IIM Mumbai Launches AIC–NIFIE to Incubate Tech Startups and Drive Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision

Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai) marked a significant milestone today with the inauguration of the AIC-NITIE Incubation Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIC–NIFIE) by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge). The centre is envisioned as a transformative platform to catalyze innovation, support early-stage startups, and foster a self-reliant India under the national mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The inauguration was part of Dr. Singh’s visit to the institute, during which he also addressed a distinguished gathering under IIM Mumbai’s Leadership Series, themed “Viksit Bharat: India’s Startup Strides over the Last Decade and the Way Forward.”

AIC–NIFIE, established under the aegis of Atal Innovation Mission, is designed to provide holistic support to innovators and entrepreneurs through incubation, mentorship, industry linkages, and access to research and technology. The centre will work closely with startups in manufacturing, supply chain, sustainability, and digital transformation — sectors critical to India’s economic future.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Singh emphasized the importance of academic institutions like IIM Mumbai in bridging policy, research, and enterprise. “Innovation is the backbone of a developed India. Centres like AIC–NIFIE will be instrumental in translating India’s demographic dividend into tangible economic growth,” he stated.

Director of IIM Mumbai, Prof. Manoj K. Tiwari, noted, “The launch of AIC–NIFIE is a step towards building a dynamic innovation ecosystem within the institute. It aligns with our mission to create impact through thought leadership, research, and entrepreneurship.”

With this initiative, IIM Mumbai deepens its commitment to national development through support for startup ecosystems, with launch of 14 startup’s as on date, industry-driven research, and the creation of new knowledge economies.

About IIM Mumbai:

IIM Mumbai, formerly NITIE, is a renowned management institution established in 1963. Ranked 6th in India's 2024 NIRF Rankings, it excels in Operations, Supply Chain, Sustainability, and General Management. Located in Mumbai, the institute leverages its proximity to the financial capital for industry interface and collaboration. With a faculty from top global institutions like MIT and Kellogg School of Management, IIM Mumbai offers a vibrant intellectual environment.

The institute boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure, a world-class library, and a picturesque campus. As a nodal hub for capacity building under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, it hosts a Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. IIM Mumbai innovates in pedagogy and impact, with international student exchange partnerships and cutting-edge research, shaping leaders and India's management ecosystem. Its strong industry connections and research focus make it a leader in management education. For more information, please visit https://iimmumbai.ac.in/

Here're 12 Winning Startups from 9 Indian States at Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue 2022

Twelve start-ups from 9 Indian states emerge winners at Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue 2022

The winning 12 start-ups receive seed funding of up to $5,000 to scale up their innovations.

Twelve top start-ups from across 9 Indian states working in agriculture, ed-tech, women’s livelihood, circular economy, and biodiversity were announced as winners at the 5th Edition of Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue India.

Youth Co:Lab, co-created in 2017 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation, aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Youth Co:Lab was launched in India in 2019 in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog. The 2022-23 edition received 378 applications from 28 states across the country.

Dr.Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM; Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India; and Ms. Sanjana Sanghi - Actor and UNDP Champion felicitated the winners.

“Social startups are not just businesses; they are catalysts for social change. They address pressing social and environmental challenges, stimulate economic growth, inspire other businesses, leverage technology, and promote collaboration. Their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit drives us towards a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future. Let us celebrate and support social startups as they continue to shape our world for the better,” said Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM while announcing the winners. 

Mr. Ashu Khullar Citi India CEO said, “Citi places great emphasis on supporting the aspirations of youth and young entrepreneurs. There has been tremendous innovation and creativity in addressing various social challenges through the Youth Co:Lab. My congratulations to the top 12 finalists working across important fields for the country’s sustainable development.”

Speaking at the event, Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India said, “With 254 million young people aged between 15 and 24 years, India has a unique opportunity to lead innovation and social entrepreneurship and make the voices of young people count. I am excited to see the diversity of ideas and frugal innovation the winners bring this year. With Youth Co: Lab, UNDP is happy to provide a platform for young social entrepreneurs to scale their initiatives and recognize, value, and support the solutions they bring.”

The winners across each thematic area received a seed grant of US$ 5,000; while the runners-up received US$ 3,000. This funding will help the winners scale their ideas into tangible products or services.

Felicitating the winners, Ms. Sanjana Sanghi, Actor, and UNDP Champion, added, "I believe that today's young people hold immense power to drive innovation and create meaningful change through social entrepreneurship. Youth Co: Lab offers them a platform to convert their ideas into solutions that transform lives and communities. Youth have the passion, the ideas, and the drive to make a difference in the world.”

