‏إظهار الرسائل ذات التسميات Department Of Science amp; Technology. إظهار كافة الرسائل
‏إظهار الرسائل ذات التسميات Department Of Science amp; Technology. إظهار كافة الرسائل

DST-backed SRI-TBI and Polyplex Launch Startup Accelerator for Environmental Sustainability, Waste Management & Renewable

Polyplex Corporation Limited, one of world's largest manufacturers of packaging film, and Shriram Institute - Technology Business Incubator (SRI-TBI), a Delhi-based business incubator of Shriram Institute for Industrial Research and supported by Department of science & technology (DST), Government of India, have announced that they have joined hands to run an Accelerator Program - 'CleanEdge' for Environmental Sustainability, Waste Management & Renewables. This is a four month program and will run from February 2019 till May 2019.

CleanEdge Accelerator program has started accepting applications. With rigorous evaluation 15 startups will be shortlisted to participate in this program.

Key offerings under this program are 1) High quality intensive mentorship by Startup Experts, Functional Strategy Experts, domain related technical & sector specific experts. 2) Access to State-of-the-Art pilot lab facility at SRI-TBI in Delhi & Co-working facility at Aspirelabs. 3) Access to 'Appropriate' Technology, Opportunity to raise Seed-Capital upto 25 lakhs. 4) Access to Impact investors and Potential Customers. 5) Post acceleration support.

With Polyplex and SRI-TBI as anchors, this program is also being significantly supported by Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India under its umbrella of National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) scheme launched in 2016.

Who can apply - Startups working in Clean technology but not limited to -- Circular Economy, Waste Management, Recycling & Up-cycling, Plastic & Rubber, Clean water & Clean air Technologies, Renewables, 3D Printing, Smart City Solutions, Environment Sustainability.

Polyplex Corporation Limited is among the world's largest manufacturers of packaging film with manufacturing facilities in five countries and employs over 2000 people globally. Apart from Infrastructural support, Polyplex through its network brings a high-quality business mentor pool, global linkages and market access for young startups.

Shriram Institute for Industrial Research is an organization providing research and testing services in the field of plastics, rubbers, specialty chemicals and waste management. It also helps startups grow through nurturing innovative ideas into technologies and incubating entrepreneurs through its Technology Business Incubator.

This program would be executed by Aspirelabs Accelerator - founded by Ranjit Singh - Director at Polyplex Corporation Limited and an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and BITS Pilani. Applications for CleanEdge Accelerator are now open. Program details are accessible at https://aspirelabs.com/clean-tech. Also anyone can share this article with budding entrepreneurs working in clean-tech areas in their network to help drive innovation, growth and collaboration in a socially impactful field.

Aspirelabs is a starup accelerator centrally located in Delhi-NCR with ten thousand square feet of premium office space and having access to high quality business and startup mentors. It is designed to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, and has a range of customized programs to enable young businesses and startups scale up to large profitable businesses. Aspirelabs is closely associated with Startup Oasis - a Jaipur based incubation centre of Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) which is India's leading incubator operating under the aegis of IIM Ahmedabad.

In last few years there have been number of initiatives and programs launched by organizations, young businesses, startups and even by Government of India to tackle challenges in area of environmental sustainability, Waste Management and renewable energy.

In June last year, India's Union science & technology minister Harsh Vardhan had announced that India will soon have its first international incubator to promote innovation in the field of clean energy and stimulate research, innovation, and entrepreneurship for the global initiative on clean energy. With a total investment of around $5 million, the incubator is being set up in a public-private partnership.

At the same time, Yes Bank has also launched multi sector accelerator program called YES SCALE which offers a 15 week program for startups in the areas of clean tech and Agritech, among others.

[Top Image Source - Aspire Labs@Facebook.com]

India and Richard Branson's Nonprofit together Launch Global Cooling Technology Competition worth $3 Mn

Government of India's Ministry of science and technology, along with Mission Innovation and Richard Branson founded nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, has launched The Global Cooling Prize, a two-year-long international competition prized at US$3 million to find breakthrough innovations in cooling technology and in particularly residential cooling technology.

According to a report, released by Rocky Mountain Institute at the launch, growing economies like India, China, and other south-east Asian countries, people tend to make three major purchases first: a TV, a refrigerator, and an air conditioner (AC). The number of AC units are projected to grow massively from today's 1.2 billion worldwide to 4.5 billion by 2050, and according the report household AC units alone, could push global warming up half a degree by the end of the century.

Calling all RAC manufacturers, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs, or start-ups to apply and join the revolution to provide cooling to all -- without warming the planet -- The Global Cooling Prize competition is designed to provide an incentive to create higher-efficiency air conditioners and support startups in a field that’s currently dominated by a handful of major corporations.

A winning technology could prevent up to 100 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2050, and put the world on a pathway to mitigate up to 0.5˚C of global warming by 2100, according to the report.

