Incubator KPI Benchmarking Tool
Compare your incubator's performance against national benchmarks — startups incubated, funding facilitated, employment, exits — and identify where you stand.
Benchmarks derived from DPIIT Annual Reports, NITI Aayog Startup India data, and iCreate/TiE incubator industry surveys (2023–24). Benchmarks vary significantly by tier (IIT/IIM vs standalone incubator) and sector (deeptech vs consumer). Use as directional guidance only.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the key performance indicators DPIIT tracks for incubators?
DPIIT tracks: (1) number of startups incubated and graduated; (2) total funding raised by portfolio (by stage — seed, Series A+); (3) employment created by incubatees; (4) revenue generated by incubatees; (5) exits — M&A, IPO, or successful product launch; (6) IP filed by incubatees; (7) incubatee DPIIT recognitions; (8) women-led and SC/ST-led startups. These are reported in the Annual Performance Report.
What is the average funding facilitated per DPIIT incubator?
Based on NITI Aayog and Startup India data, the median DPIIT-recognised incubator facilitates ₹2–5 crore in startup funding per year. Tier-1 IIT/IIM-affiliated incubators facilitate ₹50 crore+ per year for their cohorts. The median employment created per incubatee is 8–12 full-time employees at graduation.
How should an incubator measure its "exit success rate"?
Exit success is measured as: number of startups that (1) raised Series A or beyond; (2) achieved ₹1 crore+ annual revenue; (3) were acquired; (4) IPO-listed. Industry benchmark is 15–25% of incubated startups achieving a meaningful exit within 3 years of graduation. BIRAC incubators have a higher deeptech development timeline and typically measure exits at 5 years.
Do incubators need to track women-led startup statistics?
Yes. DPIIT mandates gender disaggregation in APRs. Government-funded incubators (SISFS, BIRAC, DST-NIDHI) are incentivised to support women-led startups — some grant schemes require minimum 20–30% women-led cohort representation. The number of women founders, their funding raised, and employment created must be reported separately.
What is a good application-to-selection ratio for an incubator?
A healthy funnel: 10:1 to 20:1 (applications to selections) indicates competitive demand and rigorous curation. Very low ratios (< 5:1) may indicate insufficient outreach or low brand recognition. Very high ratios (> 30:1) may mean the incubator is under-resourcing its selection process. DPIIT encourages incubators to widen the application funnel through pan-India outreach, not just local college networks.