Youth Co:Lab India 2022-23 focused on 6 thematic areas; Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth, Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment, Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation, Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance, Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations and Behavioural Nudges for LiFE ( Lifestyle For Environment).

Out of the applications, 47 short-listed start-ups received one-on-one mentoring and capacity-building sessions from experts for two months through the Youth Co:Lab Springboard Programme, a start-up support platform for SDG innovators. These start-ups then presented their ideas to an esteemed jury in May 2023, from which the 12 winners were selected.

Since 2017, Youth Co:Lab has supported young aspiring, and inspiring social entrepreneurs in 28 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific. The national dialogues, regional summits, social innovation challenges, and workshops have reached over 240,000 participants. The national youth social innovation and entrepreneurial skills development activities have served over 14,000 young people and launched or improved 1,530 youth-led social innovation teams.

National Innovation Dialogue 2022 Winners:

THEME 1: Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth

1. SaralX- Enhancing access and opportunities for people with disabilities
• Founder Name: Akashdeep Bansal
• Age: 30
• Location: Pune
2. Edubuild - Experinships for youth
• Founder Name: Saksham Gupta
• Age: 27
• Location: Jaipur

THEME 2 - Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment

1. Project Baala - Menstrual hygiene for economically marginalized menstruators
• Founder Name: Soumya Dabriwal
• Age: 27
• Location: Mumbai
2. Agrosure - Mechanisation solution for women farmers

• Founder: Akshay Dipak Kawale
• Age: 30
• Location: Maharastra

THEME 3 - Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation

1. Gepo Aali - To nurture back the lost indigenous crop variety of the region using ancestral farming practices.
• Founder Name:Dimum Pertin
• Age: 30
• Location: Arunachal Pradesh
2. Nutty Village - Managing farm to fork organic value chain in groundnuts
• Founder Name: Aman Kumar
• Age: 28
• Location: Uttar Pradesh

THEME 4 - Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance

1. Promeat - Plant based meat
• Founder Name: Debabrata Das
• Age: 25
• Location: Assam
2. Myplan 8 - Incentivising spend on low carbon sustainable alternatives

• Founder Name: Rajat Sohan Vishwakarma
• Age: 27
• Location: Mumbai

THEME 5 - Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations

1. Dump in Bin - Using plastic waste in pavement manufacturing
• Founder Name:Rishabh Patel
• Age: 29
• Location: Gurugram
2. Econscious - Functional and aesthetic recycled plastic products
• Founder Name:Sonal_Shukla
• Age: 29
• Location: New Delhi

THEME 6 - Behavioral Nudges for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) 

1. Digi Swasthya- Telemedicine for rural India
• Founder Name: Sandeep Kumar
• Age: 27
• Location: Uttar Pradesh
2. Sputnik Brain - Non-invasive brain modulation for stress management
• Founder Name: Shankar Sri
• Age: 23
• Location: Banglore

About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):

AIM including Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) is the Government of India’s endeavor to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Its objective is to serve as a platform for promoting world-class innovation hubs, grand challenges, start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven areas.

About UNDP India:

UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, as well as sustainable energy, environment, and resilience. UNDP’s programmes fully integrate a global vision for catalytic change with India’s national priorities. With over 30 projects on the ground in almost every state, today, UNDP India works to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by transforming traditional models to do development differently.

About Citi Foundation

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyse job opportunities for youth and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfil our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. Learn more at www.citigroup.com/citi/foundation

About Youth Co:Lab:

Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Read more about Youth Co:Lab. 

India Partners with Australia's Science Agency To Drive Innovation in Areas of National Challenges and Shared Priorities

Atal Innovation Mission & CSIRO to lead IA-ITC program

India's flagship initiative, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), and the country's think tank NITI Aayog have joined hands with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, by signing a Letter of Intent to encourage joint cooperation to drive innovation activities in areas of national challenges and shared priorities of both countries.

The move comes during the India visit of the Australian Prime Minister Mr. Anthony Albanese as he met the Indian Prime Minister Sh. Narendra on 10 March 2023 in New Delhi. The meeting between the Prime Ministers spanned across areas of mutual interest and explored avenues of strengthening bilateral engagement in a range of key areas with innovation as one key item.

The Letter of Intent between AIM and CSIRO calls for a greater collaboration in areas of mutual interest and strategic priorities and serves as a general framework for cooperation intended to facilitate the development of more program specific interventions.

The core of the bilateral engagement is the India Australia Innovation and Technology Challenge (IA-ITC) - a program envisioned to bring together the innovation ecosystems of India and Australia to address our shared environmental and economic challenges by supporting cohorts of start-ups and SMEs on their commercialisation pathways and bring to market innovative tech-based solutions spanning across circular economy, energy transition and food system resilience etc. The program intends to leverage the complementary capabilities and resources of the innovation ecosystem of both the countries.