To participate, companies/startups need to submit a solution that has five times less climate impact than a standard air conditioner, at no more than twice the cost, so it has a payback period of less than four years.

Over US$3 million will be awarded over the course of the two-year competition.

Up to 10 short-listed competing technologies will be awarded up to $200,000 each in intermediate prizes to support the design and prototype development of their innovative residential cooling technology designs. The winning technology will be awarded at least $1 million to support its incubation and early-stage commercialization.

The prize is supported by Department of Science and Technology (DST) under Government of India and Mission Innovation (MI) -- a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Union for clean energy innovation, and will be administered by Rocky Mountain Institute, Conservation X Labs, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, and CEPT University. The Prize coalition will help identify the innovative cooling technology and support incubation, commercialization, and ultimately mass adoption around the world.

Besides India's DST, its partner organisations will also support the competition, and these include Ministry of Power, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, .

This global collaboration of India will drive and support incubation, commercialization, and ultimately mass adoption of the breakthrough technology, starting in India and expanding to other countries around the world.

"A technology developed through the Global Cooling Prize has the opportunity to capture a US$20 billion market and transform the global market for the better," said Iain Campbell, Senior Fellow, Rocky Mountain Institute.

It may also be recalled that in February this year, science & technology minister Harsh Vardhan had announced that the ministry is planning to launch India's first international incubator to promote innovation in the field of clean energy and provide opportunities to innovators across the MI countries to test their technologies in the local market.

According to a latest World Bank report, "Rising temperatures and changing monsoon rainfall patterns from climate change could cost India 2.8 percent of GDP and depress the living standards of nearly half the country's population by 2050."



Source - PRNewswire, Business Line

Meet 10 Women Entrepreneurs Selected As 1st Cohort of POWERED Accelerator

Its been over three months since entrepreneurship programme, POWERED accelerator was launched by UK govt.'s Department for International Development (DFID) India and Shell Foundation in partnership with Zone Startups. Now in a latest upcoming, ten women entrepreneurs have been selected as the first cohort into the POWERED Accelerator programme and will now receive financial and business support to develop their businesses and deliver solutions in access to energy across India.

In April this year, DFID India, Shell Foundation (the independent global charity), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and Zone Startups India announced the POWERED Accelerator, touted as a first of its kind entrepreneurship programme focused on twin Sustainable Development Goals of Energy and Diversity. Following the launch in Mumbai, the POWERED Accelerator was launched in six cities across India.

The objective of the POWERED Accelerator is to support female-led ventures by helping them expand their innovative and consumer-responsive products and services; the ultimate goal being to empower women-owned and managed businesses in the energy space. The accelerator is focused on core themes of access to energy, sustainable mobility, waste to value, energy efficiency, and smart energy solutions.

More than 130 women entrepreneurs applied to the accelerator programme from varied backgrounds, all having created innovative solutions in the energy sector. The startups were evaluated based on the applicant’s background, innovativeness, scale of impact, problem solution fit, clarity of thought, and programme fit. The top-ten entrepreneurs selected for the first cohort will now receive support for one year to scale their business including a six-week residential mentoring programme and access to an equity-free seed fund of $10,000 each.

“We know that given the right opportunities, women can play a critical role across the energy-value chain. As energy enterprises scale-up in India they provide rural and low-income women with new opportunities to generate income and achieve greater economic empowerment. Through the POWERED programme we will work towards strengthening the ecosystem for more women-owned and managed businesses across the energy value chain. We are confident that these 10 women entrepreneurs will enable greater inclusion and sustainability towards a more energy secure and equitable future for all.” – Gavin McGillivray, Head DFID India

“Shell Foundation is excited to see the first cohort of high quality female entrepreneurs come through the POWERED Accelerator programme. We believe these inspiring women have the potential to deliver long-term energy and mobility solutions that address market gaps and break down some of the barriers that are preventing low-income consumers from accessing these critical services. The Accelerator programme is one element of the POWERED initiative, a partnership between DFID India and Shell Foundation, which will deliver 5000 jobs, and support more than 100 women-owned micro-enterprises in rural and urban India.” – Sam Parker, Director – Shell Foundation

“At the time of launching POWERED Accelerator, we were not sure of the number of women-entrepreneur led start-ups in the extended energy sector. After 6-roadshows, and close to 2 months of extensive campaigning, we ended up getting more than 130 high-quality applications. Selecting only 10 from a shortlist of 30 businesses was a tough task. We see the entire application pool as a part of a larger funnel of start-ups that presents us with an opportunity to build other interventions in this niche ecosystem. We have some great partners onboard, and we look forward to making the first cohort a grand success" - Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director - Zone Startups India

The cohort comprises of start-ups in areas ranging from access to energy, water conservation, application of energy in agriculture, easy finance, last-mile distribution, waste to fuel and more.

