Dectrocel Bags ₹4 Crore from BioAngels, PadUp Ventures to Accelerate AI-Powered Healthcare Tools

Dectrocel, a pioneering health-tech company developing AI-powered diagnostic solutions, has raised ₹4 crore in recent funding. The round was led by IAN Group-powered BioAngels, with participation from PadUp Ventures and Vinners.

Key investors from IAN in this round include Nitin Zamre, Samir Kalia, and Mitesh Shah. The fresh infusion of capital will be used to scale Dectrocel’s commercial operations across India, enhance its self-learning foundational multimodal AI technology, expand into international markets, and accelerate the launch of its upcoming AI Tools in CT /MRI/PET-CT and HPB diagnostic modules.

Headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Dectrocel has launched its flagship product, DecXpert, which is one of only three AI-based diagnostic tools approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for clinical use in India. The platform delivers chest X-ray and CT-scan interpretations that are 10 times faster and 98% accurate, addressing India’s acute radiologist shortage - currently at a staggering 1:125,000 doctor-to-patient ratio. This shortage results in diagnosis delays of 7 to 10 days and error rates of up to 40%, particularly in tier-2 and smaller cities where timely intervention can be life-saving.

Dectrocel was founded by Ankit Shukla, an AI-in-medicine expert from the University of Queensland; MS in Infectious Diseases from Duke Medical School, NUS, Singapore. Saumya Shukla, a Doctorate in Public Health from SGPGIMS with an MBA from NUS and MS in Data Science from Harvard; and Nikhil Mishra, an IIT Kanpur Researcher specializing in AI and machine learning applications in medicine.

The company’s mission stems from a deeply personal experience where a patient with a persistent cough went undiagnosed for months due to delayed X-ray interpretations and ultimately succumbed to late-stage lung cancer. This tragedy transformed the founders’ vision into a life-saving mission to democratize access to expert-level diagnostic capabilities for every patient, regardless of geography or income.

Lucknow Startup Making Batteries from Aloe-Vera Gel Gets ₹1.91 Cr from TBD

Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body by Government of India that provides financial assistance to Indian industrial concerns and other agencies, has announced in early this month that it is collaborating with Aloe Ecell Pvt. Ltd., an innovative startup rooted in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to commercialize Eco-friendly-1.5V AA size Aloe Vera-based batteries.

Of the startup's Aloe-Vera batteries project valued at Rs. 2.98 crores, TDB will contribute Rs. 1.91 crores as a soft loan to Aloe Ecell amplifying the startup's project's potential to drive eco-friendly innovation to new heights.

Aloe Ecell  Partners with Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science & Technology for the commercialization of eco-friendly batteries.

The Lucknow-based startup’s ingenious approach entails the creation of an eco-friendly 1.5V AA size battery, which may help in departure from conventional counterparts laden with heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Leveraging the inherent properties of Aloe-Vera, Aloe Ecell has formulated an electrolyte that not only matches the performance of established market standards but also champions environmental responsibility.

According to a 2018 research, Aloe-Vera contains acid, which has the potential to generate electric current. While an experiment by a Malaysian university researchers revealed that the electrical energy harvested from the Aloe Vera under a specific setup condition can produce an output of 3.49 V and 1.1 mA.

The Aloe Ecell's Aloe-vera battery is NABL (IS 8144:2018) certified primary non-rechargeable battery available in AA and AAA sizes. It has been created as a safer alternative to traditional hazardous dry-cell batteries.

Additionally, the Aloe Vera Battery is carbon negative, as the Aloe Vera plants used in the production of the gel electrolyte actively capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This helps offset the emissions associated with the battery's production, transportation, and disposal.

Moreover, the use of eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes further reduces the battery's carbon footprint.

The startup will create facilities for commercial production of primary batteries in Bundi, Rajasthan.

Mr. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, emphasized, "Our collaboration with Aloe ECell Pvt. Ltd. epitomizes TDB's commitment to support sustainable innovation. This partnership signifies our dedication to supporting visionary projects that blend technological advancement with environmental stewardship. As the startup forges ahead bolstered by TDB's steadfast support, it exemplifies the capability of government-industry collaboration in shaping a more sustainable and prosperous future for our nation."

Last month, TDB committed financial support of ₹ 3.81 to Bengaluru-based hardware startup TIEA Connectors Pvt Ltd. Prior to that, TBD had pledged support of ₹3.94 Crores to Pune-based Noccarc for its indigenously developed technology innovation — A Digitally Enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilators.