The IA-ITC builds on the success of the India Australia Circular Economy (IACE) hackathon 2021, which witnessed university students, start-ups, and SMEs from both India and Australia develop innovative tech-based solutions for circularity in food system value chain.

"We are thrilled to partner with CSIRO on fostering innovation and co-developing the India Australia Innovation and Technology Challenge," said Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director - AIM, NITI Aayog. "This partnership and the IA-ITC program in particular is an exciting opportunity for India and Australia to collaborate at different levels of the ecosystem involving start-ups, SMEs, business incubators and accelerators, VCs and the industry. This will open new horizons in knowledge sharing and co-creation given CSIRO’s vast experience with Science and Technology programs."

"CSIRO is excited to partner with AIM and work towards solving shared global challenges. AIM has an impressive track record of fostering and leveraging world-class innovations and entrepreneurs. We look forward to combining our strengths and expertise to create scientific breakthroughs that make real-world social, economic and environmental impact." said Jonathan Law, Executive Director – Growth, CSIRO.

AIM and CSIRO are currently working on the design and development of the IA-ITC program delivery model to ensure the IA-ITC is sustainable, innovative, impactful and aligns with the strategic interests of both India and Australia. The official launch of the program is expected to be in July 2023.

T-Hub and Atal Innovation Mission Select 10 Startups for its Semiconductor Program

T-Hub and Atal Innovation Mission Select 10 Startups for its Semiconductor Program

The semiconductor cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program received a total of 150+ applications and was shortlisted to 10 startups.

The selected startups will be provided expert-led workshops, specialised mentorship, market access, and investor and industry connect.

T-Hub, which leads India’s innovation ecosystem, today announced the selection of 10 startups for the AIC T-Hub semiconductor program. The selected startups will be provided expert-led workshops, specialised mentorship, market access, and investor and industry connect opportunities.

The six-month program will enable these entrepreneurs to design, tape-out, fabricate and test chips along with go to market, and co-innovation with corporates. These startups are nurtured under the guidance of best mentors from the semicon industry.

Ten startups, including ambit, Proton, Xoptimus Hivericks Technologies, Fashmo PCB Design, Hetrogenous, Silizium, Cyrrup a Solutions, Anscer Robotics, 3W, Morphing Machines, were shortlisted from a pool of over 150 applicants by T-Hub.

MSR, CEO of T,-Hub, said, “In terms of global technological innovation, startups have helped position India at the very top. Recognising their potential, the government is promoting their development through well-targeted policies, strategies, and a renewed focus on the semiconductor industry. Our AIC T-Hub program is a commitment in the same direction. We are eager to collaborate with these startups and provide them with the technical assistance, mentoring, and market exposure they require.”

The selected startups will leverage free access to MPW (Multi Project Wafer) shuttle to prototype pre-production concepts of semiconductors, verify IP, and characterise device performance with a low-cost, fast feedback loop. They will also gain free interface with semiconductor foundries and access to assembly houses to manufacture and test their IC (Integrated Circuit) prototypes. In addition, industry experts and elite researchers from top institutes like CITD (Central Institute of Tool Design) and iCreate will mentor these startups on go-to-market strategies and collaborate on innovation pilot projects.

Rajesh Adla, CEO of AIC T-Hub Foundation, said, “It’s high time we kick start designing, developing, and manufacturing Semicon chips to build a thriving semiconductor ecosystem in India. Incubation plays a key role in making this happen as it’s a new terrain to explore for young startups and the next generations to try Semicon.”

The selected startups will be provided access to T-Hub’s network of premium service providers and global investor pool, including HNIs and banks, for debt or equity financing to access capital needs and invest in the product. In addition, T-Hub will help them with government grants, funds, and incentives, like T-Fund, SISF (Startup India Seed Fund), Meity, and ISM, for quick monetary gains.

Till now, the AIC T-Hub incubated startups in the areas of Sustainability, Mobility and Healthcare. Through these programs they successfully achieved 440+ total connections, 520+ mentoring sessions, 27+ market access, 210+ connections, 15+ recognitions and a total of 64 startups. Overall startups raised 8+ crore funding, 4+ crore contracts and 22 market pilots from Govt and Corporates. It has impacted over 2000 startups through various programs and initiatives, has over 600 global and national corporate partners and has provided 2000 mentor connections to help the startup scale.