The Cohort:


Simmi Sareen, Loans4SME


Srujana Raghupatruni, Cellerite Systems


Puspalata Pani, Kumidini Enterprise


Mousumi Medhi, HoneyComb Inventions


Amishi Parasrampuria, Upcycler's Lab


Kavita Aggarwal, BluPrints


Ruchi Jain, Taru Naturals


Manvi Dhawan, Agnij-Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator


Neha Upadhyaya, Guna


Nidhi Pant, S4S Technologies



1.      Simmi Sareen, Loans4SME 


Simmi is a veteran in financial services with more than 19 years of experience in credit and lending. She is head of the Mumbai-based startup Loans4SME, which is an alternative lending platform that connects businesses with debt providers. They aim to help small businesses navigate the complexities of the lending market, all the while enabling lenders to invest in the right company. The next step is to create products and structures that expand supply of capital for renewable energy beyond the currently existing lenders.


 


2.     Srujana Raghupatruni, Cellerite Systems 


Srujana is a postgraduate in Power Systems from IIT Delhi with 7 years’ experience in teaching Electrical Engineering to graduates and undergraduates. She is the Founder and CTO of Hyderabad-based startup Cellerite Systems that is developing an innovative Electric Vehicle charger that focuses on reducing the charging time of the vehicle, thereby increasing the travel range of these vehicles. 


3.     Puspalata Pani, M/S KUMUDINI ENTERPRISE 


Puspalata has a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) and Rural Management with 19 years of experience in youth leadership development. She is the Co-Founder of and manages operations at Odisha-based startup M/S Kumudini Enterprise, an organisation, which is completely run by women, that aims to provide energy services and devices in rural communities, with a special focus on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). They also promote training and capacity building of the rural communities with an emphasis on the women in the community. 


4.    Mousumi Medhi, HoneyComb Inventions 


Mousumi has 8 years of experience in project management and holds an MBA Degree. She is the CEO of Mumbai-based startup HoneyComb Inventions, which is aimed at enhancing the duration of power back up supplies of healthcare facilities. 


5.     Amishi Parasrampuria, Upcycler's Lab 


Amishi has 4 years of experience as a social entrepreneur in the field of sustainability. She is the Founder of Mumbai-based startup Upcycler’s Lab, which makes sustainability-based learning tools for children above the age of five. They aim to create awareness and educate children on the need for sustainability in accordance with UN SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. 


6.    Kavita Aggarwal, BluPrints 


Kavita has core experience in Embedded Systems Design, in Building ATC and War-Room communication infrastructure for IAF. She also holds an MBA degree from University of Leeds and an MCA Degree from IMT, Ghaziabad. She is the Founder and CEO of Delhi-NCR-based BluPrints, an R&D Driven Embedded Systems Technology Company specializing in Retail-Tech and Fin-Tech Devices. One of the focuses being a system designed for electricity billing. 


7.     Ruchi Jain, Taru Naturals 


Ruchi holds a Master’s Degree in Environment Change and Management from Oxford University. She has also worked with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, European Academies Sciences Council and as a Campaigner with 350.org and Indian Youth Climate Network. She is the Founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Taru Naturals, which is a network that connects farmer communities with clean technology and renewable energy. It is an ecosystem builder for small-scale farmers, wherein they mobilise the village community to adopt sustainable methods of agriculture such as solar power pumps, solar dryers, etc. 


8.   Manvi Dhawan, Agnij-Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator


Manvi has 2 years of experience in project management and systems engineering, she also holds a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay. She is the CEO and CFO of Mumbai-based Agnij- Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator, which is developing a product called Agnij. Agnij is a thermo-electric belt, which can be placed around any heated vessel or chullahs to use waste heat. 


9.    Neha Upadhyaya, Guna


Neha is an organic macrobiotic coach based in New Delhi. She is the Founder of New-Delhi based Guna, which trains rural women farmers in Ladakh and Sikkim to develop eco model villages through a focus on organic farming and the use of solar energy in post-harvest management by the use of solar dryers, solar pumps, etc.


10.Nidhi Pant, S4S Technologies


Nidhi is a social entrepreneur who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. She is one of the Co-Founders of Mumbai-based S4S Technologies and heads marketing and sales in the company. S4S Technologies manufactures solar dehydrators that are used by farmers for food preservation; they also provide the farmers market linkage to sell these dehydrated food products. 


As part of the broader aim of the programme, the accelerator will also be organising ecosystem development activities, grand challenges, a one-week residential boot camp, and an incubator for women in energy.


Zone Startups India will continue accepting applications for the next cohort on the website of the POWERED Accelerator - powered.org.in/accelerator/


Set up as a joint initiative of Shell Foundation and Zone Startups, and funded by DFID India (UK Government) and DST Government of India, the objective of the POWERED Accelerator is to support selected ventures, by helping them expand their innovative and consumer-responsive services, products, and financing; with an ultimate goal to increase economic empowerment of women-owned businesses in the energy space.

