DBS Foundation Awards ₹34.4 Cr Grants to 22 Impact Enterprises Across Asia, Including Ikure, Lernern & Kadam Haat from India

• Grantees will collectively impact more than 4.3 million people over the next two years. 
• New cohort of grantees addresses critical and emerging needs in their communities, from healthcare and inclusive employment to caregiving support

DBS Foundation has announced INR 34.40 crore [1] (SGD 4.9 million) in grant funding for its 2025 cohort of grantees, comprising 22 businesses for impact – purpose-driven social enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises – across its core markets in Asia. The winners include three innovative impact enterprises from India: Ikure Techsoft, Lernern and Kadam Haat Basketry.

This marks the 11th edition of DBS Foundation’s grant programme, which was launched in 2015 to support entrepreneurs tackling pressing societal challenges through innovative and scalable solutions. Beyond funding of up to INR 1.75 CR[i] (SGD 250,000) each, grantees will also gain access to holistic support from DBS Foundation’s and DBS’ ecosystem, including mentorship, capacity building, preferential banking solutions and collaboration opportunities with other like-minded players, to accelerate their growth and impact.

In line with DBS Foundation’s mission to strengthen the social and financial resilience of vulnerable communities, the 2025 cohort addresses critical needs such as access to healthcare and income opportunities. Many are leveraging innovative approaches, including AI and digital tools, gamification, circular economy solutions and community-driven models, to scale their impact and reach underserved populations more effectively.

The grantees were selected from nearly 2,200 applications following a rigorous evaluation process, which involved 415 DBS employee volunteers, including senior management, who contributed their skills and expertise as grant evaluators.

The 2025 cohort reflects how businesses for impact are responding to emerging themes in their communities through innovative and scalable approaches.

The three grant awardees from India are:

• Ikure Techsoft, which provides affordable primary healthcare to rural communities through a network of digital health centres supported by trained community health workers, helping to improve access to essential medical services in underserved regions. 
• Lernern, an enterprise that aims to strengthen youth employability through work-integrated learning, skills training and apprenticeship programmes that connect young people to job opportunities and industry networks
• Kadam Haat Basketry, which supports rural artisans by enabling responsible market access for handcrafted products, helping create sustainable livelihoods while preserving traditional skills and crafts

Karen Ngui, Head of DBS Foundation, said “In an increasingly uncertain world, helping vulnerable communities to build resilience is more important than ever. This calls for a whole-of-society effort, with businesses playing an important role alongside community and public sector partners. At DBS Foundation, we support purpose-driven businesses tackling real challenges on the ground, providing holistic support including capital and capacity building to scale their impact, while also working across the ecosystem to co-create interventions. Together, we seek to uplift the lives and livelihoods of those with less and help them face the future with confidence.”

Gaurav Rajput, Managing Director and Head, Group Marketing and Communications, DBS Bank India, said “The impact enterprises selected from India this year demonstrate the power of purpose-driven innovation in addressing some of our country’s most urgent developmental needs. Whether it is expanding access to primary healthcare, strengthening youth employability or creating sustainable livelihoods for rural artisans, these organisations are building solutions that uplift underserved communities in meaningful and lasting ways. We are proud to champion their work and to play a part in helping more individuals across India build a stronger, more resilient future.”

Strengthening Asia’s impact ecosystem since 2015

To date, DBS Foundation has catalysed the growth of more than 180 businesses for impact through its grant programme and the Impact Beyond Award. The Impact Beyond Award supercharges businesses with transformative solutions that address urgent needs in ageing societies, with winners receiving up to SGD 1 million each to scale their impact.

In 2024, marking the start of DBS Foundation’s second decade, DBS strengthened its support for the Foundation’s work by pledging up to SGD 1 billion and 1.5 million employee volunteering hours over the next ten years. Of this, DBS Foundation has committed over SGD 160 million as at end-2025 to support 48 businesses for impact through grants and awards, and to launch 29 new impact programmes in partnership with community and public sector partners. These initiatives are projected to collectively impact over 8 million lives by 2029.

By galvanising an ecosystem-wide approach, DBS Foundation aims to drive meaningful, sustainable and scalable change, empowering those with less to build forward and progress towards better circumstances in the long term.

About DBS Foundation

Established in 2014, DBS Foundation is committed to uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged and fosters financial inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact. It aims to bring hope to those with less today, so no one is left behind and we can all face the future with confidence.

In 2024, DBS committed up to SGD 1 billion dollars over the next decade to support vulnerable communities. It also pledged to contribute 1.5 million employee volunteer hours over the same period.

With ageing societies becoming a pressing concern, DBS Foundation is intensifying efforts to shape mindsets and spark interventions – so that regardless of life stage or circumstance, there is opportunity to age with dignity, purpose and joy.

Together with an ecosystem of like-minded partners, DBS Foundation seeks to create impact that goes beyond banking, beyond borders, and beyond generations.

About DBS

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world. In 2025, CRISIL Ratings reaffirmed its ‘CRISIL AAA/Stable’ rating on the corporate credit facility of DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL). The rating on the certificate of deposits programme was also reaffirmed at ‘CRISIL A1+’.

Recognized for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Global Finance, “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney, and “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney and the world’s “Most Innovative in Digital Banking” by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 17 consecutive years from 2009 to 2025. DBS Bank India was recognized by CRISIL - Coalition Greenwich as the Best Bank for Corporate Banking and Best Bank for Corporate Cash Management in India in 2025. In the same year, Euromoney also named DBS Bank India the Best Digital Bank for SMEs in India. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

DBS Bank has been present in India for more than 30 years, opening its first office in Mumbai in 1994. DBS Bank India Limited is the first among the large foreign banks in India to start operating as a wholly owned, locally incorporated subsidiary of a leading global bank. As a trusted partner, DBS provides a range of banking services for large, medium, and small enterprises and individual consumers in India, focusing on a seamless customer experience that helps them ‘Live more, Bank less’. In November 2020, Lakshmi Vilas Bank was merged with DBS Bank India Limited. DBS Bank India is now present in ~350 locations in 19 Indian states.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.


[1] Currency conversion based on an exchange rate of SGD 1- INR 70.2.

Suzuki to Support India's Social Entrepreneurs Via Newly Established $40 Mn Venture Fund

On July 4, 2024, Suzuki Motor Corporation established a wholly-owned subsidiary called "Next Bharat Ventures IFSC Private Limited" (referred to as "Next Bharat") and a fund named "Next Bharat Venture Fund-1" (referred to as "Fund") in India.

The purpose of Next Bharat is to support and invest in social entrepreneurs working in areas such as agriculture, financial inclusion, supply chain, and mobility.

Through this initiative, Suzuki aims to contribute to solving social issues in India through business ventures. The company also plans to invest in venture capital projects.

By nurturing and empowering social entrepreneurs, Suzuki aims to connect with the "Next Billion" people in India, extending beyond the mobility sector and becoming part of India's future story.

With a capital of INR 1 billion, Next Bharat is headquartered in Special Financial Zone GIFT City, Gujarat. The total investment of the fund-1 will be US $40 million.

Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki, said, "There are about 1.4 billion people in India, but we have only reached about 0.4 billion people. Next Bharat will focus on nurturing and empowering social entrepreneurs, who are passionately solving the problems of India. Through this, we will connect with the “Next Billion” people of India, extending beyond mobility and becoming a part of India’s future story.”

Suzuki began production and sales of automobiles in India in 1983, and has since been providing customers with mobilities including automobiles and motorcycles. Through the activities of Next Bharat, Suzuki aims to build ties with the people of India beyond the mobility sector and contribute to the further development of India.

INR 2.5 Cr Funding Won by Social Startups From IIIT Hyderabad's Social Incubator AIC-IIITH

• Social Startups supported by AIC-IIITH, IIITH’s social incubator have won INR 2.5 Cr funding support from Government of India and showcased at various G20 startup meetings.
• Two startups from green energy and animal husbandry space have been selected for INR 1 Cr each from AIM, NITI Aayog’s ANIC and accessibility tech startup for INR 50 lakhs of BIRAC’s BIG grant.
• AIC-IIITH, which supports tech-based Social Startupshas supported 41+ social startups and facilitated creation of 300+ jobs and INR 2+ Cr of funding.