ABOUT T-HUB

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based in Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem and is the world’s largest innovation campus. Over six years, T-Hub has pivoted around the 6Ms (Mentorship, Money, Market Access, Motivation, Mindset, Manpower) and 2Ps (Partnerships and Policy advisory) framework with a mission of driving results and collaboration for entrepreneurs’ success. It has delivered 100+ innovation programs so far, creating an impact for startups, corporations and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Since inception, it has provided over 2000 national and international startups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors and government agencies.

Media contacts: pr@t-hub.co

ABOUT AIM

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) intends to support the establishment of new greenfield incubation centres called Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) that would nurture innovative startups in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable business enterprises. AIM will support these AICs in creating world-class incubation facilities across the country with the state-of-the-art physical infrastructure, in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities available to their incubated startups, coupled with the availability of sectoral experts for mentoring. Apart from this, business planning support, access to seed capital, industry partnerships, training and other relevant components required for supporting innovative startups will be provided.

UIncept Announces Winners of All India EdTech Startup Challenge and Master Class Series 2021-22

Global EdTech Accelerator, UIncept, today announced the winners of its All India EdTech Challenge and Master Class Series initiative conducted in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The initiative is aimed at nurturing education technology (EdTech) companies and startups at pre and post minimum viable product (MVP) stages, and was designed with support from AWS EdStart, the EdTech startup accelerator from AWS that helps entrepreneurs build the next generation of online learning, analytics, and campus management solutions.

"The response from the EdTech startup ecosystem has been promising," said Manish Gupta, Founder & Chief Mentor, UIncept. “We have seen enthusiastic participation from startups that specialise in artificial intelligence (AI)/ machine learning (ML), video first/ micro-learning first, test preparation, and 21st-century skills. We would like to congratulate all the winners and participants.”

Saurav Raaj, Founder, WIZE, winner of the pre-MVP track said, “It was exciting to be a part of this challenge. The Master Classes provided an immersive experience and a wonderful learning opportunity. Such initiatives are much needed. I am positive this will touch many startups and founders in the future.”

Mayank Arora, founder and CEO, Elite Techno Groups (ETG) and winner of the post-MVP track said, “We are glad to be recognised as the winners of the Master Class Series 2021-2022. The challenge had startups from different sectors, giving us a unique opportunity to learn from industry leaders as well as a chance to network with fellow entrepreneurs. The sessions were highly engaging and provided a thorough overview of how to run our organisation, as well as guidance on how to take it to the next level."

The jury for the Demo day comprised of Manish Upadhyay, Advisor & EIR, UIncept, Deepika Sharma, Lead - AWS EdStart, Amazon Internet Services Pvt. Ltd., and Prashant Narang and Nishtha Chaudhary from Agility Ventures. . Jury members for the Pitch day were Minal Shah from Inflection point Ventures, Hardik Dua from SucSeed Innovation Fund, Amir Khan, Territory Business Development (EdTech), Amazon Web Services and Shobana Prakash from 100xvC.

Winners for the pre-MVP track are as follows —

• Winner: WIZE (https://www.wize.ws/), which is solving the problem of managing, tracking and validating education credentials via block chain, won a seed fund of INR 3,00,000 from UIncept, direct entry in the Acceleration Program, and AWS credits.
• 1st Runner Up: PERCEIVED DESIGN ( https://perceived.design/), a plug and play XR online platform to create, share and track training modules, immersive tours and storytelling pedagogy, won direct entry in the Acceleration Program, and AWS credits.
• 2nd Runner Up: UNIKAKSHA ( http://www.unikaksha.com), which provides an online digital education providing platform that enables individuals to upskill themselves and get on to the career path they aspire for, won direct entry into the Acceleration Program and AWS credits.

The winners of the post-MVP track are e as follows —

• Winner: Elite Techno Groups (ETG) (www.elitetechnogroups.com), which is focused on creating an engineering ecosystem around skills needed for the industry, won a seed fund of INR 20,00,000 from UIncept and AWS credits.
• 1st Runner Up: Teachers Help Teachers (http://teachershelpteachers.in/, which helps educators evolve and enhance by learning from other educators and their experiences/expertise, won a seed fund of INR 15,00,000 from UIncept and AWS credits.
• 2nd Runner Up: Ucanji (https://www.ucanji.com/), which offers an online dance learning platform, won AWS credits.

As part of the initiative, representatives from the participating startups had an opportunity to attend a series of Master Classes conducted by industry experts such as Rohit Swarup, Founder Director, Xplora Design Skool & Futurz Xplored, Dr. Poornima Charantimath, Professor Emeritus, Consultant, Mentor, Author of TQM and Entrepreneurship Development, Divya Momaya, Independent Director - MOFSL, ASL, GTPL, MOHFL and Co-Chairperson, IMC, Agam Chaudhary, Chief Mentor, Two99 E-commerce, Ajay Jain, Mentor, Coach & Angel-Investor for start-ups and Founding Partner, Xseed Consulting & IIITH Seed Fund, Vaishnavi Reddy, Founder, OriginUX Studio, Loveleen Gupta, Founder LG Associates, and Ankur Goel, Founder & CEO, Skwerup Capital Partners.

