio is designed to help researchers and founders take research concepts from the idea stage to a viable and scalable business. Each cohort venture will be supported with seed funding, cloud and compute credits, lab access, mentoring, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and product-market-fit support, taking them from idea to a formal spin-out into the IIT-M Incubation Cell ecosystem.

The Studio will be open to IIT Madras and WSAI researchers, academic founders from other institutions, and external entrepreneurs with an AI, ML or data science venture or idea.

Applicants will go through two stages. The first will be an initial training and bootcamp open to a larger applicant pool, followed by a full studio programme for a smaller set of selected ventures. Call for applications for the inaugural cohort will be launched on October 3^rd 2026.

Ventures admitted to the Studio will undergo a six-month venture development and evaluation programme, which can be extended by up to three months for ventures progressing towards an institutional funding round. The Studio will run two cohorts a year, with applications opening in the winter and spring cycles.

The launch builds on IIT Madras' broader deep-tech incubation ecosystem, which has supported the incubation of hundreds of deep-tech startups collectively valued at $8 billion and has resulted in the creation of over 11,000 direct jobs.