We need to move toward achieving sustainable and inclusive growth to help India achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). As part of this Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has selected AIC-IIITH’s Social Startups Jivoule Biofuels, a Hyderabad-based green energy company and Verdant Impact, a Jaipur-based animal husbandry platform for funding of INR 1Cr each. This amount will be disbursed after the startups successfully complete the due-diligence process.

A big part of achieving SDGs also included supporting People with Disabilities. Recognizing this, AIC-IIITH’s SunQulp Tech has been selected for a grant of INR 50 Lakh from Biotech Ignition Grant (BIG), the largest early-stage biotech funding programme in India. BIG is the flagship programme of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Department of Biotechnology.

AIC-IIITH’s vision is “Catalyzing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using technology to become a thought leader in the space of technology for social impact.” This aligns with ANIC’s aim “to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance.” Similarly BIG which seeks ‘provides the right admixture of fuel and support to young startups and entrepreneurial individuals’ align with AIC-IIITH’s goals to “Validate prototypes and business models to help move India ahead in achieving the U.N. SDGs.” Thus, AIC-IIITH’s tech-based social startups are a perfect fit for these programmes.

Jivoule Biofuels founded by Chandrasekhar Nandigama is working to set up a compressed biogas plant in Hyderabad. They recently started operating a biogas-based power generation plant in Tirupur.

Verdant Impact run by Founder and CEO Manish K. Prahlad is a full-stack animal husbandry platform. The platform provides farmers with backward and forward linkages for purchase and sale of livestock and services like Animal ICU, a digital livestock healthcare ecosystem.

SunQulp started by the team of Amit Panwar (Founder) and Dushyant Kumar (Co-Founder) have created SmartVest, a low-cost, one of its kind, unique navigation solution for the visually impaired people to help them in their movement. It is a wearable vest that guides the wearer while walking by talking to them in human voice and gives them real-time information about their path and the obstacles to avoid, helping them go places with confidence.

Congratulating the Startups, Prof. Ramesh Loganathan, Director of AIC-IIITH said, “This financial investment by AIM and BIRAC in AIC-IIITH startups validates and reaffirms our approach of seeking to support the use of technology by social entrepreneurs to tackle pressing social and environmental challenges faced by India.”

Jivoule Biofuels was part of AIC-IIITH’S Raftaar - Covid Acceleration Program supported by EPAM Systems as part of its ESG commitment. Verdant Impact and SunQulp Tech are part of the 3rd cohort of Akash, AIC-IIITH’s Flagship Incubation Program.

AIC-IIITH’s Startups Jivoule Biofuels, Verdant Impact and Next Skills 360 were also part of various G20 startup meetings organized by the government across India.

AIC-IIITH Foundation, social tech incubator of IIITH, runs multiple cohorts of social startups under various programs like Akash, flagship incubation program and Dhanush Micro Incubation program. AIC-IIITH has also run programs funded by various corporate partners like EPAM, HDFC and Pernod Ricard India Foundation, providing grants to startups. Till date AIC-IIITH has supported 41+ startups, created 300+ jobs and facilitated INR 2+ Cr of funding in diverse social impact sectors like Medtech, Agritech, Greentech, Climate, Edtech etc. AIC-IIITH startups raised INR 75+ cr in funding till date. 

AIC-IIITH Foundation is an Atal Incubation Center set up exclusively for incubating and supporting tech-based social enterprises. It seeks to deploy entrepreneurial energy and technological innovation for social impact to help India achieve the SDGs. Supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION also seeks to nurture the social enterprise ecosystem by acting as a platform for sharing ideas and insights. With over 10,000 sq. ft space consisting of co-working spaces, conference room, meeting space and other facilities, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION aims to provide collaborative space to entrepreneurs. These benefits are further enhanced by the multiplying effect of agglomeration effects and network effects of being situated in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), IIIT-Hyderabad, which is a cluster of incubation centers, research labs and resources.

For further information, please contact at: aiciiith@gmail.com or For details visit our Website -https://aic.iiit.ac.in/ and for update follows on Facebook-www.facebook.com/AICIIITH Twitter- @IiithAic and LinkedIn-linkedin.com/in/aic-iiith-foundation-12ab541a1/


IIIT Hyderabad is the first IIIT to be set up in the country, in 1998. IIIT Hyderabad is a research university that ranks in the country for research in various areas of computer science. IIITH also strongly emphasises on translating research into products and startups. To enable this, the Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE)was set up in 2008, which has since grown to be the largest academic incubator in the country. The Centre has very active programs across the spectrum of a startup journey. Entrepreneurship courses and workshops for students, Product Labs to seed new products from research, a pre-incubation program to help entrepreneurs create new startups, incubation to nurture early-stage startups, mentoring programs to improve strategy and business development of the startups, investor pitch days, and several talks/workshops from experts and successful entrepreneurs. CIE-IIITH was supported by DST (TBI) and MeitY (TIDE) in the initial years. Today, there are very active programs focused on emerging technology startups, research-based startups, medical technologies, and social technology startups. In the past 14 years, CIE has housed over 450+ startups that have raised about 250 Cr funding and created over 2500 jobs.

Capgemini India and IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL, Expand their Collaboration Until 2025 to Support Tech-driven Startups with Social Innovations

NSRCEL and Capgemini India have announced their collaboration once again for an incubation program in Social Entrepreneurship. Capgemini will support NSRCEL to launch 9 subsequent cohorts of Social Entrepreneurship Incubation programs for 3 years starting from 2023 till 2025.

The NSRCEL - Capgemini incubation program aims to solve the problem of validating solutions for product-market fit and evolving business models in Social Entrepreneurship that can scale. It aims to do so by identifying, and incubating startups that are innovating with technology and digital inclusion at their forefront.

There will be a cohort intake every 4 months. Each cohort will consist of 15-20 early-stage innovations with some market traction and is open for both for-profits & non-profits across sectors. Through this initiative, NSRCEL’s “Impact Orbit” aims to incubate 120 social enterprises in the next 3 years and lead the convergence across for-profit & non-profit business models in India, while also building a support stack of partners & service providers for startup success.

In the past, Capgemini's financial and network support to NSRCEL and its ventures came at a critical time during the pandemic in 2020. The collaboration over the last 3 years allowed 4 for-profit startups to pivot and 9 non-profit startups to enter the market from an idea stage. Collectively the 13 ventures have impacted 5.45lakh beneficiaries and gone on to raise 8.5cr+ through grants and equity. These ventures have also built a strong framework for scaling through the support received during the incubation program.

“It gives NSRCEL-IIMB immense pleasure to have an opportunity to work with Capgemini India CSR again, this time for a larger initiative. We are excited to bring them on board as NSRCEL Impact Orbit’s anchor funding partner to incubate 120 social ventures for the next 3 years and help play a pivotal role in us becoming the largest Social Enterprise incubator in India.”- said Anand Sri Ganesh, COO, NSRCEL

“As a leader in digital transformation, it is our firm belief that technology and innovation can be leveraged to create sustainable solutions and an equitable society for all. Capgemini’s digital Inclusion program relies on two pillars: bridging the digital divide and using technology to ensure social and sustainable development for everyone. Our partnership with IIM-B’s NSRCEL will further enhance this mission by supporting early-stage social ventures to tackle the country’s pressing social problems through scalable and sustainable business models.”, said Anurag Pratap, Vice President & Head of CSR – India, Capgemini.

About NSRCEL

With programs specifically catering to entrepreneurs with profit ventures and social ventures, also student and women entrepreneurs, NSRCEL offers its support to various players of the startup ecosystem.

NSRCEL brings together startups, industry mentors, and eminent academicians from its parent institution Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and researchers who thrive on continuous interaction of theory and practice. For details, visit www.nsrcel.org

Six Social Enterprises Awarded Funding at Singapore International Foundation’s Signature Programme

The winning teams of the Young Social Entrepreneurs Global 2022 programme will receive up to S$20,000 each to help them to grow their businesses.

Six innovative regional businesses, which champion social change, received funding of up to S$20,000 each to help them scale up their businesses.

The winners were selected after 15 teams – comprising 26 changemakers – gathered virtually for Pitching for Change, the finale and closing event of the Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) Global 2022 programme.

YSEGlobal22 - Winning Teams 

The six-month programme seeks to inspire, equip, and enable youth of different nationalities to launch or scale up their social enterprises in Singapore and beyond. Through customised workshops, mentorship, and regional learning opportunities, it aims to nurture a global network of young changemakers with innovative business ideas focused on social good.