In addition, the six-month-long challenge also included focused sessions on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, legal, customer discovery, and business fundamentals.

About UIncept Global EdTech Accelerator

UIncept Global EdTech Accelerator is a robust ecosystem of startup stakeholder: Startups, Expert Mentors, Investors, Corporates, School, Colleges, Government, Policy makers etc. www.uincept.com

About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. AIM is mandated to create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation ecosystem of the country and revolutionize the innovation ecosystem - touching upon the entire innovation life cycle through various programs like Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Community Innovation Centres, ARISE and Atal New India Challenge. The ‘All India EdTech Challenge & Master Class Series’ would be a step from AIM towards supporting the EdTech Ecosystem.

T-Hub and Atal Innovation Mission Selects 16 Sustainability Startups

• The sustainability cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program is designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of scaling a sustainable startup.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog last year partnered with T-Hub to set up AIC T-Hub Foundation and launched two cohorts focused on healthcare and mobility.
• Selected startups will be provided expert-led workshops, specialized mentorship, market access and investor and industry connect.

T-Hub, which leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem, today selected 16 startups for the sustainability cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program to foster innovation and entrepreneurship across the sustainability sector. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of scaling a sustainable startup through expert-led workshops, specialized mentorship, market access and investor and industry connect.

This is a three-month-long intense hybrid cohort-based program that selected technology startups working in the areas of agricultural sustainability, solid waste and recycling, environmental sustainability, and sustainable lifestyle space.

MSR, CEO of T-Hub said, "It has never been more important to support the entrepreneurs whose technology-based solutions can fast-track the urgent needs of our planet for a sustainable future. Over the next three months, we will work closely with these inspiring entrepreneurs, presenting them with an extraordinary opportunity to refine their innovations through tailored mentorship, as well as take advantage of T-Hub’s global ecosystem to scale their products and solutions. The strong support of AIM will enable us to continue accelerating innovative businesses across the country and grow a supportive network that can tackle sustainability."

The startups have been handpicked after an extensive screening process by T-Hub, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), and external industry experts. The startups were selected based on their technological innovation, go-to-market readiness, scalability, team composition, etc.

The selected 16 startups are -

1. Jivoule Biofuels
2. Autostudio Pvt. Ltd.
3. Eunoia Innovations
4. Animal ICU, 
5. ELAI Agritech
6. EcoOrbit Solutions Pvt Ltd
7. Elemantra Enterprises Pvt Ltd
8. Himalayan Hemp Org
9. Blueleaves Farms
10. Sup-Eco App
11. Onelements
12. Happily Ever
13. Ngage
14. Neerovel Innovations Pvt. Ltd
15. Period Health Care
16. Waste Care.

Rajesh Adla, CEO, of AIC T-Hub Foundation said, "Through the AIC T-Hub Foundation program, we aim to enable startups to scale their solutions that can address the world’s crucial sustainability problems. Our robust innovation ecosystem combined with a dedicated pool of mentors will help startups gain incredible knowledge that will help them scale their businesses and drive real impact across the globe. We look forward to empowering these next-generation leaders who play an important role in creating a sustainable future for the world.”

The sustainability cohort of the program will ensure that the selected startups get customised consultation for product commercialization and market access with the help of global mentors from the sustainability industry. T-Hub and AIM will also help the startups in getting regulatory compliance testing and certification through their government connects. The startups will also be provided with access to T-Hub’s network of premium service providers and the technology and research facilities from partners and universities to refine their products and solutions.

AIM last year partnered with T-Hub to set up AIC T-Hub Foundation and launched two cohorts focused on healthcare and mobility. The mobility cohort of the AIC T-Hub Foundation program supported 10 startups in the Electric Vehicles (EV), Autonomous Vehicles (AV) and Assistive Technology (AT) space EV. The startups got access to marketing pilots with government organisations like Telangana Tourism (TGTDC), HMDA, TSRTC, Yadagirigutta Temple Authority, Smart City Maharashtra, and Greater Hyderabad Municipality (GHMC). Some of them also got the opportunity for marketing pilots with organisations like Woxen University, Birla Institute of Technology (BITs), GITAM University, Ramoji Film City, IIIT Hyderabad, T-Hub 2.0, and Senatla EV Products Pvt Ltd. One of the startups from the cohort, Nova Avenue, got selected for INR 10 lakhs fund from CIE - Hyderabad.