Meet 10 Women Entrepreneurs Selected As 1st Cohort of POWERED Accelerator

Its been over three months since entrepreneurship programme, POWERED accelerator was launched by UK govt.'s Department for International Development (DFID) India and Shell Foundation in partnership with Zone Startups. Now in a latest upcoming, ten women entrepreneurs have been selected as the first cohort into the POWERED Accelerator programme and will now receive financial and business support to develop their businesses and deliver solutions in access to energy across India.

In April this year, DFID India, Shell Foundation (the independent global charity), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and Zone Startups India announced the POWERED Accelerator, touted as a first of its kind entrepreneurship programme focused on twin Sustainable Development Goals of Energy and Diversity. Following the launch in Mumbai, the POWERED Accelerator was launched in six cities across India.

The objective of the POWERED Accelerator is to support female-led ventures by helping them expand their innovative and consumer-responsive products and services; the ultimate goal being to empower women-owned and managed businesses in the energy space. The accelerator is focused on core themes of access to energy, sustainable mobility, waste to value, energy efficiency, and smart energy solutions.

More than 130 women entrepreneurs applied to the accelerator programme from varied backgrounds, all having created innovative solutions in the energy sector. The startups were evaluated based on the applicant’s background, innovativeness, scale of impact, problem solution fit, clarity of thought, and programme fit. The top-ten entrepreneurs selected for the first cohort will now receive support for one year to scale their business including a six-week residential mentoring programme and access to an equity-free seed fund of $10,000 each.

“We know that given the right opportunities, women can play a critical role across the energy-value chain. As energy enterprises scale-up in India they provide rural and low-income women with new opportunities to generate income and achieve greater economic empowerment. Through the POWERED programme we will work towards strengthening the ecosystem for more women-owned and managed businesses across the energy value chain. We are confident that these 10 women entrepreneurs will enable greater inclusion and sustainability towards a more energy secure and equitable future for all.” – Gavin McGillivray, Head DFID India

“Shell Foundation is excited to see the first cohort of high quality female entrepreneurs come through the POWERED Accelerator programme. We believe these inspiring women have the potential to deliver long-term energy and mobility solutions that address market gaps and break down some of the barriers that are preventing low-income consumers from accessing these critical services. The Accelerator programme is one element of the POWERED initiative, a partnership between DFID India and Shell Foundation, which will deliver 5000 jobs, and support more than 100 women-owned micro-enterprises in rural and urban India.” – Sam Parker, Director – Shell Foundation

“At the time of launching POWERED Accelerator, we were not sure of the number of women-entrepreneur led start-ups in the extended energy sector. After 6-roadshows, and close to 2 months of extensive campaigning, we ended up getting more than 130 high-quality applications. Selecting only 10 from a shortlist of 30 businesses was a tough task. We see the entire application pool as a part of a larger funnel of start-ups that presents us with an opportunity to build other interventions in this niche ecosystem. We have some great partners onboard, and we look forward to making the first cohort a grand success" - Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director - Zone Startups India

The cohort comprises of start-ups in areas ranging from access to energy, water conservation, application of energy in agriculture, easy finance, last-mile distribution, waste to fuel and more.

The Cohort:


Simmi Sareen, Loans4SME


Srujana Raghupatruni, Cellerite Systems


Puspalata Pani, Kumidini Enterprise


Mousumi Medhi, HoneyComb Inventions


Amishi Parasrampuria, Upcycler's Lab


Kavita Aggarwal, BluPrints


Ruchi Jain, Taru Naturals


Manvi Dhawan, Agnij-Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator


Neha Upadhyaya, Guna


Nidhi Pant, S4S Technologies



1.      Simmi Sareen, Loans4SME 


Simmi is a veteran in financial services with more than 19 years of experience in credit and lending. She is head of the Mumbai-based startup Loans4SME, which is an alternative lending platform that connects businesses with debt providers. They aim to help small businesses navigate the complexities of the lending market, all the while enabling lenders to invest in the right company. The next step is to create products and structures that expand supply of capital for renewable energy beyond the currently existing lenders.


 


2.     Srujana Raghupatruni, Cellerite Systems 


Srujana is a postgraduate in Power Systems from IIT Delhi with 7 years’ experience in teaching Electrical Engineering to graduates and undergraduates. She is the Founder and CTO of Hyderabad-based startup Cellerite Systems that is developing an innovative Electric Vehicle charger that focuses on reducing the charging time of the vehicle, thereby increasing the travel range of these vehicles. 


3.     Puspalata Pani, M/S KUMUDINI ENTERPRISE 


Puspalata has a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) and Rural Management with 19 years of experience in youth leadership development. She is the Co-Founder of and manages operations at Odisha-based startup M/S Kumudini Enterprise, an organisation, which is completely run by women, that aims to provide energy services and devices in rural communities, with a special focus on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). They also promote training and capacity building of the rural communities with an emphasis on the women in the community. 