The 15 teams were selected from a pool of 46 social enterprises, comprising 93 youths and representing 11 nationalities, who had all taken part in the programme’s workshop in June. These shortlisted teams included youths from China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

At the finale, they presented their business plans and ideas to a panel of judges, comprising industry experts and consultants from the impact investment and social service sectors.

The teams showed the judges how they aimed to make a sustainable impact with their businesses and addressed issues in areas such as mental healthcare, inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and education.

The six winners were chosen based on the impact and scalability of their business ideas, as well as the commitment level of team members. They are (in alphabetical order):

1. Anahat For Change Foundation (India 🇮🇳)
2. Kura Kura (Singapore 🇸🇬)
3. Mengayu (Indonesia🇮🇩) 
4. Ripple Community (Malaysia🇲🇾)
5. Symbionic Tech (India🇮🇳)
6. The Green (Laos 🇱🇦 and South Korea)

Mr Edward Chia, a Member of Parliament in Singapore, and the co-founder of social enterprise Five &2 – a food business which hires the marginalised and provides meals for underprivileged communities – was the guest of honour at the event.

He said: “Social enterprises complement the work of governments and civil society to support vulnerable communities amidst complex challenges. I am thus heartened to learn that many youths today consider social entrepreneurship to be a viable career path. The meaningful participation of young people in this space can be highly transformational and contribute greatly towards sustainable development.”

In the lead-up to Pitching for Change, the young changemakers had taken part in a series of virtual activities, which started in July 2022. The SIF designed the sessions to boost their capability to run a viable business. Topics such as needs assessment, digital marketing, impact measurement and capital raising were covered.

The participants also worked with volunteer mentors to sharpen their business ideas in preparation for the final pitch. The mentors comprised business consultants from McKinsey & Company, Temasek International, Bain & Company and established entrepreneurs and experts from relevant sectors.

The budding social entrepreneurs also networked with peers of different nationalities and made new friends to deepen cross-cultural understanding, as well as forge useful business connections.

Mr Rajan Raju, SIF Special Adviser, Programmes, and Director at Invespar was the event’s Lead Judge. He noted that global challenges had surfaced many societal issues. These had highlighted the valuable role that social enterprises play in the community.

He said: “There is an increasing need for purpose-driven businesses to be able to deliver sustainable impact at scale. The SIF is pleased to support these young changemakers on their social entrepreneurial journey, as they continue to innovate and bring about positive social change within their communities.”

Ms Purvi Tanwani, Director and Co-Founder at Anahat For Change Foundation, said: "YSE Global has been an amazing learning experience. The guidance from my mentors and the workshops will be valuable as we grow our social enterprise effectively and scale our impact to benefit more people in the community.”

Mr Varun Iyer, Head of Operations, at Symbionic Tech, said: “We appreciate this chance to connect with other social entrepreneurs and industry players from other countries. In addition to being able to build an international network, the programme has equipped us with valuable skills and opportunities to create greater social impact and positively impact lives."

Since 2010, YSE Global has nurtured a global alumni network of more than 1,400 changemakers, representing 43 nationalities and 674 social enterprises.

Applications for YSE Global 2023 will start in February 2023. Follow the SIF on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for latest updates on the programme.

YSE Global 2022 winning teams’ profiles

1. Anahat For Change Foundation (India) – Headed by Ms Purvi Tanwani, Anahat For Change Foundation is a non-profit with sustainability at its core. It aims to empower women through skills development and livelihood generation. It works with urban and rural communities to raise awareness on menstrual health and hygiene, sexual reproductive health rights and personal safety education for children. Anahat also produces its own brand of menstrual pads and baby care products under the name 'Anahat Unnati'. These affordable and sustainable products are made by the women Anahat Employs. 
2. Kura Kura (Singapore) – Headed by Mr Arif Woozeer, Kura Kura is a mobile application that gamifies reflective journaling practices, while providing an avenue for users to support one another in their journey towards mental wellness.
3. Mengayu (Indonesia) – Headed by Ms Riza Nisriinaa and Ms Saras Dumasari, Mengayu aims to empower vulnerable women: victims of domestic and dating violence, as well as those who have lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. It provides them with job training and safe working spaces to help them regain their confidence and become financially self-sufficient.
4. Ripple Community (Malaysia) – Headed by Ms Kee Joey, Ripple Community aims to provide affordable and accessible behavioural healthcare to individuals with mental health and special needs. It also aims to raise awareness through community and advocacy work. It provides online and in-person services through a multidisciplinary care team, using intervention methods that are evidence-based and family-focused. It is also developing an app that can provide a holistic support system to its clients.
5. Symbionic Tech (India) – Headed by Mr Varun Iyer S, Symbionic Tech aims to help people with limb differences achieve functional independence and confidence, through high-tech but affordable bionics. It also hopes to make assistive technology more accessible to the general population. 
6. The Green (Laos and South Korea) – Headed by South Korean Mr Jaewon Lee and Laotians Mr Soukthavy Sisouphanh and Mr Bounpaseuth Southammakoth, The Green aims to create stable incomes for small farmers in Laos with easily-accessible, carbon-reducing agricultural technology. This will enable them to produce and sell their own food in an efficient and profitable manner. With 70 per cent of the Lao population engaged in agriculture, such technology can also prevent the livelihood of farmers from taking a hit from the worsening climate crisis.

About the Singapore International Foundation

The Singapore International Foundation makes friends for a better world. We build enduring relationships between Singaporeans and world communities and harness these friendships to enrich lives and effect positive change. Our work is anchored in the belief that cross-cultural interactions provide insights that strengthen understanding. These exchanges inspire action and enable collaborations for good. Our programmes bring people together to share ideas, skills and experiences in areas such as healthcare, education, arts and culture, as well as livelihood and business. We do this because we all can and should do our part to build a better world, one we envision as peaceful, inclusive, and offering opportunities for all. Find out more at www.sif.org.sg

11 Winning Ideas for Social Innovator Fellowship Program Announced by Schaeffler India

11 impactful ideas were shortlisted and awarded for further development and incubation

Creates platform to promote Social Innovation to enable inclusive growth and development

Leading industrial and automotive supplier, Schaeffler India Limited (BSE: 505790, NSE: SCHAEFFLER) today announced 11 winning ideas out of 150 shortlisted entries for its Social Innovator Fellowship Program. At an event held in Pune, 11 ideas were announced as winners, from over 150 entries that were shortlisted after 24 weeks of evaluation and jury process. The Social Innovator Fellowship Program was announced by Schaeffler India in the third quarter of 2021. Applications were invited in areas of education for the underprivileged, health & nutrition, renewable energy & environment, water conservation, and waste management. Schaeffler partnered with Buddy4Study, India's largest scholarship platform that connects scholarship and education loan providers with seekers to facilitate the initiative.

The 1st winning idea received a monetary support of INR 5,00,000 and the remaining 10 winning ideas received INR 1,00,000 each. Further, all the 11 winners will undergo an eight-week hybrid mentorship at CIIE (Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship) IIM Ahmedabad, one of India’s top Business schools to help them further develop and scale their solutions. Additionally, Schaeffler India will collaborate with winners and provide them access to its network to further collaborate and create opportunities.

The jury comprised of Mr Harsha Kadam – Managing Director and CEO, Schaeffler India; Mr Santanu Ghoshal – Vice President HR and Head of Sustainability India and eminent social entrepreneur and Ramon Magsaysay award winner Mr Anshu Gupta – Founder of Goonj.

Schaeffler India is actively pursuing its ESG strategy to drive holistic development and growth. A part of Schaeffler India's social development initiative, the program acts as a catalyst to identify and strengthen the capacity of young innovators who are working to transform the areas of education for the underprivileged, health & nutrition, renewable energy & environment, water conservation, and waste management.

Congratulating the winners, Mr Harsha Kadam said, “Innovation and development leads to growth, but equitable innovation is key to inclusive growth. It is heartening to see so many passionate ideas aided by technology, potentially impacting the social fabric in a positive way. We are seeing technology disruptions all around us promoting growth and holistic development and at Schaeffler India we are conscious of this fact and therefore announced this platform.”