T-Hub’s programs have been successfully scaling startups in partnership with a strong ecosystem of partners. T-Hub to date has impacted over 1800 startups through various programs and initiatives, has over 600 global and national corporate partners and has provided 2000 mentor connects to help the startup scale.

Rajesh Kanakagiri Founder of Joulepoint, which is from previous cohort of startups, said, “We would like to thank AIC T Hub, from the bottom of the heart, for the kind of support and guidance it has extended to us. during the program, we got market access and were happy to be part of the new beginnings in mobility.”

Mayank Jain, Founder of E-Fill Electric said, “AIC T-Hub is truly creating an ecosystem for empowering the new-gen entrepreneurs by providing them access to mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies. With all the right partners & corporates on board with T-Hub, it has helped E-Fill Electric on many fronts. The ecosystem at T-Hub provides different startups to explore synergies with each other for pilots and further. The best part is that unlike other incubation centres in India, AIC T-Hub supports the startups at different phases starting from ideation to the growth stage.

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based out of Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem. With a mission of enabling and empowering an ecosystem hungry for innovation, T-Hub is creating impact for startups, corporations, and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Incorporated in 2015, it has provided over 1800 national and international startups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies. It has elevated innovation for leading national and global corporations, transforming their business models for the better. Working in collaboration with innovation partners and enablers in Telangana, India and worldwide, T-Hub is building a future-ready innovation ecosystem.

For more information about T-Hub, visit www.t-hub.co.

Dell Technologies and NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission Launch Second Student Entrepreneurship Program

• Virtual launch of Student Entrepreneurship Program 2.0, in partnership with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission


• Initiative is aimed at transforming innovative prototypes into fully functional products

Dell Technologies has launched ‘Student Entrepreneurship Program 2.0’, in association with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), virtually. Following the success of the first Student Entrepreneurship Program, Dell Technologies and NITI Aayog announced the second series in the presence of Dr. Rajeev Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Mr. Ramanan, Mission Director, AIM, NITI Aayog and Dr. Anjlee Prakash, Chairperson, Learning Links Foundation and Mr. Alok Ohrie, President & MD, Dell Technologies India.

In the year 2016, Government of India’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog partnered with Dell Technologies to adopt Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) in select Government schools across India. The 10-Month Student Entrepreneurship Program helped the top six innovations of the Atal Tinkering Marathon to transform their innovative prototypes into functioning, scaled go-to-market products across six crucial themes having broader social impact. While the final six teams of the Tinkering Marathon 2017 are now entering the world of entrepreneurs, there is another batch of young talent that is ready to foray into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. The top eight teams that were selected from the Innovation Marathon 2018 will begin their SEP - Student Entrepreneurship Program 2.0 (SEP 2.0) journey with Dell Technologies.

Student Entrepreneurship Program 2.0 will bring about exciting changes and transformation in the innovation fueled entrepreneurial landscape, in addition to the learnings from SEP 1.0. The culture of entrepreneurial innovation is set to witness powerful changes in the upcoming year and SEP 2.0 will definitely make its mark in the world of ‘new normal’! SEP 2.0 will allow student innovators to work closely with Dell volunteers and avail mentorship to create a test bed for their innovation and collect customer feedback. Students will also receive support and guidance to manufacture fully functional market ready product to launch it in the market along with patenting their ideas/processes.

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India "Today, I am buoyant with optimism, as I witness the promising innovations by the young pioneers from ATLs located in different corners of this country. These innovators make me wonder what the young children of this nation can achieve when given the opportunity to think unconventionally in order to combat challenges faced not only by their fellow country men and women but also by the rest of the world. As we conclude SEP 1.0 and launch SEP 2.0, I am excited to see the impact that these innovations will create in the country.”

Alok Ohrie, President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies India said, “Dell Technologies is investing in human capital which has been the driving force for us. We have always considered the power of innovation and technology to be great levers of change. We are extremely delighted with the outcome of the first Student Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) and we are positive that SEP 2.0 will take entrepreneurial innovation to newer heights. Our strong partnership with NITI Aayog has further enabled us in expanding our vision of Technology for Social Good and encouraging budding entrepreneurs.”

Mr. Ramanathan Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission added, “The aim of Atal Innovation Mission is to create over a million neoteric innovators and potential job creators of the country. Our partnership with Dell Technologies in spurring the entrepreneurial capabilities of the budding Atal Tinkering Lab innovators through the Student Entrepreneurship program gives great encouragement to young aspiring school students, while also creating a value adding recognition platform to innovative talent across the country.”