4.    Mousumi Medhi, HoneyComb Inventions 


Mousumi has 8 years of experience in project management and holds an MBA Degree. She is the CEO of Mumbai-based startup HoneyComb Inventions, which is aimed at enhancing the duration of power back up supplies of healthcare facilities. 


5.     Amishi Parasrampuria, Upcycler's Lab 


Amishi has 4 years of experience as a social entrepreneur in the field of sustainability. She is the Founder of Mumbai-based startup Upcycler’s Lab, which makes sustainability-based learning tools for children above the age of five. They aim to create awareness and educate children on the need for sustainability in accordance with UN SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. 


6.    Kavita Aggarwal, BluPrints 


Kavita has core experience in Embedded Systems Design, in Building ATC and War-Room communication infrastructure for IAF. She also holds an MBA degree from University of Leeds and an MCA Degree from IMT, Ghaziabad. She is the Founder and CEO of Delhi-NCR-based BluPrints, an R&D Driven Embedded Systems Technology Company specializing in Retail-Tech and Fin-Tech Devices. One of the focuses being a system designed for electricity billing. 


7.     Ruchi Jain, Taru Naturals 


Ruchi holds a Master’s Degree in Environment Change and Management from Oxford University. She has also worked with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, European Academies Sciences Council and as a Campaigner with 350.org and Indian Youth Climate Network. She is the Founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Taru Naturals, which is a network that connects farmer communities with clean technology and renewable energy. It is an ecosystem builder for small-scale farmers, wherein they mobilise the village community to adopt sustainable methods of agriculture such as solar power pumps, solar dryers, etc. 


8.   Manvi Dhawan, Agnij-Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator


Manvi has 2 years of experience in project management and systems engineering, she also holds a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay. She is the CEO and CFO of Mumbai-based Agnij- Adjustable Thermoelectric Power Generator, which is developing a product called Agnij. Agnij is a thermo-electric belt, which can be placed around any heated vessel or chullahs to use waste heat. 


9.    Neha Upadhyaya, Guna


Neha is an organic macrobiotic coach based in New Delhi. She is the Founder of New-Delhi based Guna, which trains rural women farmers in Ladakh and Sikkim to develop eco model villages through a focus on organic farming and the use of solar energy in post-harvest management by the use of solar dryers, solar pumps, etc.


10.Nidhi Pant, S4S Technologies


Nidhi is a social entrepreneur who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. She is one of the Co-Founders of Mumbai-based S4S Technologies and heads marketing and sales in the company. S4S Technologies manufactures solar dehydrators that are used by farmers for food preservation; they also provide the farmers market linkage to sell these dehydrated food products. 


As part of the broader aim of the programme, the accelerator will also be organising ecosystem development activities, grand challenges, a one-week residential boot camp, and an incubator for women in energy.


Zone Startups India will continue accepting applications for the next cohort on the website of the POWERED Accelerator - powered.org.in/accelerator/


Set up as a joint initiative of Shell Foundation and Zone Startups, and funded by DFID India (UK Government) and DST Government of India, the objective of the POWERED Accelerator is to support selected ventures, by helping them expand their innovative and consumer-responsive services, products, and financing; with an ultimate goal to increase economic empowerment of women-owned businesses in the energy space.

First of Its Kind Women Entrepreneurship Program Focused on Energy Business Announced By DFID India, Shell Foundation and Zone Startups

The Department for International Development (DFID) India and Shell Foundation in partnership with Zone Startups India announced the POWERED Entrepreneurship program. This is a first of its kind program, globally, to nurture and support women entrepreneurs building ventures in the energy value chain. The programme invites applications from women entrepreneurs building innovative growth and early-stage companies with disruptive technologies and business model innovations.

The POWERED programme aims to address today’s economic problems related to energy access, and tomorrow’s opportunities by empowering women entrepreneurs thereby addressing several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Interestes women entrepreneurs in energy business can apply for the program here.

The other partners to the program include Department of Science and Technology (Government of India), Microsoft and HDFC Bank.

“At Shell Foundation, we believe integrating gender-inclusion strategies leads to better performing businesses. Women entrepreneurs have limited access to blend of early-stage support and capital they require to grow sustainably. This program is a unique opportunity to create an enabling ecosystem to nurture and support women entrepreneurs innovating in the energy value chain through products and business models,” says Sam Parker, Director, Shell Foundation.

“The UK’s department for international development has always put girls and women at the heart of all its interventions. DFID's Strategic Vision for Girls and Women has set out to achieve ambitious targets enhancing the economic empowerment of girls and women in developing countries by helping 18 million women to access financial services, and 4.5 million women to strengthen their property rights. The key channels through which girls and women can become economically empowerment include work (employment, enterprise and livelihoods), access to financial services and other economic resources, vocational and technical skills and training and social protection for the poorest and most vulnerable. The wider environment is also critical, both in terms of a formal institutions such as a conducive investment climate and informal institutions such as supportive social and cultural norms,” says DFID India spokesperson.

