Five-year partnership to support over 100 climate-focused enterprises across India

The IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) has entered into a five-year partnership with TechnoServe’s Greenr Sustainability Accelerator to strengthen India’s green startup ecosystem. The collaboration aims to support more than 100 climate-focused startups over the next five years, combining incubation, acceleration, and access to finance and markets.

The initiative builds on IIMCIP’s recently launched Rs 50 crore Cleantech and Sustainability Fund, which supports ventures working on clean energy, circular economy, and sustainable technology. Greenr Sustainability Accelerator, supported by the IKEA Foundation and Visa Foundation, is among the largest not-for-profit accelerators for green small and growing businesses (SGBs) in India.

Structured Support For Green Enterprises
Under the partnership, IIMCIP will incubate 20-25 early-stage startups each year, focusing on innovation-led sustainability ventures. The top 10-15 high-performing startups will then advance to the Greenr accelerator programme for advanced mentorship, investor linkages, and global exposure.

The initiative will follow a structured cycle of design, outreach, selection, incubation, and implementation support. Its key goals include helping 20 per cent of supported ventures raise external investment, ensuring at least 30 per cent participation from women-led startups, and promoting large-scale job creation in the green economy. Each enterprise will also be encouraged to deliver measurable social and environmental impact.

Joint Focus On Funding & Impact
As one of India’s leading incubators, IIMCIP will leverage its institutional network to identify and nurture high-potential startups, while Greenr will bring in global expertise, market access, and impact measurement systems. Fundraising responsibilities will be shared to ensure the long-term viability of participating ventures.

Ajay Jain, Chairman, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, said the partnership was aligned with India’s development vision. “India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 will be shaped by entrepreneurs who fuse innovation with sustainability. This collaboration with TechnoServe accelerates our Cleantech and Sustainability Fund and empowers the next wave of green entrepreneurs with resources, mentorship, and market access,” he said.

Ajay Menon, Programme Director of the Greenr Sustainability Accelerator at TechnoServe, said the collaboration would help build a stronger ecosystem for climate innovation. “Addressing the climate challenge demands not just bold ideas, but an ecosystem capable of sustaining them. Having worked with more than 200 green startups in the past two and a half years, we are ready to extend that support through this partnership with IIMCIP,” he added.