With the ever rising concerns about climate and environment, there’s a growing urgency to address these challenges globally. Amidst this, the climate tech and sustainability sectors are taking center stage
With the ever rising concerns about climate and environment, there’s a growing urgency to address these challenges globally. Amidst this, the climate tech and sustainability sectors are taking center stage with innovative solutions being built, tackling everything from better materials to cleaner energy, and even how and where we grow our food.
With the intent to accelerate this effort, India’s First DIY Biolab & Bio-incubator – Bioriidl, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar along with Improving Lives Foundation funded by OmniActive Health Technologies launched the first edition of The Climate Tech and Sustainability Acceleration Program. This program provided climate entrepreneurs a platform for real-world implementation and deployment of the solutions they have built.
Covering domains such as materials, clean energy, agriculture, space technology, and horticulture, this diverse residential program hosted 20 visionary climate entrepreneurs from the length and breadth of India – from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from the most rural districts to the financial capital, showcasing the true vision of Viksit Bharat.
Bhavna Pandya, Head, Bioriidl and Innovation Catalyst, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar shares, “The first step was to identify startups offering innovative solutions across sectors, and then curating a program specifically to cater their needs.”
In the dynamic journey of entrepreneurship, startups are constantly seeking avenues to grow, and connect with industry experts. Throughout this program, entrepreneurs benefited from 15 curated workshops by industry experts, one-to-one mentorships, dedicated office hours, networking events to engage with HNIs, industry connections and collaborations, and demo day with sector specific and agnostic investors.
One of India’s leading startup incubation center riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar is supported by the Department of Science & Technology; BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Government of Maharashtra. Our bio-incubator, Bioriidl’s state-of-art facilities enable these & other bio-entrepreneurs, academicians & researchers to do their R&D and build projects & products in the Life Sciences domain.
Bhavna Pandya proudly shares, “In the past 14 years, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has supported over 220 startups and created more than 1000 jobs & internships. Among these, its bio-incubator, Bioriidl has supported over 51 Life Sciences startups with 3 successful exits. Since the inception in 2019, we have also supported researchers & bio-entrepreneurs to build over 30 research projects.”
In the competitive world, these startups learnt from peer-to-peer interaction fostering a culture of shared experiences and collaboration.
Bio-entrepreneurs building sustainable materials:
Within the realm of finding alternative and sustainable materials, Roha Biotech, Cocoplast, and Unbubble found a relatable community and ecosystem. Each of these startups is pioneering eco-friendly solutions, whether it be through biodegradable packaging solutions, alternative hard plastics using coconut waste, or replacement for styrofoam, collectively contributing to a more sustainable future.
Startups innovating in banana-based products:
The program also served as a platform for complementary startups to mutually benefit like Winwal Agro’s focus of creating a value chain for banana-derived products from soil health to crop production aligned with SootheEarth’s innovation. Leveraging the waste generated during the crop production process, particularly banana stem fibers, SootheEarth plans to repurpose Winwal’s by-products as raw materials for making eco-friendly paper and paper derived products.
Solutions using tech for agricultural advancement:
From DruFarm’s precision farming to CI Metrics’ crop growth monitoring using satellite imagery, to Farmalogy’s all-in-one platform for farmers’ needs, to Vaimanika Aerospace’s drones and Ekosight’s soil testing solution, these are leading the charge with their innovative solutions. From precision agriculture and farm management technologies to aerial imaging and sustainable farming practices, each of these startups committed towards advancing agricultural sustainability through their different technology-driven solutions.
Innovations transforming waste into value:
EasyKrishi and Farooqi Feeds convert waste through innovative solutions like repurposing flower waste into eco-friendly incense products, and developing cattle fodder using agricultural waste and weeds, together explored creating tangible value from waste materials.
All these startups, collectively, showcased the essence of knowledge-sharing in addressing common challenges through their different solutions, and hence empowering India’s sustainability ecosystem at large.
Success stories like these fulfill the intention with which the program was conceptualized. To this, Rushva Parihar, Head, Improving Lives Foundation added, “Through this unique program, we are proud to be able to foster innovation and facilitate the acceleration of these startups. We are committed to continuing our support to all the startups and helping them as needed in their journey.”
While growth is often a series of small steps, this CSR initiative achieved its vision of accelerating the scale of these startups by providing them paid pilot opportunities with industries and grants. Among the remarkable cohort, 6 startups were awarded grants to accelerate their growth including Farooqi Feeds, CI-Metrics, Lenz Energy Industry, Ekosight, EasyKrishi & Cocoplast.
The first cohort of the synergistic collaboration of Bioriidl and OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation has empowered entrepreneurs to implement their solutions in the real-world, along with grants & mentoring support. With the guiding belief that innovations are critical to driving change, the broader aim at Bioriidl is to continue fostering innovations and making real-world impact through corporate partnerships. If you are keen to join this ecosystem, you can apply for the next cohort here.
The article is in partnership with riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar.
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