Greater Noida: The Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) BIMTECH in Greater Noida closed the year with its Gen-Next Founder Connect 2025, a founder-first networking conclave that brought together more than 70 incubated start-ups and an investor network managing over Rs 1,000 crore in funds. The gathering drew around 100 participants to the AIC BIMTECH campus.
Organised under the theme “Brunch, Boost and Build”, the event followed the launch of PRARAMBH, which AIC BIMTECH describes as one of its largest incubation cohorts. It was held with support from the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) and the Uttar Pradesh government’s StartInUP initiative.
The line-up featured investors from networks such as O2 Angels Network, SwiftSeed Ventures, Ah Ventures, Karekeba Ventures and EDC India, alongside individual backers and alumni-turned-investors from the AIC BIMTECH ecosystem. They outlined how they evaluate founders, the stages they prefer to invest in and the non-financial support they provide.
“This gathering tried to help the dilemma by focusing on empowering founders with the right insights from investors, helping them understand the right approach and identify the right investors who can keep up with them,” said Surya Kant, CEO, AIC BIMTECH.
Dr Prabina Rajib, Director, BIMTECH, said the focus was on meaningful engagement rather than fast-tracked deal announcements. “The focus of Gen-Next Founder Connect 2025 was to develop an actual connection between investors and entrepreneurs, as opposed to just ‘instant funding’,” she said, adding that it is estimated that over 20 of the participating companies may receive funding over the next three to six months. She noted that AIC BIMTECH has worked with more than 500 start-ups so far and is targeting over 700 by 2026.
According to the incubator, its portfolio has crossed 500 start-ups, collectively creating over 5,000 jobs and generating more than Rs 125 crore in revenue across upwards of 20 international markets. The centre has also onboarded over 100 new start-ups in the past six months, including 55 ventures in the PRARAMBH cohort, and works closely with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub’s GENESIS programme.
The conclave emphasised extended discussions, detailed Q&A sessions and long-term relationship building over quick pitches, with support from StartInUP, MeitY, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) – Startup India and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