Dell Technologies’ employees have also been enrolled as ‘Mentors of Change’ and have volunteered to nurture the innovative spirit among students. Dell volunteers from across the country have been engaging with students to ideate, providing technical expertise to refine their prototypes and also enhance their presentation skills.

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission and Dell Launch 10-month ‘Student Entrepreneurship Program’

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), in partnership with Dell and Learning Links Foundation, launched the “Nayee Dishayen, Naye Nirman” program on the eve of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda to celebrate the Top Six innovations of the country under the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) initiative.

The 10 Month Student Entrepreneurship Programme announced, is a fully-funded initiative to help the Top Six innovations of the Atal Tinkering Marathon 2017 to transform their innovative prototypes into functioning, scaled and Go-to-Market products.

“Promoting innovation is key to creating sustainable solutions for a New India. The Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog is transforming curriculum and pedagogy by encouraging the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in young minds,” said Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. “By ensuring children are exposed to cutting edge technologies in Atal Tinkering Labs, a whole generation of creative individuals are being created who are poised to become job creators and not just job seekers.”

“The ATL is the flagship programme of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog which acts as a catalyst of growth by embedding the value of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship amongst children as young as 12 years old,” said Mr. Ramanathan Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, adding “Over 3500 children from different parts of the country came together to develop over 650 product ideas to solve everyday problems using latest technologies and their out of box thinking."

[caption id="attachment_128083" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Alok Ohrie (President and MD, Dell EMC), Amitabh Kant (CEO, NITI Aayog), Dr Anjlee Prakash (Chairperson, Learning Links Foundation)[/caption]

These Top Six innovations are in key social sectors of Agritech, Healthcare, Clean Energy, Smart Mobility, Waste Management and Water Resources and hail from Hyderabad (Telangana), Pune (Maharashtra), Changlang (Arunachal Pradesh), Goa, Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Delhi.

All six teams are being awarded a 10-month ATL Student Entrepreneurship Program with DELL which will help them transform their innovative prototypes into fully functioning products and Go to Market. “Dell believes access to technology is not a luxury, but a necessity. We have always thought of technology as the driver for human progress. Our dream is for the long-term, as we invest our energies and resources in the youth to equip them for a digital future. We are excited to partner with NITI Aayog and Learning Links Foundation in promoting the ‘maker’ spirit among youth by evoking the entrepreneurial spirit in the them spurring innovation far and wide. We look forward to a journey creating more innovators and entrepreneurs powering the New India,” commented Mr. Alok Ohrie, President & MD, India Commercial, DELL EMC.

On this Dr. Anjali Prakash, Chairperson of Learning Links Foundation added, “We are living in a VUCA environment – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – where change is the only constant. We want children to be empowered with skills that will hold them in good stead for the future. Technology acts as a bridge to ignite and unite young minds such that they not only adopt a problem-solving approach but also collaboratively develop solutions which are unique and futuristic. Nayee Dishayen Naye Nirman will go a long way in introducing the youth to new ways of learning thereby promoting a culture of innovation that can help build a new India. We are delighted to be the implementing partner for Dell.”

The Student Entrepreneurship Program offered by Dell will serve as a catalyst and help accelerate the entrepreneurial journey of the young innovators in creating a New Innovative India.

NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. While designing strategic and long term policies and programmes for the Government of India, NITI Aayog also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre and States.

Via - Business Wire India

Atal Innovation Mission to Launch Innovation Challenge , Set Up 100+ Incubators Across India

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog, have two major announcements about its plan for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in India in coming year of 2019.

5,000 startups from 100+ Incubators

In an event in Hyderabad on Friday, Mission Director of AIM, Ramanan Ramanathan, had told that AIM is setting up over 100 world class incubators in universities and institutions across India and each of these incubators will foster at least 25 to 30 startups every two years.

"We have launched 101 incubators of which 30 are operational already, and the rest will be operational by the end of next year,” he said, adding that funding of Rs 10 crore is being given to each incubator to provide necessary support to the startups.

AIM is expecting to have over 5,000 startups coming out of these 101 incubators over the next four years.

Through these incubators called as Atal Incubation Centres (AICs), AIM intends to support the establishment of new incubation centres that would nurture innovative start-up businesses in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable enterprises.

Innovation Challenge for Helping Small Businesses

To inculcate innovation among small businesses in the country, AIM is also coming up with an initiative, which will be an Innovation Challenge, for innovators to come up with an idea that help small businesses in the country. The creative ideas shortlisted in this challenge wold then be funded in order to transform ideas into solutions.

A formal announcement of the innovation challenge program will made early next year.

