IIM Kozhikode partners with Walmart Global Tech to nurture Indian deeptech startups
IIM Kozhikode’s startup incubator, IIMK LIVE, has joined hands with Walmart Global Tech to launch DEEP LEAP, a new programme aimed at supporting early-stage deeptech startups in India. The initiative brings together academic incubation, industry mentorship, and startup financing to help promising founders scale breakthrough technologies.
The programme has been launched with a total outlay of Rs 2.89 crore under Walmart’s CSR funding. Out of this, Rs 1.5 crore has been earmarked for seed funding or equity investment in selected ventures. The effort marks Walmart Global Tech’s first formal institutional partnership in India focused exclusively on deeptech.
DEEP LEAP will target startups that have already built a prototype or minimum viable product and are now looking for structured support to grow. The programme is focused on high-impact sectors including artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, robotics, autonomous systems, space technology, aerospace, semiconductors, and photonics.
According to the organisers, around 1,500 applications are expected from across the country, from which 50 startups will be selected for a 12-month cohort. During the year-long incubation, founders will receive business strategy support, go-to-market guidance, mentorship, product validation assistance, and investor readiness coaching. The cohort will also get an opportunity to showcase their work to stakeholders and investors at a dedicated Demo Day.
The partnership reflects growing interest in India’s deeptech ecosystem, where startups often need longer development cycles, domain expertise, and patient capital compared to conventional software ventures. By combining the resources of a premier management institute’s incubator with the technology depth and global scale of Walmart Global Tech, DEEP LEAP aims to address some of these gaps.
Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM Kozhikode and Chairman of IIMK LIVE, said deeptech goes beyond building better software or hardware and is ultimately about solving fundamental problems with real-world impact. He added that DEEP LEAP is designed to connect local entrepreneurial talent with global opportunities through collaboration between academia, industry, and innovators.
Rahul Ghosh, Group Director of Data Science at Walmart Global Tech, said the company sees technology as a way to serve communities and create broader value. He described the partnership with IIMK LIVE as a meaningful collaboration at the intersection of academia and entrepreneurship, with the potential to accelerate cutting-edge innovation from India and create impact at a global level.
With deeptech increasingly seen as a strategic driver for India’s startup ecosystem, the launch of DEEP LEAP signals a stronger push toward long-term innovation. For founders working on complex technologies, the programme could provide not just capital, but also the institutional and industry backing needed to move from prototype to market.
