About GDC

Who we are

• We are not an incubator or a business accelerator.
• We do not invest in or fund start-ups.
• We do not seek revenues or profits; rather, we work with philanthropic grants to cover expenses.

GDC builds capacity in researchers from STEM universities, incubators, research institutions and corporates to maximise the impact of deep-tech research through scalable start-ups. By enabling faculty and researchers in STEM universities across India to commercialise their research ideas and innovations, we help them go from lab to market.

An alumni-funded centre for innovation and entrepreneurship

Launched in 2017, the Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GDC) is designed to give thought leadership and networking impetus to help build entrepreneurial systems and processes in STEM universities across India. GDC has been funded by grants from three illustrious alumni of IIT Madras Dr. Gururaj Deshpande, Mrs. Jaishree Deshpande and Mr. ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan.

We work with STEM universities to implement an innovative ‘Lab to Market’ mission: by helping faculty, researchers, students, and entrepreneurs to commercialise research ideas, and develop robust start-ups that positively create impact at scale. We work with stakeholders from academia, industry, finance, and government to help build sustainable business ventures.