On the announcement, Mr. Santanu Ghoshal said, "We are deeply committed to advancing the prosperity and progress of our communities. The Schaeffler India Social Innovator Fellowship Program aims to harness and support the pioneering spirit of young and passionate innovators across India to bring improvements to social and ecological issues. Our heartiest congratulations to the outstanding group of leaders selected for this fellowship program, who demonstrated a strong commitment to developing transformative solutions to 21st-century problems that result in more resilient systems, communities, and people.”

Mr. Anshu Gupta, Magsaysay awardee Social Entrepreneur and Founder – Goonj, while judging the event commented, “While judging the event commented, “Being a part of this event was an extremely gratifying and enriching experience. I congratulate all the winners who have passionately pursued their ideas and commend the teams of Buddy4Study and Schaeffler India, for creating this platform to bring forward transforming social impact ideas. It is good to see how youth from diversified backgrounds are trying to understand the core of issues and bringing new approaches and solutions.”

Selection Process:

The nomination process for the fellowship began in September last year. Schaeffler India received 557 applications from young innovators across the country. These nominations were subjected to a transparent and rigorous three-step selection process consisting of interviews and presentations to the jury panel and Schaeffler India leaders. In the primary check round, 167 candidates were shortlisted out of 557.

In the first round, the shortlisted candidates were judged on four different parameters i.e., - the age group, the current stage of their social venture, category of the idea and introductory deck/ video pitch. In this round 42 candidates were shortlisted for the 2nd round of selection.

The second round was conducted by trained Schaeffler employees from different locations in India and the candidates were judged on a holistic questionnaire and score card. After the 2nd round, 11 candidates were shortlisted for the third and final round.

In the final round, these 11 candidates presented their solution to an august jury panel, comprising of Schaeffler India leaders and a social entrepreneur. Basis the presentation and subsequent interview, the panel has selected the following winners: (at a felicitation ceremony)

Names of Winners	Name of their solution	Category
Purva Parwani	Claylab Education Foundation	Transforming Education for the underprivileged
Nikky Kumar Jha	Saptkrishi Scientific Private Limited	Renewable Energy and Environment
Swalih C I	Electrical Retrofitting	Renewable Energy and Environment
Shilpa K Nayana	Dime Klear Pvt Ltd	Water Conservation
Himanshu Gupta	Agricultural waste valorization conversion into value added products of industrial application	Waste Management
Aditya Srinivas	Roha Biotech	Waste Management
Deepak Rajmohan	GreenPod Labs	Waste Management
Lakshmanan	Adhesive Non-Surgical Hearing Device	Health & Nutrition
Ardra S Nair	Ecocontainers from recycled coir fiber	Waste Management
Dr. Neha Tuli	6DOF Solutions Pvt. Ltd.	Transforming Education for the underprivileged
Sulem Ansari	Comparison Of Effectiveness Of Moringa Oleifera Leaves Extract Gel (2%) With Retino A (0.1%) Cream For Treatment Of Oral Leukoplakia (precancerous lesion) : Double Blinded Randomized Control Trial	Health & Nutrition

About the winning projects:

Project Name	Synopsis
Agro Waste Valorization into Value added products by Himanshu Gupta	Problem: fruit waste which is underutilized in low value creation Solution: Bio-Active Compounds, Green Bio-polymers and chemicals Banana fruit waste peel dried, milled into powder form using 150 sieve mesh size Extraction of Beta Carotene from Banana waste peel Application as ingredient in cosmetic and animal feed products Impact: It can prevent greenhouse gas emissions and generate employment in rural areas through de-centralized processing units
Impulse - Make hear the un-hear by Lakshmanan	Problem: High risk open skull surgery Hearing implants are inaccessible to a large percentage of population High cost of implantation Recommended before 8 years of age  Solution: Eliminate open skull surgery for children IMPULSE device to stick behind the ear, switch on the device, and hear Impact: The gift of hearing, employment opportunities, innovation from a Tier-2 city, and better quality of life (UN SDGs)
Learn—O—Little by Dr. Neha Tuli	Problem: Traditional learning lacks interaction, engagement, motivation and hinders self-imagination. Solution: Learn -O- Little is a portable and affordable Augmented Reality based hands-on learning kit for kindergarten kids to help them learn basic English language skills (alphabet, word building, etc.).  Learn -O- Little for special kit includes sign language flashcards that would allow special kids to learn from the same kit. Learn ? O ? Little Magic workbook is India?s first AR integrated Workbook in which the child learns unique vocabulary and can visualize the same color animals in front of him/her the way he fills in his coloring book
Saptkrishi by Nikky Kumar Jha	Problem: 40% of horticulture produce around the globe is wasted. Sum loss in agricultural sector due to post-harvest wastage in India alone: 20 bn $/year.  Solution: Sabjikothi/ Preservator Impact:  50% increase in the income of small & marginal farmers Reduction in waste by more than 30% Health benefits - kills deadly  pathogens and makes food  safe Reduces Energy consumption by more than 80%
Claylab Education Foundation by Purva Parwani	Problem: 1 crore students move to Grade 11 every year in India. At least 60% of them would be 1st generation graduates. Lack adequate career awareness and readiness  Solution: Virtual mentorship support. Connecting Working Professionals as Mentors with higher-secondary students from low-income families Impact:  90.6% students feel they have at least 1 person at Claylab who can guide them 78% of students are at a level of 3 in CORE 40% of students are at a level of 4 in CORE
Dime Klear Pvt. Ltd. by Shilpa K Nayana	Problem: Water scarcity is a huge problem for the World. Even if the water is available, there is the issue of contamination. This is particularly severe in certain areas where there is a lack of groundwater, resulting in illness from poor water quality  Solution: An ISRO Supported Project. Purification and Desalination of water using agricultural materials, Coconut shell with high-end technology, Nanotechnology at fraction of the cost. Project SUKHVI: provides clean drinking water to under privileged communities at Rs.  2 for 20 litres by deploying 1000 LPH (litres per hour) community filtration plants.
Moringa Oleifera (Drumstick) Leaves Extract Gel (2%) For The Treatment Of Oral Leukoplakia (Pre-cancerous lesion) by Sulem Ansari	Problem: Currently there is no specific treatment available for the management of oral leukoplakia  Solution:  Moringa oleifera is a tropical shrub native to India, which is also known as the 'drumstick tree?. Moringa oleifera leaves demonstrate potent antioxidant activity. A study on moringa oleifera reported that it provides 7 times more vitamin C than oranges,10 times more vitamin A than carrots.  It is found in various parts of India and  can be grown in any region of India, economical and low maintenance plant. M. oleifera mucoadhesive gel. Impact:  Confidence and sense of empowerment.  Entrepreneurial mindset. Clear vision regarding the venture. Commercialization of the innovation. Scaling of the innovation. Positive impact on society and the economy.
Electrical Retrofitting by Swalith Ibrahim	Problem: Policy to scrap auto-rickshaws older than 15 years. 30% rickshaws will be affected. Majority will be dumped in roadsides or illegal scrap yards, leaching metals & toxins in to ground Solution: Retrofit fossil-fuelled auto-rickshaws to electric vehicle. Reuse 80% of components
Roha369 Biotech by Aditya Srinivas	Problem:  Styrofoam constitutes 1% of the overall plastic industry, it occupies a staggering 30% of volume in landfills 70% of 270 KTPA ends up in landfills after singleuse. Catastrophic damage for Marine& Land life  Solution: Mycelium packaging with following benefits: Agricultural residue-based mycelium bio-composite Water and fire resistant.& Thermal and sound insulator Minimal energy consumption Upcycling of waste Complex, customizable & modular structures
Sustainable packaging solutions by Ardra S Nair	Problem: Around 142 billion units of cosmetic packaging- Global, 2018 Majority comprising of Plastic packaging Only 9% of worlds plastic has been recycled Pollution- Landfills and Oceans  Solution: Eco-containers from recycled coin fibers Impact: With 5 lakh containers in the market, we save 4.35 MT Co2 equivalent
Greenpod Labs by Deepak Rajmohan	Problem: 40% of fruits & vegetables lost $12 Billion economic waste 2.6G Tons of greenhouse gas emission  Solution: Active Packaging ?The product activates the plant?s defense mechanism to slow down the ripening rate and prevent any microbial growth

About HOPE

Schaeffler India as a part of its CSR program has consolidated its activities and focus exclusively on a few core areas which will make a meaningful impact on the community and make a difference. HOPE is Schaeffler India’s umbrella initiative encompassing the values, vision and mission of the organization. Through this initiative Schaeffler India strives to contribute, to the motto \'सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः\' (May everyone be happy). It is derived from the four core areas of focus – Healthcare, Occupational skill, Preservation of national heritage, art & culture and Empowerment of society. Under HOPE, Schaeffler India runs a number of initiatives for the four focus areas.