"The number of researchers per 10 lakh population was very low at 222 in India, while the number was beyond 4,000 in countries like Sweden, Taiwan and South Korea," said Ramanathan.

Set up as an umbrella organisation to align innovation policies between central, state and sectoral innovation schemes for innovation and entrepreneurship.

In this year, Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges have already been launched this year by AIM to support technology-driven innovations and product creation for social and commercial impact, said the AIM website.

AIM also include establishment and promotion of Small Business Innovation Research and Development (AIM SBIR) at a national scale for helping SME/MSME besides startups, and rejuvenating Science and Technology innovations in major research institutions of the country like CSIR (Council of Scientific Industrial Research), Agri Research (ICAR) and Medical Research (ICMR) aligned to national socio-economic needs.

Source - Business Line, Zeebiz

NITI Aayog Calls for Applications for Atal Innovation Mission's 'Mentor India'

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Government of India’s flagship program to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, is inviting applications for ‘Mentor India’. Mentor India is as a strategic nation building initiative to engage leaders who can guide and mentor schools students in 900+ Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) established by AIM in schools across India.

Through Mentor India, AIM is looking to engage leaders who can dedicate 1 – 2 hours every week in one or more such labs and enable school students to experience, learn and practice future skills such as design and computational thinking. Envisaged to be the largest formal volunteer mentor network, it is aimed at maximizing the impact of ATLs. AIM is looking for corporates / professionals / academicians / students etc. who are keen to contribute to this strategic nation building initiative.

ATLs are dedicated works spaces where students (from Class 6th to Class 12th) learn innovation skills and develop ideas that will go on to transform India. The labs are powered to acquaint students with state-of-the-art equipment such as 3D printers, robotics & electronics development tools, IoT & sensors etc. With 900+ labs already identified, AIM will establish 2,000 such labs by end of 2017. The labs are designed to spur the spark of creativity, and go beyond regular curriculum and text book learning. The labs will let students explore skills of future such as design and computational thinking, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence.

Mentor India has already received strong support from Corporate India. More than 30 of India’s top thought leaders have signed up as Brand Ambassadors for the initiative. More than 90 ATLs in schools across India have been adopted and are being supported by various corporations / institutions from multiple sectors. AIM is actively looking to engage with more corporations / institutions to adopt ATLs and enable their employees to join Mentor India as volunteers. Furthermore, AIM has signed a SoI with AICTE to provide mentorship support of affiliated colleges for 366 ATLs.

Possible areas of contribution from mentors include technical knowhow, innovation and design, inspirational, and business and entrepreneurship. Mentors are expected to discuss with students the various problems our Indian society is facing across multiple themes, and motivate students to develop solutions to these community problems. Mentor India program will be further extended to provide support to Atal Incubation Centres and Existing Incubation Centres as well. Proposed recognition for mentors include digital certificate of recognition, honour board for top mentors, meet and greet with prominent dignitaries and invites to Government of India events.

The deadline for submission of applications to join Mentor India is 30 Sep 2017. The applications can be submitted online here.

Image : Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog

NITI Aayog, Intel India To Set up 10 Innovation Labs (ATL) For Students

In a effort to encourage the youth of the nation to adopt the innovation road, National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog as it is popularly known, has locked in a statement of intent with Intel India to set up as well manage 10 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in schools.

Signed for a total period of two years, the effort is a part of NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). For the unaware, NITI Aayog is a Government of India policy think-tank established by the Modi government, which replaced the old Planning Commission.

The Atal Tinkering Laboratories have been conceived with the sole aim of encouraging the young generation to make their ideas into a reality and keep coming up with innovative, out-of-the box ideas/experiments on their own.

Under the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has launched three main programmes- creating Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Tinkering Laboratories and increasing the support provided to incubation centres built in the month of February this year.

The policy think-tank had invited applications for these three programmes from a number of companies, school, individuals, higher educational institutes, technology parks and groups of individuals, and has received an overwhelming response for two of the programmes.

According to data revealed by NITI Aayog at a press conference, they had received a total of 11,000 applications from schools for 500 tinkering labs and around 2,000 applications from others for the 100 incubation centres.

Applications for the three programmes were accepted till 20 July 2016.

NITI Aayog plans to built a total of 500 Atal Tinkering Laboratories in schools all over the country. It's plan is to set up at least 25% of these ATLs in government managed schools.

Intel India has been designated with the task of setting up the first 10 of these 500 laboratories, and the labs established by Intel will serve as model laboratories for the remaining 490 ATLs. In addition to setting up the laboratories, Intel India will also be facilitating design thinking, prototyping and mentorship workshops in these labs through experts from within the industry.

[Top Image - Shutterstock]