The collaboration of the TDB with Aloe Ecell is in consonance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary initiative, 'Mission LiFE' (Lifestyle for Environment).

The core objective of the project harmonizes seamlessly with 'Mission LiFE's' ethos – to introduce lifestyle choices in harmony with ecological well-being. By spearheading the cause of eco-friendly primary batteries, Aloe ECell may contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment while addressing longstanding concerns tied to the toxic composition in conventional batteries.

Uttar Pradesh-based Food Startup Corn Junction Gets Pre-Seed Funding From GetFunded

Uttar Pradesh is geared to be one of the top 3 states in Startup Ranking. The state government is working towards establishing a robust startup ecosystem here in Uttar Pradesh.

Now, Uttar Pradesh has 47 incubators to date and there will be more in the coming year. The Startup Policy aims to build a holistic startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state.

In a latest, the sate capital, Lucknow, - based GETFUNDED, a platform that is helping startups from Ideation to Scaling, announced its first deal, which is a food startup — Corn Junction. 

The young generation is opting to be their own boss rather than work for someone else. They are filled with so many innovative ideas and just need support from the ecosystem consisting of mentors, and guides who can handhold them and take them to next level.

GETFUNDED,  a Lucknow-based platform that is helping startups from Ideation to Scaling, is CoFounded by a Mother-Son duo — Aparna & Aditya.

Aparna Mishra, being in the Startup ecosystem for many years, have gathered a good experience of working and mentoring start-ups across India.

Therefore, they started a dedicated platform GetFunded to provide solutions to the start-up communities which will have answers to all their queries and doubts regarding new and existing ventures.

"With GetFunded, we aim to reach out to millions of startups, upcoming new ventures, and entrepreneurs to help them in doing sustainable businesses," said Aparna Mishra. 

"We are happy to announce our First deal in GETFUNDED , Corn Junction, the Lucknow-based Startup, registered with Startup India is all set to shine in the World," added Aparna. 

CORN Junction was founded by Ajay, Vivek, & Sandeep, is a trio of inspiring and energetic young minds who got noticed by NRI and an angel investor Mr. Manoj Mishra who then got interested in the Founders and loved their business model.

Ajay Chaurasia shared their expansion plans that in the next year this will open the door for over 50 small farmers to grow sweet corn over an area of 100+ acres in Eastern UP and will be the hub for supplying fresh, natural sweet corn to Corn Junction’s various outlets.

On the other hand, Corn junction will expand its outlets up to 100 in Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, etc which eventually will generate over 140 employment opportunities for youngsters.

Corn Junction received their pre-seed round with an undisclosed amount. They are all set to expand and rework their strategies and look forward to presenting CORN in very tasty, zingy, and healthy flavours.

Freelance on Demand: Rozgaar India to help Businesses adjust to changing times

LUCKNOW , India , Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 'new normal' is here. In just a few short months, both businesses and consumers have rushed towards the digital landscape, altering shopping habits and operations in almost the blink of an eye.However, fight to online is more than just a reaction to lockdown. It's a new way of interacting with brands and it's here to stay. Remote work and digital operations are now the new norm, two things that many businesses will struggle to adapt. But growing in this direction is already proving critical; from positioning one's brand online to digitalizing the operations, the work is cut out. At this point, one needs the right tools as much as the right people with the right expertise.

Here's why, and how platform like Rozgaar India  can help.

Rozgaar India is on a merry mission to uncomplicate work lives, providing no-collar professional Indian freelancers whom one can hire to start or grow a business. Rozgaar India provides Gig workforce to work On-Demand. The app connects businesses of all sizes with skilled freelancers offering digital services in more than 120 categories. With Rozgaar India, one can connect with specialised talent anytime, anywhere. No matter which kind of task one needs, what size the budget is, or when that deadline will hit - one can get the project done. The services available vary from the basic tiers of any business to just about everything else: graphics, writing, digital marketing  programming, and the list goes on. It's designed with the user's timeline, budget, and level of commitment in mind. One can collaborate easily with the freelancers via live chat & get exactly what they need to grow the business  with no fixed salary obligations. Geography, time, and budget are no longer barriers.