Uniquely set-up as a hybrid program that comprises an accelerator program, a series of bootcamps, workshops, industry engagements and a community of women entrepreneurs; POWERED seeks to select up to 30 entrepreneurs in two cohorts. The program aims to work with a wider set of entrepreneurs in the energy access space through bootcamps and a community network, to reach a larger number of women entrepreneurs in the energy access sector.

Zone Startups India will provide end-to-end program management of POWERED.

Established in India in 2014, Zone Startups has been at the forefront of startup and entrepreneurship programs in India. Starting with a first program, Zone Startups India, in partnership with BSE Institute and Department of Science and Technology, has gone onto establish corporate accelerators and innovation programs with leading partners such as Barclays, Axis Bank, Kerala Startup Mission, Lodha Group, Visa, EY India, Viacom18, HDFC Bank and ICICI Lombard in a short span.

“This partnership with Shell Foundation and DFID India is something unique and exciting for us,” says Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director (India), Zone Startups. “Shell Foundation is a global leader enabling access to energy and economic growth. We have had good success working with women entrepreneurs through our flagship initiative empoWer. Now, with Shell Foundation bringing in their knowledge and deep-domain expertise in the energy access domain, and we bringing in our ability to identify and onboard strong women entrepreneurs, POWERED is a very compelling program for women entrepreneurs building ventures in the energy access vertical. It is all the more exciting for us, as through this initiative, we have broadened our focus to work with tech and non-tech entrepreneurs,” he adds.

Modelled on the successful format of empoWer, POWERED will comprise of a 6-week residential accelerator program that will open-up industry connects for the cohort, in addition to mentorship, professional services, access to investors, entrepreneurial connect and networking opportunities.

Additionally, some of the selected startups will also be eligible to get a $10,000 grant funding from the program, which will allow them to cover costs during the accelerator phase; as well as incur operating expenses. Post accelerator phase, the selected entrepreneurs will be eligible for Shell Foundation’s investment committee to evaluate the metrics for possible grant investments. All startups accepted into the program, automatically get to access Zone Startups network of accelerators, resources and partnerships.

Shell Foundation and Zone Startups India will be conducting roadshows in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Shillong, Dehradun and Delhi to talk about the benefits of the program, and engage local entrepreneurs with the leadership team at Shell Foundation. The program will accept applications until 18th June 2018, with the launch of the cohort in July 2018.

Speaking about Zone Startups, it is a leading global technology accelerator, and early stage investment fund, with multiple accelerator programs and entrepreneurship initiatives across Canada, India and Vietnam. In India, the flagship program is Zone Startups India, established in 2014 as a partnership between Ryerson Futures Inc. and BSE Institute; partly funded by Department of Science & Technology, GOI. Since then, in India, Zone Startups has also lent its program set-up and management expertise to leading corporates such as Lodha Group, EY, Visa, Viacom18, Thomson Reuters, Barclays, KSUM, Publicis, CapGemini, Axis Bank and ICICI Lombard to name a few. Zone Startups India also operates empoWer, India’s only tech accelerator for women entrepreneurs.

In February, Zone Startups has been chosen by the Canadian Government and Indian Government to establish a new bi-lateral program to support entrepreneurs from both countries, through a market access program. The program is jointly funded by respective ministries from Canada and India, under the aegis of the Canada-India S&T Agreement.

Zone Startups India also recently completed 5-years of its annual Next Big India Contest; wherein it identifies 5 hi tech Indian startups through a competitive application process, and provides them with a market access trip to Canada. In the past 5 years, 27 companies have benefited from this initiative, and some notable names include CitrusPay, Konotor, Shield Square, Maya App, AdSparx, Vidooly etc.

This month, US Embassy had too launched the Nexus Startup Hub at the American Center in Delhi, with emphasis on women entrepreneurship.

Speaking about DFID, it is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". DFID is headed by the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for International Development.

[Top Image - Sintesistv.com.mx]

First of Its Kind Women Entrepreneurship Program Focused on Energy Business Announced By DFID India, Shell Foundation and Zone Startups

The Department for International Development (DFID) India and Shell Foundation in partnership with Zone Startups India announced the POWERED Entrepreneurship program. This is a first of its kind program, globally, to nurture and support women entrepreneurs building ventures in the energy value chain. The programme invites applications from women entrepreneurs building innovative growth and early-stage companies with disruptive technologies and business model innovations.

The POWERED programme aims to address today’s economic problems related to energy access, and tomorrow’s opportunities by empowering women entrepreneurs thereby addressing several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Interestes women entrepreneurs in energy business can apply for the program here.

The other partners to the program include Department of Science and Technology (Government of India), Microsoft and HDFC Bank.

