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India Launches MC²+ Ignite Accelerator for Energy Deep‑Tech Startups

The ministry-backed programme provides milestone-linked funding plus access to corporate R&D pilot sites to speed lab-stage energy technologies toward commercial use.

Overview

  • MC²+ Ignite was launched at IIT Madras on August 19 and was inaugurated by Neeraj Mittal, secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
  • The accelerator is open for applications through August 31, and roughly 30 startups will be selected with results due on September 15.
  • Each selected startup can receive milestone-linked convertible funding of up to Rs 2 crore and will be matched with industrial pilot sites for real-world validation.
  • The programme runs from a central hub in Delhi with operational nodes inside sponsoring oil and gas companies’ R&D centres and partners with IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, C-CAMP and Venture Center for lab access and mentoring.
  • Run as a Section 8 not-for-profit backed by MoPNG and the country’s energy majors, MC²+ seeks to cut duplicated R&D, give startups clearer procurement routes through PSUs, and raise the odds of scaling Indian energy technologies abroad.