Rozgaar India Mobile Application opens the future of work

One can choose from thousands of passionate creative freelancers from 120 different creative service categories Push notifications make sure that the users stay on top of projects Signup is Free Message Box to keep 24/7/365 communication between freelancer and buyer If somebody wants to speak with the freelancer, they simply need to tap on con-call button to get virtually connected within minutes without sharing any personal details Super Friendly easy to use app And if there's a problem with one's order (unlikely, but it does happen), it also means that the team can deal with it super-speedily. How it works:

One can find the right freelancer with the help of easy navigation Rozgaar India gives access to a large pool of top-quality skilled profiles. One can choose the level of service needed One can designate the work End to end service solution to fit both personal or company requirements One can build their own online team One can choose and shortlist the profiles from all over India to be available for 24*7 for both short term or full time work. Value for Money & timely delivery Best work at the right price & time Ms. Swapnil, Co-Founder, Rozgaarindia.com says, "The idea behind starting a service marketplace is to make the experience of buying a digital service as easy as shopping on any e-commerce application. The total time to hire a freelancer is 8 minutes. Simply, browse, search and click to order.  Adding flexible workers allows organizations to think about how they manage their budgets, separating work into fixed expenses (full-time team) and variable expenses (freelancers). This is very powerful because it allows them to quickly scale their organization up or down as needed."

Mr. Luv Kalra , Founder, Rozgaarindia.com says, "A decade ago, freelancing was considered something people did in between jobs or as a way to gain qualifications to be hired for a full-time position. This is no longer the case. Freelancing today is a career choice and a lifestyle preference. We strive to create opportunities for anyone in India to build their business, brand and dreams, and to provide anyone with access to those opportunities through our marketplace."

Download now & do more!

Find the next freelancer in a micro-moment with just a swipe and a tap. Peace of mind, delivered on time!

Lucknow-based Viral News Platform Knocksense Raises Seed Funding from Amitesh Pandey

Knocksense, a two-year-old Lucknow-based startup has raised seed funding from Amitesh Pandey (Founder of VBS Infravision Private Limited).

Knocksense is a fast growing lifestyle website currently operational in Lucknow, Goa & Delhi-NCR. Further, the startup plans to expand to Indore, Jaipur and other growing tier-II cities in India.

The startup also owns another vertical for mobile, tech and gadget news, Techsense, which was started in July 2018.

The local discovery and recommendation portal was founded in 2016 by Whistling Woods alumnus Vibhore Mayank and Amity University alumnus Varul Mayank. Unlike other websites, Knocksense was founded in Lucknow and was the first new-age Media company to be based out of Uttar Pradesh’s capital.

Commenting on the fundraise, Varul Mayank, co-founder of Knocksense, said, “Funding came at an important time for Knocksense. In the last two months, we were rapidly expanding to other regions and these funds will help us in improving our platform," he added.

Talking about the investment, Amitesh Pandey said, “Being from a media background, I was looking to invest in a media startup which was helping localities in finding the best things to do in a city. What attracted me the most to invest in Knocksense was its local presence in Lucknow. Being a regular Knocksense reader since 2017, I believed that their approach and content if replicated well in other smaller cities can definitely be a boon for localities and businesses alike.”

Knocksense plans to invest these funds in improving its IT infrastructure and start new cities. "Tier-II cities with an active millennial audience will be our next target. We are planning to launch new verticals next year which will further help the businesses in reaching out to local audience and vice-versa," Varul added.

We are also going to use Raghav Bahl backed-CMS, Quintype to power Knocksense’s IT infrastructure. Quintype’s functionality will further help us in reaching our target audience, he said.

LSR alumnus Neelansha Dwivedi initially invested in Knocksense in 2017. She has now joined Knocksense as the head of its editorial team.

Knocksense is a leisure reading portal, which aims to write on topics which are generally left uncovered by mainstream media. Knocksense covers various categories such as Tech, Food, Events, Culture, Travel, Startups and other Entertainment based stories.

Knocksense calls itself a ‘local discovery cum recommendation platform’, which informs people of the best places to hangout in their city. Knocksense was started in 2016 in Lucknow. Besides Lucknow, Knocksense is currently working in Indore, Goa & Delhi. Knocksense also has another vertical for mobile, tech and gadget news called Techsense, which was started in July 2018.

Lucknow Startup Ecosystem

About startup ecosystem in and around Lucknow, the state government of Uttar Pradesh had recently revealed its plan to develop the country’s largest startup in Lucknow. The state has identified about 40 acres of land near Lucknow Airport, which is on outskirts of the city, for the proposed startup incubation ecosystem comprising data centre, business processes outsourcing (BPO), development centre, training centres etc.

Very few startups from Luchnow or Uttar Pradesh have managed to raise funding and one of them was education startup EduGorilla, which had raised funding in July 2017.

