Investors pledge Rs 200 crore as Defence Minister launches ‘iDEX Investor Hub’

• ByStartupStory     |    February 16, 2023

The iDEX Investors Hub (iIH) has been established by the Indian government to boost growth in the startup ecosystem and attract investors to the defence sector. This initiative is part of the government’s efforts to accelerate development in the country’s startup ecosystem.

The iDEX Investors Hub (iIH), which operates under the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) platform, has garnered over Rs 200 crore in commitments from prominent Indian investors, according to an official announcement. 

On Wednesday, the platform was launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Aero India 2023. The government has established iIH as part of its efforts to boost the startup ecosystem and attract more investments to the defence sector.

The iDEX Investors Hub (iIH) has signed MoUs with angel investors and incubators in fields such as engineering, blockchain, IoT, and machine language. The iIH helps identify synergies among investors and offers mentorship and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. It aims to boost investment in the defence sector and provide a platform for showcasing technologies in national and international forums.

At the Aero India event, the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), a government-backed non-profit, signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with top investors during the startup manthan. 

In addition, the Defence Minister launched the ninth edition of the Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9) with a cybersecurity theme that includes 28 problem statements. DISC 9 is the first joint initiative between iDEX and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (i4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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