HOPE is Schaeffler India’s flagship CSR brand that has the following focus areas; Health Care, Occupational Skill for Employability, Preservation of National Heritage Art & Culture and Empowerment of Society. The engineering scholarship initiative is part of the organizations continuous endeavor towards empowerment through education.

Nice Foundation Bags TSS Social Enterprise Award for Saving Lives

The unique initiative “Not Well, Come to School!”it rolled out made its way to the 11th Five Year Plan and was accepted by the ILO countries of the world

Hyderabad, October 07, 2021... NICE Foundation, a two decades old Hyderabad based trust that has been serving society in the areas of Maternal, Newborn & Child care gets global recognition. It has been chosen by just concluded TiE Sustainability Summit, the world's largest summit in sustainable space and bestowed it with the TSS Social Enterprise award for saving lives for so many years.

It has impacted 42,000 Lives through direct primary health care delivery. Around 2,75,000 children have been covered by providing care through Preventive care. The novel initiative “Not Well, Come to School!” it rolled out helped perform more than 120 Cardiac surgeries and around 470 other surgeries.

All that it costs is 50 paisa per day per child to cover from common cold to cardiac surgery says the foundation. This program has made its way to the Eleventh Five Year Plan to be replicated in the country and also been accepted for the ILO countries of the world, informs the Nice Foundation.

NICE Foundation has received Philanthropic support to more than 200 crores to date.

“The mission of the organization is “Saving Lives” and we have been doing so through designing and implementing practical solutions to need-based issues in various regions of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh, informed Dr. Padmanabh Reddy, CEO, Nice Foundation. He further said, “This award is a reward for excellence, which we will cherish”.

Nice Foundation has been shortlisted out of 30,000 social enterprises from about 64 countries registered for the summit.

One of the key focus area is solving a critical social problem – Maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) through an innovative midwife-led program since 2004 in remote, hard to reach terrains to save precious lives of mother/child”, said Dr. Padmanabh Reddy, CEO, Nice Foundation. He further added, “We are delighted to have chosen as the TSS Emerging Social Enterprise of the Year Award. We are both honored and humbled and this recognition will go a long way in motivating our teams at the roots to work harder.

Our interventions have also led to a significant reduction of neonatal deaths to 25%.

Effective Intervention, London has been partnering with NICE Foundation since 2008 and has invested almost 28 crores into Maternal and Newborn projects. They are continuing to support the project with around 20 crores for a similar intervention in other regions of India. This program has the technical support of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London he/she added.

Mr.Suresh Raju, Co-Chair, TiE Sustainability Summit and Vice President, TiE, Hyderabad said, "We congratulate Nice Foundation and look forward to their continued good-work in impacting the society through innovative strategies."

TiE Sustainability Summit to Enable $100 Million Funding for Social Enterprises

Social enterprises are fast emerging as sustainability power engines of world economies. They are driven by vision to improve society. They identify and solve societal problems through innovation and technology. They feed the hungry, resolve injustices, educate the illiterate, reach healthcare in the remotest corners of the world to cure the diseases, and protect the environment. Social enterprises are movers and shakers of the twenty first century — they are action oriented, they helped the needy (be it organizations or individuals). They act locally butimpact globally.

Indian social enterprises have been playing a key role in eliminating societal problems. iKure, an Indian social enterprise delivers primary healthcare, wellness, prevention health services to rural, semi-urban and urban areas and has treated 2.5 million people across 6,400 villages. They reach where no doctor reaches. Similarly, Thaely, founded by Ashay Bhave, 21-year-old former student of Amity University, has been manufacturing shoes from fabric derived from waste plastic bags. Each pair of shoes use a total of 15 plastic bags and 22 bottles that are sourced from scrap processing supermarkets and waste collection zones. Thaely is creating wealth out of waste and solving the societal problem by recycling plastic. Likewise, Dinesh who founded of incrEDIBLE, mass-produces edible from 100 million plastic utensils used every day in U.S.

Social enterprises led by social entrepreneurs are solving the problems faced by living beings on planet earth, however they too are faced with one major challenge – and that’s funding. Though most social entrepreneurs self-fund their enterprises during inception, they experience growth challenges due to limited fund availability. As per industry reports, about 50% of all social enterprises have reported that funding is their number one business challenge, while 31% face challenges inattracting senior,and middle management.

TiE Sustainability Summit plans to solve both the problems. TSS 2021 hosted by TiE Hyderabad is being held between Oct 4-6, 2021, through a virtual platform, will leverage its technology platform to facilitate funding of social enterprises. TiE is confident of funding at least 50 to 100 social enterprises during the summit, where the social entrepreneurs will be making a pitch to about 200 global investors. Through its technology platform TiE is confident of facilitating funding to a tune of $20 million in the short-term and about $100 million in the long term to promising social enterprises with ability to create a deep impact on human society, animals and nature. The invested will be made by social impact investors and large businesses who find a social enterprises with a promise of future growth and profits. TiE will play the role of a facilitator to help the most suitable social enterprises meet their potential funding partners.

Manohar Reddy, TSS Global Chair and President TiE Hyderabad said, “We see social enterprises as the change agents of the world and will play a key role in shaping the future of world economy. At TSS, we have designed a “Match Making’ Technology Platform for potential social impact investors to meet their prospective investees (social enterprises) who have the capability and promise to not only provide high return on investment, but also create a deep social impact.”

This thought was further echoed by Mahavir Sharma, Immediate past Global Chairman of the Board, TiE Global and Co-Founder, Rajasthan Angel, who said, “Social enterprises are the future unicorns of the world. They will be building a trillion dollar economy. At TiE we stay committed to fulfilling the needs of social entrepreneurs who are faced with the challenges of funding, attracting talent – we will be solving both these by partnering with social impact funds and large business to fund them to a tune of $100 million in the long term spread across a few phases based on business viability and ability to create the societal impact and generate high return on investment. Secondly, we will help them find suitable mentors and board members who can act as guiding force by providing strategic inputs, business modelling, go-to-market strategies, connect them with other ecosystem players.”

Search underway for India's Most Innovative Assistive Tech Startups in 2021 with Prosus Social Impact Challenge for Accessibility (SICA)

Award-winning initiative aims to attract applications from startups in every region of India

NEW DELHI, Aug. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This year's search for India's most innovative assistive technology startups is underway with the launch today of Prosus SICA 2021.

Created last year by Prosus - in partnership with Invest India, Social Alpha and the World Health Organization - the initiative invites Indian startups with the most promising solutions in the assistive technology space to compete for an annual grant and access to the Prosus SICA mentorship programme.

With more than 70 million Indians estimated to live with some form of disability* the societal impact of improving lives and empowering people through assistive technology can be immense. Prosus SICA was recognised earlier this month as "CSR Initiative of the Year" by the AssisTech Foundation.

Prosus has committed INR 16,500,000 to the initiative over three years, and each year awards grants to three successful startups. Partners including Invest India and Social Alpha provide additional mentoring and financing opportunities, while WHO supports the programme with technical assistance.

In its inaugural edition in 2020, Prosus SICA received over 200 applications from 25 states and seven union territories across India. The top three startups recognised for their ingenuity and impact across a range of assistive technologies were Sohum Innovation Lab (Bengaluru), NeoMotion (Chennai) and Stamuri (New Delhi).

In addition to the top startups, two other finalists were enrolled into the SICA mentorship programme to benefit from Prosus's experience in supporting entrepreneurs and helping them to succeed: Cogniable (Delhi) and Thinkerbell Solutions (Delhi).