In May 2016, an another Lucknow-based education startup EduAce Services raised USD 1 million (about Rs.6.6 crore) in seed funding from MoMagic.

Lucknow based Startup Invents Drone for ‘Tea Delivery’

A tech start-up in Lucknow is working on a business model to deliver tea at customers' houses with a drone. In partnership with Online Kaka, a food delivery startup also based out of Lucknow, Tech Eagle invented a drone which will deliver tea up to 10 km and have a capacity of holding 2 liter.

Founded in 2015 by IIT-Kanpur alumnus Vikram Singh along with his four friends, Tech Eagle will take orders through a food app, news agency ANI reported. The drone can carry weight up to 2 kg and can travel a distance of up to 10 kilometer.

“Drone is installed with GPS tracking device and the address for delivery will be feed in it and will deliver the order within few minutes.” He further added, “There is no guidelines in India related to drones. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is working on making guidelines. As soon as it will be made we will take permission to deliver tea with the help of drone", said Vikram Singh, CEO & Founder of Tech Eagle, which was recognized as a startup by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotions(DIPP).



The startup specialize in developing DRONEs/UAVs of 1-5 meter( wingspan), 1-10kg (Payload), 1-5 Hours (Flight Time), and Modular for Companies, Research Institutes and individuals. It develops drones for commercial, civil and defense uses and also organises training courses for graduates to bridge skill gaps.

"Our mission is to bridge the gap between the students' theoretical and practical knowledge thus providing them the complete skill set in the UAV/Drone Industry," says Tech Eagle's website.

Besides, the startup also has an online shop for electronic kits of UAVs and drones.

[caption id="attachment_124489" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Tech Eagle Team[/caption]

Currently, there are plenty of UAV/ drone-based startups in the country but stuck when it comes to its commercial uses as India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has yet to come up with policy for same. In 2014, an unmanned drone was used to deliver a pizza to a flat in a high rise in Worli in Central Mumbai. The local police, however, described it as an unauthorized flight in violation of rules.

In April 2016, an another Drone Startup, based out of Kanpur, called Aarav Unmanned Systems raised a bridge round funding from Aaruha Technologies, Sagitaur Ventures and ex-Infosys CFOs Mohandas Pai and V Balakrishnan.

Last November, DGCA released draft regulations on the commercial use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for cinematography, door to door delivery, aerial mapping, infrastructure monitoring (ports & pipelines) and even passenger transport which will also enable civil of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. Since then, over 6 months have passed by but nothing substantial has took off in this matter.

To recall, in October of last year, Amazon had already filed patent for delivery drones in India.

UP Govt Reveals Plan for India's Largest Startup Incubation Hub in Lucknow

The state government in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh has finally revealed few details about it plan to develop the country’s largest startup in Lucknow. The Yogi Adityanath government in the state first announced about this in September last year.

The state has identified about 40 acres of land near Lucknow Airport, which is on outskirts of the city, for the proposed startup incubation ecosystem comprising data centre, business processes outsourcing (BPO), development centre, training centres etc.

The proposed incubator, which will be up and running in the next 3 years, is touted to be the largest in terms of the carpet area and bench strength.

In the first phase, the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), a central government agency, is likely to invest about Rs 200 million to develop the main complex of the startup hub spread over 2 acres.

UP additional chief secretary (IT & electronics) Sanjiv Saran told a business daily, "It would take 6 months to forge the necessary tie-ups with other stakeholders and partners on board."

For the startup hub, the state department would also tie-up with reputed UP based institutions, such as Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) etc as key knowledge partners.

Earlier in September last year, UP government had increased the budgetary allocation for startups from Rs 10 crore to Rs 1,000 crore (~ US$157 Mn) in association with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). About Rs 250 crore had already been allocated for startups in the state.

Besides, SIDBI had launched a financial technology incubator at IIM-L called ‘SIDBI Centre for Innovations in Financial Inclusion’ (SCI-FI), mandated to catering not just the IIM-L, but other institutions as well. SIDBI is keen to support similar incubators in other institutions too.

Earlier this year, Yogi Adityanath announced that the state government will link 60,000 villages of the state with the Start-up India programme.

In 2016, before Yogi Adityanath came to the power of the state, the then Uttar Pradesh government had already introduced Start-up Policy for entrepreneurs and startups in the state.

In last couple of years, the only major startup, which is based out of Uttar Pradesh, that received funding -- and in news -- was education startup EduGorilla which had raised funding in July 2017.