“At Shell Foundation, we believe integrating gender-inclusion strategies leads to better performing businesses. Women entrepreneurs have limited access to blend of early-stage support and capital they require to grow sustainably. This program is a unique opportunity to create an enabling ecosystem to nurture and support women entrepreneurs innovating in the energy value chain through products and business models,” says Sam Parker, Director, Shell Foundation.

“The UK’s department for international development has always put girls and women at the heart of all its interventions. DFID's Strategic Vision for Girls and Women has set out to achieve ambitious targets enhancing the economic empowerment of girls and women in developing countries by helping 18 million women to access financial services, and 4.5 million women to strengthen their property rights. The key channels through which girls and women can become economically empowerment include work (employment, enterprise and livelihoods), access to financial services and other economic resources, vocational and technical skills and training and social protection for the poorest and most vulnerable. The wider environment is also critical, both in terms of a formal institutions such as a conducive investment climate and informal institutions such as supportive social and cultural norms,” says DFID India spokesperson.

Uniquely set-up as a hybrid program that comprises an accelerator program, a series of bootcamps, workshops, industry engagements and a community of women entrepreneurs; POWERED seeks to select up to 30 entrepreneurs in two cohorts. The program aims to work with a wider set of entrepreneurs in the energy access space through bootcamps and a community network, to reach a larger number of women entrepreneurs in the energy access sector.

Zone Startups India will provide end-to-end program management of POWERED.

Established in India in 2014, Zone Startups has been at the forefront of startup and entrepreneurship programs in India. Starting with a first program, Zone Startups India, in partnership with BSE Institute and Department of Science and Technology, has gone onto establish corporate accelerators and innovation programs with leading partners such as Barclays, Axis Bank, Kerala Startup Mission, Lodha Group, Visa, EY India, Viacom18, HDFC Bank and ICICI Lombard in a short span.

“This partnership with Shell Foundation and DFID India is something unique and exciting for us,” says Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director (India), Zone Startups. “Shell Foundation is a global leader enabling access to energy and economic growth. We have had good success working with women entrepreneurs through our flagship initiative empoWer. Now, with Shell Foundation bringing in their knowledge and deep-domain expertise in the energy access domain, and we bringing in our ability to identify and onboard strong women entrepreneurs, POWERED is a very compelling program for women entrepreneurs building ventures in the energy access vertical. It is all the more exciting for us, as through this initiative, we have broadened our focus to work with tech and non-tech entrepreneurs,” he adds.

Modelled on the successful format of empoWer, POWERED will comprise of a 6-week residential accelerator program that will open-up industry connects for the cohort, in addition to mentorship, professional services, access to investors, entrepreneurial connect and networking opportunities.

Additionally, some of the selected startups will also be eligible to get a $10,000 grant funding from the program, which will allow them to cover costs during the accelerator phase; as well as incur operating expenses. Post accelerator phase, the selected entrepreneurs will be eligible for Shell Foundation’s investment committee to evaluate the metrics for possible grant investments. All startups accepted into the program, automatically get to access Zone Startups network of accelerators, resources and partnerships.

Shell Foundation and Zone Startups India will be conducting roadshows in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Shillong, Dehradun and Delhi to talk about the benefits of the program, and engage local entrepreneurs with the leadership team at Shell Foundation. The program will accept applications until 18th June 2018, with the launch of the cohort in July 2018.

Speaking about Zone Startups, it is a leading global technology accelerator, and early stage investment fund, with multiple accelerator programs and entrepreneurship initiatives across Canada, India and Vietnam. In India, the flagship program is Zone Startups India, established in 2014 as a partnership between Ryerson Futures Inc. and BSE Institute; partly funded by Department of Science & Technology, GOI. Since then, in India, Zone Startups has also lent its program set-up and management expertise to leading corporates such as Lodha Group, EY, Visa, Viacom18, Thomson Reuters, Barclays, KSUM, Publicis, CapGemini, Axis Bank and ICICI Lombard to name a few. Zone Startups India also operates empoWer, India’s only tech accelerator for women entrepreneurs.

In February, Zone Startups has been chosen by the Canadian Government and Indian Government to establish a new bi-lateral program to support entrepreneurs from both countries, through a market access program. The program is jointly funded by respective ministries from Canada and India, under the aegis of the Canada-India S&T Agreement.

Zone Startups India also recently completed 5-years of its annual Next Big India Contest; wherein it identifies 5 hi tech Indian startups through a competitive application process, and provides them with a market access trip to Canada. In the past 5 years, 27 companies have benefited from this initiative, and some notable names include CitrusPay, Konotor, Shield Square, Maya App, AdSparx, Vidooly etc.

This month, US Embassy had too launched the Nexus Startup Hub at the American Center in Delhi, with emphasis on women entrepreneurship.

Speaking about DFID, it is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". DFID is headed by the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for International Development.