For Prosus SICA 2021, an expert panel of judges will assemble to identify innovative startups with the most potential to positively impact the lives of persons with disabilities. (Information on the 2020 panel here). Eligible startups can submit their applications from now until 19th October. The top startups will be announced in December to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Commenting, Sehraj Singh, India Managing Director, Prosus, said: "Enabling entrepreneurs across the world to improve people's daily lives is our mission at Prosus. Here in India, the needs of 70 million persons living with some form of disability have remained under-served despite a vibrant startup ecosystem. We believe that there can be a thriving market for assistive technologies and last year's excellent response to our inaugural Prosus SICA initiative validated this belief. We are so proud to continue the journey this year and I encourage all entrepreneurs in the assistive technology space to join our mission by entering Prosus SICA 2021."

Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India, said: "The excellence of Indian ingenuity has been at the forefront. The ability of our entrepreneurs to pivot and develop impactful frugal solutions is India's strength. This challenge will lead the way in transforming assistive technologies in the country and propel India to become a world leader in the field."

Chapal Khasnabis, Head (a.i) Access to Assistive Technology and Medical Devices, WHO, Geneva, said "Entrepreneurs across the country are attempting to innovate in a cost-effective and scalable manner to solve for the unique needs and requirements in healthcare aided through assistive technology. Prosus SICA is a unique programme that brings together industry expertise, financing and executional capabilities. We are proud to support the programme to transform India's healthcare landscape aided by Made-In-India assistive technology for her own population and beyond."

Manoj Kumar, Founder and CEO, Social Alpha, said, "Assistive technologies is a 25 billion dollar market globally but affordability and user experience issues hinder the market development in India, despite having a large population that needs access to high quality assistive solutions. Over the last few years, Social Alpha has been actively developing the sector through innovation curation, venture development, and financial innovation to facilitate market access and customer adoption. I am optimistic that Prosus SICA 2021 will unlock more opportunities and resources for innovators and help them go to market as they create world class solutions."

Interested startups can learn more about Prosus SICA 2021 and the application process on https://www.startupindia.gov.in

The top three startups will be awarded grants of:

1. First prize: INR 25 Lakhs
2. Second prize: INR 18 Lakhs
3. Third prize: INR 12 Lakhs

In addition to the grant award, eligible startups receive an opportunity to work with Social Alpha, an incubator that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship across India. As incubation partner, Social Alpha can also provide up to $40,000 in equity to the top startups.

The top five finalists are also inducted into the Prosus SICA mentorship programme where they will benefit from Prosus's experience in supporting entrepreneurs and helping them to succeed.

About Prosus

Prosus is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Operating and investing globally in markets with long-term growth potential, Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities.

The group is focused on building meaningful businesses in the online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech, and education technology sectors in markets including India, Russia, and Brazil. Through its ventures team, Prosus invests in areas including health, logistics, blockchain, and social commerce. Prosus actively seeks new opportunities to partner with exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people's everyday lives. Today, Prosus companies and associates help improve the lives of more than 2 billion users globally.

For more information on Prosus and Prosus SICA visit: https://www.prosus.com/prosus-sica

LinkedIn: ProsusInIndia
Twitter: @Prosus_Ventures
Facebook: ProsusGroup

About Invest India

Invest India, set up in 2009, is a non-profit venture under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

As the national investment promotion and facilitation agency, Invest India focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and development of new partnerships to enable sustainable investments in India. In addition to a core team that focuses on sustainable investments, Invest India also partners with substantial investment promotion agencies and multilateral organisations. Invest India also actively works with several Indian states to build capacity as well as bring in global best practices in investment targeting, promotion and facilitation areas.

LinkedIn: InvestIndia
Twitter: Investindia
Facebook: InvestindiaIPA
Instagram: Investindiaofficial

About Social Alpha

Social Alpha is a multistage innovation curation and venture development platform for science and technology start-ups that address the most critical social, economic and environmental challenges through the power of entrepreneurship and market-creating innovations. Since its inception in 2016, Social Alpha has supported more 150+ start-ups including 50+ seed investments. For more information, please visit www.socialalpha.org.

LinkedIn: Social Alpha
Twitter: @Social AlphaIN
Facebook: @Social AlphaIN
Instagram: socialalpha_in

About World Health Organization

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States across six regions, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Its goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and well-being.

For more information contact:

3EA Co-Funded Humanfirst.help in India to Help the Underprivileged

When the lockdown was announced in the March of 2020, people rushed home from wherever they were and religiously followed the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" directive of Government of India to avoid the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus.

"Almost on a daily basis, I could see news channels talking about the plight of the daily wage workers and their families. Where would they go and how will they feed their families, was something which disturbed me the most," recalls Reyansh, Founder of humanfirst.help, a crowdfunding platform that helps the deprived sections of the society, by providing a common platform to the donors and the seekers.

After months of discussions and collaboration with 3EA Limited, a renowned management consulting organization, Reyansh and the team researched on 

the best ways to reach out to the needy and decided to start a crowd-funding platform. This is how humanfirst. help was born.

"Humanfirst.help has received Series A funding of INR 1.2m from 3EA" - Reyansh, Founder, Human First

Humanfirst.help is a fundraising platform that specializes in small-scale projects made by individuals, groups, or local NGOs, for a personal cause, community initiative, an event, or just anything that needs funding. Humanfirst.help is a keep-it-all crowdfunding platform, which means that donors keep the entire amount, which is collected through the campaign even if the target hasn't been met. Humanfirst.help is free to use, anyone can register and start creating projects in less than 5 minutes. 

"We were also fortunate to raise INR 1.2m Series A funding from 3EA and start our first campaign on distribution of COVID-19 kits to the underprivileged families in Bihar, in October of 2020. These kits, consisting of rice, pulses, wheat flour, oil and masala powders were very helpful to many low income group families in Bihar who were starving after losing their livelihood due to COVID-19," said Reyansh.

When asked why crowdfunding, Reyansh explains, "The idea is to promote charity as a habit. Raising a small amount of money from a larger group and funding a campaign to help the needy is easier than donating the entire amount. There are many people who wish to contribute and help the deprived section of society but reaching out to them is very difficult. This is where internet accessibility came to our rescue and we understood, that reaching out to people through an online platform will be the best thing to do, especially during the pandemic," he says, informing that they were glad to see NRIs coming to the rescue of deprived section of society.

Within four weeks of its launch, the humanfirst.help team has raised over 60 online campaigns in the categories of Disaster Management, Donation to Orphans, Education, Food and Hunger, Child Care Welfare, Health Care and Social Welfare and received donations from over 100 donors that has benefited over 200 families.

With the current world situation, where many people are in dire need of support, humanfirst.help has bridged the gap of barriers so that everyone can help everyone. With humanfirst.help, people can seek help as well as provide support to almost anyone in the world, with a click of a single button.

Humanfirst.help is a global donation-type crowdfunding platform that allows people not only to open projects but also to donate and to share on Social Media Networks to be able to also help. Humanfirst.help hopes to attract more campaigners and donors to create more projects, whether for personal, for the community, or for any cause and realize their vision of a world where Human comes First.

AIC-IIITH Foundation selects 10 Tech-based Social Enterprises focused on Sustainable Development Goals

 Atal Incubation Centre at International Institute of Information Technology (AIC-IIITH) has selected 10 startups for its flagship Akash incubation program for tech-based social enterprises working on Sustainable Development goals.

AIC-IIITH received 100 applications from 17 states, out of which 17 were selected for the final round. The process which began in December 2019 and went through multiple rounds, concluded in an online selection conference consisting of Viveck Verma, Entrepreneur, Strategic Advisor and Investor; Anup Puthan, TechExpert and Investor; Emmanuel V Murray Senior Advisor at Caspian Impact Investment Adviser and Rennis Joseph, Social Entrepreneur and Director at Ignis Career. 

The selected startups will be supported through their entrepreneurial journey by business coaching, bootcamps and workshops on various topics like finance, IP, marketing, etc. mentor and expert chats, peer learning sessions, as well as an opportunity to apply for seed funding.

AIC-IIITH is at present supporting diverse social enterprises from sectors like Edutech, Healthtech, Environment, etc. The 2nd cohort also consists of 10 startups from diverse fields all working to help India achieve SDGs by 2030.

Ramesh Loganathan, Director, AIC-IITH, congratulated the startups and said, “Being part of this incubation program is an excellent platform for social entrepreneurs to get tools to grow and become sustainable and thus multiply their social impact.”

The startups that are part of the 2nd cohort are:

Adva Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd - Fighting water crisis in India through mass action approach using innovative water conservation techniques to make ground water rich and promote people to conserve rainwater.