Source of the above news is Business Standard,

UP Govt Reveals Plan for India's Largest Startup Incubation Hub in Lucknow

The state government in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh has finally revealed few details about it plan to develop the country’s largest startup in Lucknow. The Yogi Adityanath government in the state first announced about this in September last year.

The state has identified about 40 acres of land near Lucknow Airport, which is on outskirts of the city, for the proposed startup incubation ecosystem comprising data centre, business processes outsourcing (BPO), development centre, training centres etc.

The proposed incubator, which will be up and running in the next 3 years, is touted to be the largest in terms of the carpet area and bench strength.

In the first phase, the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), a central government agency, is likely to invest about Rs 200 million to develop the main complex of the startup hub spread over 2 acres.

UP additional chief secretary (IT & electronics) Sanjiv Saran told a business daily, "It would take 6 months to forge the necessary tie-ups with other stakeholders and partners on board."

For the startup hub, the state department would also tie-up with reputed UP based institutions, such as Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) etc as key knowledge partners.

Earlier in September last year, UP government had increased the budgetary allocation for startups from Rs 10 crore to Rs 1,000 crore (~ US$157 Mn) in association with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). About Rs 250 crore had already been allocated for startups in the state.

Besides, SIDBI had launched a financial technology incubator at IIM-L called ‘SIDBI Centre for Innovations in Financial Inclusion’ (SCI-FI), mandated to catering not just the IIM-L, but other institutions as well. SIDBI is keen to support similar incubators in other institutions too.

Earlier this year, Yogi Adityanath announced that the state government will link 60,000 villages of the state with the Start-up India programme.

In 2016, before Yogi Adityanath came to the power of the state, the then Uttar Pradesh government had already introduced Start-up Policy for entrepreneurs and startups in the state.

In last couple of years, the only major startup, which is based out of Uttar Pradesh, that received funding -- and in news -- was education startup EduGorilla which had raised funding in July 2017.

Source of the above news is Business Standard,

Lucknow To Get India's Biggest Incubator Centre

Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) capital city Lucknow is all set to get the biggest incubator centre that the Indian startup ecosystem has seen till date. The news was revealed by Sanjeev Saran, additional chief secretary, IT and electronics at a programme, 'Creating an eco-system for start-ups', organised by IIM Lucknow, in collaboration with Lucknow Management Association.

Saran also revealed the location where the incubator is slated to come up. Reportedly, the incubator will come up on 40-acre space near Lucknow airport.

Once completed, the incubator centre will be responsible for shaping up business ideas and funding companies that have been registered in UP. The funding for the same will be done by Small Industries Development Bank of India(SIDBI).

Speaking at the conference, Saran also revered about UP’s startup policy. He said, “UP's start-up policy is better than other states. We give financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to start-ups. We are currently reviewing both the policy as well as funding. In one month, we are hopeful of coming up with a new start-up policy.”

Saran also shared that the state government has increased the budgetary allocation for startups from Rs 10 crore to Rs 1,000 crore. He also added that with the incubator centre coming up at Lucknow, this amount will now increase to Rs 4,000 crore.

Additional secretary in Niti Aayog, Yaduvendra Mather also took the podium at the conference to reveal that for the very first time in Asia Pacific, a Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is slated to be held in Hyderabad in November this year. According to Mather, it is an attempt to connect women entrepreneurs with housewives for startups in the area of education and health.

This development was first reported in the Times of India.

Vyapaar Hub, first of its-kind fully digital (virtual) consulting company

Aanshul Aawasthy, Mukul Rajput and Rishi Mathur started Vyapaar Hub in 2011 in Lucknow with an objective to empower Indian businesses and entrepreneurship format in the verticals of Strategy, Marketing, Education, Health by providing consulting.

With a vision to empower each and every individual, startup, entrepreneur and organization to become growth driver in India’s overall growth, the 3 enthusiastic entrepreneurs came up with an idea to promote the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. Vyapaar Hub provides consulting services in 4 main branches:

1. Samadhan
Samadhaan handles Management Consulting, E-Incubation, Services for Social Entrepreneurship, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Funding Services, Coaching (Business Coaching, Entrepreneurship Development, Advisory)
2. Adhyayan
Adhyayan provides services in
3. Margdarshi
This is to cater to Comprehensive Marketing Process Outsourcing (MPO)
4. Manan
Health and Wellness

[caption id="attachment_95200" align="aligncenter" width="700"] (L-R) Dr. Mukul Rajput, Rishi Mathur and Aanshul Aawasthy, Founders - VyaparHub[/caption]

