Interest of IIT and IIM Students Decreases in Startup Sector Compared to Artificial Intelligence Jobs

Alumni of IITs and IIMs are now preferring Artificial Intelligence (AI) related jobs instead of starting startups. Due to the increasing lucrative opportunities in the field of Artificial Intelligence, it is learned that the interest of students receiving this higher education is decreasing in the startup sector.

According to a report by Business Standard, during the period from January to August of the year 2026, 79 alumni of IITs and 20 of IIMs who founded tech startups have been registered. These figures are significantly lower compared to the figures for the entire year of 2025.

Looking at the figures for the year 2025, it appears that during that year, a total of 307 IIT alumni and 71 IIM alumni founded tech startups. However, even though the establishment of startups is increasing in the country, IIT and IIM alumni are showing less interest in becoming entrepreneurs.

According to a report by The Economic Times, due to the increasing attractiveness in the field of Artificial Intelligence, graduates of IITs and IIMs are turning towards AI-related jobs instead of startups. Due to this changing trend, a decline is seen in the number of these talented students in the field of entrepreneurship.