Transit - HelpTruck drivers facing problems of liquidity for costs like diesel, toll tax and food. Lot of time they get lynched. A lot of time parties don't give payment to the drivers in time. Transit provides them with transit cards, which can help them solve all these problems.

SDG Healthcare Private Limited - Developing an AI/ML based screening solution to prevent anaemia among the majority of the rural population of children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers and males in the health care sector.

KOTUMB Digital Empowerment and Careers Pvt Ltd - A career enhancement, guidance and jobs/ entrepreneurship solution for the educated youth of tier 2 and tier 3 locations via an android mobile app.

Ecowrap - An end-to-end integrated waste management solution for the Hotel, Restaurant and Cafe (HORECA) sector that will address illegal dumping of waste into landfills causing pollution, wastage of precious resources and avoid zero monetization of waste.

Ayata Intelligence Private Limited - Indian Horticulture productivity is 250 % lower than the global average. Addressing it through IoT & AI powered SaralKheti technology, which screens crops with stress management at 3 levels: Soil, Crop and Atmosphere.

Mayukh.ai - Creating loan availability options for those without any formal credit history via KarzSiddhi, an end to end solution to facilitate the loans from NBFCs (primarily) by ratifying the character, commitment and capacity of an individual artisan or semi skilled person like electrician, mechanic, plumber, etc.

Digibeings - Making mental health treatment and diagnosis scalable, affordable and accessible via virtual human AI.

Jivandeep Health Services - India's only end to end solution for organ transplant catering to the needs of patients from the initial diagnosis to rehabilitation and sustainability.

Kaiinos Education Services- Address the challenges in monitoring climate change using satellite data and the availability of public learning material to process and publish satellite data. And developing a participatory eLearning platform for the same.

About AIC-IIITH Foundation:

AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION is an Atal Incubation Center set up exclusively for incubating and supporting tech-based social enterprises. It seeks to deploy entrepreneurial energy and technological innovation for social impact to help India achieve the SDGs. Supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION also seeks to nurture the social enterprise ecosystem by acting as a platform for sharing ideas and insights. With over 10,000 sq. ft space consisting of co-working spaces, conference room, meeting space and other facilities, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION aims to provide collaborative space to entrepreneurs. These benefits are further enhanced by the multiplying effect of agglomeration effects and network effects of being situated in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), IIIT-Hyderabad, which is a cluster of incubation centers, research labs and resources. Website - https://aic.iiit.ac.in/

To Support Social Start-Ups, NSRCEL at IIM-Bangalore partners with Capgemini in India

NSRCEL, the startup hub at IIM Bangalore, has partnered with Capgemini in India to support social impact startups in the country’s growing startup ecosystem. Of the 28 start-ups that made the pitch, four startups have been selected for this program which will commence in the first week of August. 

The selected startups are BLINK Research and Services, ECONUT Coconut Producer Company Ltd., Learning Matters, and PROSOC Innovators Pvt. Ltd. 

“We are delighted to have Capgemini join us in supporting social enterprises, especially during these trying times.  Our partnership is a unique one as this is the first time that we are making a multi-year commitment to our start-ups to help them scale their operations and enhance their impact,”  said Prof. Venkatesh Panchapagesan, Chairperson, NSRCEL.

The selected ventures will receive, from Capgemini, an entrepreneurial grant of 75 lakhs each, across three years, based on their progress and milestone. From NSRCEL at IIMB, they will gain access to domain mentors and networks that will help them scale. The mentors will address specific challenges and provide assistance wherever required.

“As part of Capgemini’s endeavour to ensure that technology and innovation drive sustainable and social development, we aspire to nurture novel ideas and dreams that have the capability to enhance and transform life. It is wonderful to see young change makers developing novel ideas to tackle the country’s social problems with inspiring energy and enthusiasm. I feel fortunate to be a part of this entrepreneurial movement and wish each one of them the very best for an exciting journey of growth and expansion,” said Mr. Anurag Pratap, Head of CSR India, Capgemini.

With programs specifically catering to entrepreneurs with profit ventures and social ventures, student-run ventures and women entrepreneurs, NSRCEL (www.nsrcel.org) offers its support to various players of the start-up ecosystem.

NSRCEL brings together start-ups, industry mentors, eminent academicians from its parent institution Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (www.iimb.ac.in) and researchers, who thrive on continuous interaction of theory and practice.

About CapgeminiCapgemini (www.capgemini.com) is a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology and engineering services. It is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms.

Amazon Web Service (AWS) to Help Startups in Social Sectors

Amazon Web Services (AWS), a division of Amazon, will help start-ups in the social sector like education, healthcare, agriculture, e-governance and MSME by providing them with learning content and promotional credits.

Rahul Sharma, president-public sector (India) of Amazon Internet Services Private Limited, said that the initiative is a part of AWS' global programme which focuses on providing learning content, learning paths as well as promotional credit to start-ups working in these sectors.

He told reporters that Amazon India Internet Services will provide USD one lakh promotional credit to identified start-ups and help them to grow their businesses in the MSME vertical in West Bengal itself.

The programme would also help the start-ups would access to the AWS platform and subsequently connect to the various government departments, he said.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said that this was the result of the MoU signed between WEBEL and Amazon India Internet Services in Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS).

Mitra said that the state government is also leveraging AWS for issuance of birth and death certificates while using block-chain technology for the public distribution system (PDS). Sharma said that the idea is to make an intervention in these social sectors with the help of Amazon technology.

IIIT Hyderabad starts Incubator for Startups using Tech for Social Impact

IIIT Hyderabad, one of a pioneer in creating a strong startup ecosystem in Hyderabad, has added another feather in its cap with a very timely addition to its repertoire of startup support programs. IIIT Hyderabad in partnership with Surge Impact Foundation and support from Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India has established the AIC-IIITH Foundation, a new incubator focused on startups leveraging technology to create social impact.

By virtue of being located within the IIIT-Hyderabad campus, AIC-IIITH is uniquely positioned to leverage the institute's innovation and startup ecosystem. Organized as a set of research centers, IIITH is widely regarded as a leading institution for computer science research in the country. Applied research is a major focus for the institute, with an active initiative around research-led innovation through its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

CIE runs one of the largest academic startup incubation endeavours in India started in 2008 with initial funding from DST and MeitY. In 2018, IIITH started the MedTech BioNest with support from BIRAC. CIE also has a thrust on seeding new startups based on research through the Product Labs of the institute.

Speaking on the AIC-IIITH Incubation Program, Prof P J Narayanan said, "IIITH is happy to partner with Atal Incubation Centre in this program as it is in keeping with the institute's credo of encouraging research and education that makes a difference. Through this program, tech-based social enterprises can make significant impacts for the betterment of society."

AIC-IIITH is inviting applications for the first cohort of its AIC-IIITH Incubation Program aimed at supporting for-profit social enterprises that have developed a prototype of their tech-based product and/or solution. Social enterprises solving social or environmental challenges in India and helping the country move towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can apply to AIC-IIITH's six-month incubation program.

The program will provide selected startups with services like business coaching, networking and mentoring, lab access and investor connects. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend boot camps, including workshops, mentor and expert chats as well as peer learning sessions. Selected start-ups will be given an opportunity to apply for seed funding as well.

Social entrepreneur and CEO of AIC-IIITH Foundation Rajkumar Janagam envisions AIC-IIITH to catalyse SDGs using technology and to become a thought leader in the space of technology for social impact.

Last date for application is 31st July 2019. Startups can apply here: tinyurl.com/y2t4qond

AIC-IIITH Foundation:

AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION is an Atal Incubation Center set up exclusively for incubating and supporting tech-based social enterprises. It seeks to deploy entrepreneurial energy and technological innovation for social impact to help India achieve the SDGs.

Supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION also seeks to nurture the social enterprise ecosystem by acting as a platform for sharing ideas and insights.

With over 10,000 sq. ft space consisting of co-working spaces, conference room, meeting space and other facilities, AIC-IIITH FOUNDATION aims to provide collaborative space to entrepreneurs. These benefits are further enhanced by the multiplying effect of agglomeration effects and network effects of being situated in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), IIIT-Hyderabad, which is a cluster of incubation centers, research labs and resources.