Rishi Mathur, one of the founders, is a serial entrepreneur from Lucknow and has been active in internet entrepreneurship since the age of 16. He took a plunge into Vyapaar Hub right after his studies. With Aanshul and Mukul as co-founders, the team has conducted Vyapaar Hub Online Entrepreneurship Spirit Awards. The awards started in 2013 to empower entrepreneurs across all categories pan-India. They also have a Vyapaar Hub Business Leadership Awards 2014 (VH-BLA) to encourage startups and entrepreneurial initiatives. Apart from this, the team has been conducting several batches of start-up mentoring and virtual incubation to help entrepreneurs and start-up turn their dreams into reality.

They also have special initiatives like 'Internet & Social Media De-Addiction Camp', 'Virtual Education Fair' and provide business mentoring and psychological counseling. Vyapaar Hub has been included for UBI Index (Stockholm, Sweden) for Global Benchmark 2014 as a leading start-up consulting and business e-incubation organization globally. The company is strongly focusing on inclusion of partners like Resident Business Managers (RBM), Franchisees, Independent Business associates (IBA), Regional Business Coordinators (RBC), Freelance Consultants, etc. that provides working opportunities with Vyapaar Hub. The company aims at generating great employment/ working/ business opportunities for professionals without any prejudice.

They are a team of 12 employees an plan to increase their clients and increase their services in digital consulting space. They are bootstrapped but actively assist their clients in funding of their ventures (seed/ early stage/ round B, C). As a message for future entrepreneurs, they say, "Start as early as you can. In starting-up, there is nothing like late or early. No need to worry about the failure or success, just concentrate on learning as quick as possible thru your experiences and struggle. Try to sustain as much as possible and be ready to face the heat and shed a lot of sweat."

Vyapar Hub has also officially entered into the very dynamic spheres of Aerospace, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence by joining hands with AAPL, the global leader in robotics and aerospace research & education. "This important deal took place a couple of days back and we signed a formal MOU with them. This deal is next to the one, which we signed with RSC (NZ) to collaborate and explore opportunities in the vast domain of Geological Services, Mining & Mineral Explorations. We are really very much excited on the same," says Rishi.

Aqaya catering to the needs of customized clothing for fashion minded people

Aqaya is an e-commerce website that allows customers to design their clothes thus empowering them to be able to create products customized to their taste. Shrishti and Gaurav started this with "Our concept lies in the belief that style is personal and fit is fundamental," says Shrishti. They work closely with various emerging designers and give them a platform to showcase their designs and collections. “This is a powerhouse platform for anything that can be custom-made targeting clients who don’t mind paying a little extra to get a unique creation made just for them. We look at our customers as bold individuals who want to express their personality and have very specific preferences,” says Gaurav.

Although, they have started with only clothing, the idea is to expand into a lifestyle brand. They will be launching our first range of accessories and bags shortly! The process is simple, pick a style, customize it to your taste (by adding custom lettering, appliqués and alterations), love it and buy it! We asked Shrishti what made her start this, and she said “Taking a stock of dresses to the fitting room, and coming out without even a single one that I liked, was something that really bothered me. It made me wonder about how much resources, labor, time, capital are wasted into making clothes that people might not even like, dispose in a short time, or have hanging in their closet forever. I wanted to fix them, hence AQAYA."

Based out of Lucknow, they are partner with emerging designers and give them a platform to showcase their designs. "There are amazingly talented designers everywhere but they do not have access to a broad customer market. We want to give them a bigger platform to promote themselves," says Gaurav. They work with designers throughout the country and plan to expand into offline marketing with the help of Brand Ambassadors in every region.



Started in April 2014, Aqaya is one of a kind fashion tech start-up. With the customization software being their biggest asset, they allow users to alter sleeves, lengths, pocket and collar designs, add embroidery. “We aren’t trying to be ‘commercial’, our goal is to reach out to the bold customers who want exclusive and personalized products. Once all our features are live, customers will truly value the unique user experience that we are aiming to provide and understand the underlying value in our proposition,” says Shrishti.

Shrishti’s message for future entrepreneurs is an important one. She says, “When starting out you need to really be smart about who and what you invest in- be it time or money.”

Imagine, creating clothes yourself, choosing exactly how you’d like them, adding your personality to them and making them your own- wouldn’t that make it more special for you? Wouldn’t you use it for longer? Wouldn’t that make shopping a more meaningful experience?