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EDII, DST India To Offer Entrepreneurship Support To Over 7,000 Youth in 40 Aspirational Districts

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an acknowledged national resource Institute for Entrepreneurship Education, Research, Training and Institution Building, will provide entrepreneurship support to over 7,000 youth in 40 aspirational districts (out of total 115 districts identified by Govt. Of India) under the aegis of Department of Science & Technology (DST), National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Government of India, said a press release sent to IndianWeb2.

Government of India has identified 115 aspirational districts for rapid transformation, sustainable development and growth in the areas of nutrition, education, health, skill development & entrepreneurship amongst others. For promoting science & technology entrepreneurship, EDII has been selected as national resource agency for 40 districts out of total 115 identified by the Government.

Emphasizing on the role of entrepreneurship in sustainable development, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director, EDII said, “Entrepreneurship has been visualized as one of the strategic development intervention to accelerate the socio-economic development process of underdeveloped areas. For sustainable growth and development, there is a need to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst local youth. Through this project, our aim is to mentor a new generation of job creators in the hinterland of India.”

Under the project, entrepreneurship sensitization and development programmes will be organized for potential entrepreneurs of the selected aspirational districts having an urge to set up micro/small innovative business opportunities. In each of 40 districts, 3 such programmes, each with around 60 participants will be conducted over nine-month duration.

“The role of Entrepreneurship sensitization and development programme is set to create awareness among the beneficiaries about the various facets of entrepreneurship so that the discipline gains acceptance of entrepreneurship as a career choice. These programmes aim at providing knowledge and information about the benefits of entrepreneurship and sources of help (financial as well non-financial), incentives and subsidies available from government for different segments of society towards enterprise creation,” said Professor SB Sareen, Project Director and Member Secretary, DST-NIMAT Project, EDII.

EDII has generated employment for over 60,000 persons in Science & Technology field in the last five years. Under Department of Science & Technology (DST)-National Implementing and Monitoring Agency for Training (NIMAT) project, EDII has trained and sensitized over 5 lakh youth towards entrepreneurship from 2013-14 till 2017-18. EDII is the national implementing agency for this project.

EDII is an acclaimed International Resource Centre facilitating all facets of Entrepreneurship Development. EDII’s mission is to be a catalyst in facilitating emergence of competent first-generation entrepreneurs and transition of existing SMEs into growth-oriented enterprises through entrepreneurship education, training, research and institution-building.

EDII is an autonomous and not-for-profit institute, set up in 1983, and is sponsored by apex financial institutions – the IDBI Bank Ltd, IFCI Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd and the State Bank of India (SBI). The Government of Gujarat pledged 23 acres of land on which stands the majestic and sprawling EDII campus. To pursue its mission, EDII has helped set up 12 state-level exclusive Entrepreneurship Development Centres and institutes. One of the satisfying achievements, however, was taking entrepreneurship to a large number of schools, colleges, science & technology institutions and management schools in several states by including entrepreneurship inputs in their curricula.

Dept. of Sci & Tech. Commits Rs 500 Cr For Startup India Initiative

In order to realize PM Modi's ambitious initiative 'Startup India', Department of Science & Technology (DST) has committed Rs 500 crores. With its programmes DST aims to bring both speed and scale to transform the Startup ecosystem in the country and has committed Rs 500 crore to implement these new programmes in next few years.

This was announced by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan, while addressing the media here yesterday.

The Minister also mentioned that various successful and high growth stories in affordable health care, diagnostics, and applications of unmanned aerial vehicles, renewable energy, and service oriented online platforms and payment gateways have emerged out of these incubators.

NIDHI (National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovations), a Rs.100 Crore program to support startups in India, is pioneered by the DST for nurturing ideas and knowledge-based and technology-driven innovations into successful startups.

NIDHI focuses on building a seamless and innovation driven entrepreneurial ecosystem especially by channelizing youth towards it and thereby bringing in the positive impact on the socio-economic development of the country. The program aims to provide technological solutions not only to the pressing needs of the society but also targets to create new avenues for wealth and job creation.

There are eight components of NIDHI that support each stage of a budding startup from idea to market. The first component PRAYAS (Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring Innovators & Startups), launched on September 2, 2016, aims to support innovators to build prototypes of their ideas by providing a grant up to Rs.10 lakhs and an access to Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab).

The final component is the Seed Support System which provides up to Rs 1 crore per start-up and is implemented through Technology Business Incubators.

So far, DST has established more than 100 Technology Business Incubators in academic and R & D institutions of repute. These institutions include IITs, IIMs, NITs and other institutions. Each of these incubator is focused on a technology domain and all of these combined together house more than 2000 startups currently and offer a total incubation space of approximately 7 lakh square feet.

Ten more incubators to be supplemented with Seed Support Systems for startups include Startup Oasis-Jaipur, Amrita TBI -Kollam, Venture Center, NCL -Pune etc. establishing a Research Park at IIT Gandhinagar . In addition, a variety of other new programs including a fellowship programme for entrepreneurs -- Entrepreneurs in Residence, scaling up of startups through accelerator program and women empowerment through entrepreneurship.

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