The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, through its technology business incubator Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), held the first program review committee meeting at its outreach center in Noida. The review meeting was organized under the flagship program “Startup Gateway for Garbage Free Cities” with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.
Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, CEO, SIIC & AIIDE-CoE, IIT Kanpur, opened the meeting by emphasizing the goal of the collaboration between MoHUA and SIIC. The program aims to provide support to startups working at the intersection of technology and social innovation. This support will help them solve India’s waste management challenges, leading to improvements in waste management efficiency, increased social impact, and greater transparency in the waste-to-value chain.
The program review committee comprises Shri Binay Kumar Jha, Director of Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Prof. Ankush Sharma, Professor In-Charge, Innovation and Incubation, IIT Kanpur; Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, Co-Professor In-Charge, Innovation and Incubation, IIT Kanpur; Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, CEO, SIIC & AIIDE-CoE at IIT Kanpur; Mr. Piyush Mishra, COO cum CFO, SIIC, IIT Kanpur; Mr. Ankit Agarwal, Founder of Phool.co; Mr. Rajeev Asija, Ex-COO of HCL; Dr. Abhijit Sathe, Founder of Jalconserve Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and Mr. Ankit Saxena, AVP, SIIC, IIT Kanpur.
The program committee conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the progress made by each of the 20 startups selected for the first cohort of the program. As part of the program’s offerings, these startups will receive a grant of INR 20 lakhs each to promote their technology and business development. In addition, they will have access to mentorship, lab facilities, and business connections. The program aims to connect startups with corporates and Urban Local Bodies to facilitate the deployment of their solutions on the ground in the waste-to-value sector.
Twenty startups have been selected for the first cohort of the program:
Ecowrap – a waste management and FMCG supply chain platform that focuses on primary segregation and provides a one-stop solution for waste collection, tracking, recycling, and up-cycling.
EcoKaari – upcycles waste plastic into beautiful, handcrafted fabrics using Charkha (spindle) and Handloom and creates a community with focus on bottom-up development.
PadCare Labs – a hygiene management solution startup working for menstrual hygiene economy by generating harmless, recyclable output out of sanitary pads.
Celligo Natural Fibres – a startup developing Bio-Insert, a biodegradable alternative to Synthetic Super-Absorbent Polymers (SAP) used in sanitary pads.
RCube Recycling – working on recycling printer cartridges by converting those into refurbished products.
MuddleArt – startup creating a systemic approach to dispose and manage pre-consumer textile waste.
MiniMines Cleantech – extracts precious commodities and reduce carbon footprints through recycled lithium-ion batteries.
Aloe Ecell- creates first-of-its-kind 100% eco-friendly and non-hazardous batteries using Aloe Vera, by replacing toxic and hazardous chemicals of the batteries with herbal electrolytes.
Uneako – develops non-plastic and climate-friendly products for office use and gifting with the aid of underserved populations.
Angirus – converts plastic and other wastes to make lightweight, damp-proof, and durable bricks and paver blocks.
Quality Decor Dzines – converts and recycles rubber tyres into high-utility products, including benches, tables, bags, and other items.
ReCircle – a resource recovery enterprise working on ethical and traceable reverse supply chain for plastics.
Trashback India – Tech-Based Waste Management Company that collects types and kinds of household waste (including unsegregated and bio-waste).
Spruce Up Industries – inventor, manufacturer, pioneer, and source supplier of the Jatayu™ range of machines.
Strawcture Eco – B2B-focused startup working to reduce carbon footprint of the built environment and provide eco-friendly building materials.
ARC-Robotics – works in the cleantech domain to develop an affordable robot to solve the problem of manual scavenging.
Jivoule Biofuels – focuses on transforming wet waste, organic waste, biodegradable waste, biomass waste, agri waste, etc. into Biomethane or Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) or Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
WeVOIS Labs – a solid waste management company offering automated IoT- based door-to-door waste collection solution.
Citygen Technology – working on managing the waste Operating System to trace the quantity and kind of waste collected at the source, source segregation tracking, and daily door-to-door waste collection service.
Nellikka Complete Solutions – an IT-integrated waste management company, working on a waste collection from door to door and segregation, monitoring, and management in a scientific manner using digitization.
The inaugural meeting was fruitful in stimulating the identification of potential outcomes that will encourage startups to reach their milestones and generate a significant impact in the waste-to-value sector.