Website - http://aic-iiith.org

Govt's BIRAC with Social Alpha and Mphasis are Looking for Startups in Assistive Technology Sector

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Government of India, along with Social Alpha and Mphasis, announced the launch of the ‘BIRAC-Social Alpha Quest for Assistive Technologies – supported by Mphasis’ today, a search for startups in the Assistive Technology sector to support innovations focussed on enabling and empowering solutions for persons-with-disabilities.

The Quest will identify and select up to 10 innovations that enhance the learning, working and independent living for persons-with-disabilities. These winning innovations will also be provided up to INR 20 lakhs each to facilitate their market access journey, for implementation of work orders.

Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary DBT & Chairperson, BIRAC said, “BIRAC is promoting development of innovative biotech solutions to address unmet needs. A number of initiatives rolled out in last few years have positively impacted the Biotech Startup ecosystem which has now grown to 2500+ across the country. This includes products and technologies focused for persons-with-disabilities. BIRAC - Social alpha launch of “Quest for Assistive Technologies” intends to identify, handhold and deploy Assistive Technology solutions for the deserving ones. This partnership could prove instrumental in building a pipeline of innovative and affordable solutions. I hope that this initiative will encourage national & international stakeholders to join hands in delivering assistive technologies at scale.

Addressing the audience at the launch event, Dr. Mohd. Aslam, MD, BIRAC said, “BIRAC promotes entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs to undertake strategic translational research to develop innovative products and technologies. Technology driven solutions can steer the change for societal well-being and impact billions of lives. I hope that BIRAC-Social alpha Quest for Assistive Technologies would provide a platform for start-ups to leverage this engagement for creating and deploying innovative assistive technologies across the country.

[caption id="attachment_131539" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] (Left to Right) Manoj Kumar, Meenu Bhambhani and Dr Manish Diwan[/caption]

Speaking at the launch event, Manoj Kumar, CEO and Co-founder, Social Alpha, and Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Tata Trusts said, “There is a huge shortage of quality solutions that cater to and empower persons-with-disabilities at a price point they can afford.  Sometimes we come across innovators who have built the right prototypes, but find them struggling with the end user acceptance, design for manufacturing and market access. Affordability and user experience are the key to large scale adoption of such solutions and our program is designed to validate the product-market fit, help with clinical trials where required and bridge the gaps that exist in the distribution and service channels. We have already incubated four innovative companies in this sector—Bionic Yantra, Blee Technologies, Innaumation, and Tactopus, and through this Quest we are deepening our commitment the sector.”

Meenu Bhambhani, Vice President & Head- Corporate Social Responsibility, Mphasis, addressed the event, and said, “At Mphasis we have a strong focus on improving the lives of persons-with-disability. We have partnered with Social Alpha to support the curation, design and implementation of the Quest. This initiative is aimed at introducing game changing innovations to the market; building this cohesive ecosystem with critical organizations will significantly fast-track the lab-to-market journey for innovators. We believe this can really move the needle for disability inclusion in India and through this partnership we are committed to further the cause” Mphasis, through its CSR initiatives, has been doing pioneering and cutting edge work to promote disability inclusion in the mainstream. This partnership with Social Alpha resonates with our focus on providing solutions that enhance equal participation and dignity for people with disabilities in all spheres of life especially through inclusive solutions.

Upon selection, the winners of the Quest will be enrolled into the Accelerator for Inclusive Solutions — a game-changing 3-month accelerator program where they will be given the chance to work with selected implementation agencies within the Social Alpha, BIRAC and Tata Trusts network, interact directly with potential users of their product, and gain exposure to other funders, buyers and CSR initiatives. As a unique feature, these winning start-ups will also be provided up to 20 lakhs each to kick-start their market access journey, for implementation of work orders, and further support for clinical validation and product engineering. In addition, the start-ups will also have the opportunity to work closely with experts on price discovery, cost optimization, market validation, and marketing and sales.

Multiple estimates suggest that there are anywhere between 4 to 8 crore disabled people in India—i.e. one in twelve households has a family member with a disability. Moreover, due to low literacy levels, social stigma and lack of opportunities, people with disabilities remain the most excluded and unidentified members of Indian society. Large number of children with disabilities stay out of school, disabled adults are likely to be unemployed, and families with a disabled member tend to be economically weaker. While there are several players working to improve the situation, currently, there is no concerted industry effort. To address this gap, Social Alpha also announced that it would be launching a unique Open Innovation Platform which will serve three key purposes: first, identification of key problems and the critical areas where technological interventions are necessary, second, collaboration of innovators and entrepreneurs to develop the technology to serve identified problem, and third, facilitation of  market access for these innovations by aggregating end users and inviting funders, eventually reducing the cost to the end consumer.

“We envisage this platform to include organisations working with persons-with-disabilities, experts and thought leaders, start-ups, channel partners, CSRs arms of companies, family offices and foundations that focus on disabilities, as well as Central and State governments. This platform will bring together the innovation and investment ecosystems; map problems with potential solutions and help capital allocation decision of both philanthropic and commercial capital providers” said Manoj Kumar.

Presently, Social Alpha has partnered with several leading organizations working for inclusivity including Enable India, Artilab, Jaipur Foot, Saksham Trust, Xavier’s Resource Center for the Visually Challenged, National Institute of Speech and Hearing, and AssisTech at IIT-Delhi.

The Quest for Assistive Technologies is open for applicants starting today, June 27, 2019 and will be accepting applications till August 15, 2019. For further information visit - www.socialalpha.org/assisistivetech

Spiritual Social Tech Startup Rgyan App Selected at IIT Delhi Start-up Expo

The Rgyan app was recently selected at the IIT Delhi Startup Expo organized by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell of IIT Delhi during its Annual Business and Entrepreneurship Conclave. Its Beta version was showcased and well received by various startups and esteemed VCs including Sangam Ventures, India Accelerator, Lightspeed Ventures, Venture Catalyst, and Kieretsu Forum. The app was appreciated for being an innovative and unique social networking platform.

Rgyan which is a spiritual socio tech startup started in the year end of 2016 with the classification of curated content on Divinity, Daily Horoscope and aggregated News on spiritual and social matters. Slowly it has evolved into a spiritual Social networking platform with the vision of Empowerment of Participation through which users can express and share their thoughts/content (Through Pics, Videos, Text, GIF or in a discussion manner) related to spiritual matters, health tips, motivational Quotes and many more meaningful categories.

Unlike existing social media platforms which produce minimal thoughtful discussing, Rgyan creates a community of intellectuals and motivated individuals seeking truths about life. It is a spiritual social technology startup founded on the belief of empowerment of participation by creating a spiritual social network. It can be compared to a spiritual Instagram with a touch of Quora. Rgyan promotes thoughtful discussions on non-trivial topics necessary to find important truths about life. It expects to do so by facilitating a sharing of thoughts on subjective matters. Amidst social media sites that promote banality and silliness, Rgyan stands out as a platform where serious discussions are heard. It is available on the Android Play Store.



To use Rgyan, users can log in by creating an account using a registered phone number or explore its services as an anonymous user. The app allows users to express and share their thoughts through pictures, videos, text, GIFs, or as real-time discussions. Content shared on Rgyan is centred around spirituality, health and wellness, motivational quotes and various other pertinent topics. The Rgyan app offers the flexibility of a User Generated Content Model (UGC) with that of curated content available on Divinity, Daily Horoscope, and aggregated news on spiritual and social matters. Curated content is also available on the Rgyan web portal.

Speaking about Rgyan’s success at the IIT Delhi Startup Expo Mr. Debjit Patra, Founder and Chairman, Rgyan said “We’re thrilled at how well the Rgyan app was received at the IIT Delhi Startup Expo. The fact that key leaders from leading VCs had nothing but praise about Rgyan’s unique vision to stand out among social networking apps that devote hours on time on banality means we've achieved something groundbreaking. Of course, we intended to create a platform that stood apart from others using maturity of content and meaningful discussion. So, while we're thrilled with the response we received, we're not overwhelmed because we anticipated something like this".

6 Indian & 3 Latin American Social Startups participate in Goa's 3-Day Social Entepreneurship Program

Gray Matters Capital, a US-based impact investor with a gender lens, which focuses on funding education and skilling enterprises in India as well as sector agnostic enterprises whose products and services benefit women and girls globally, will be conducting the first edition of its 3-day leadership development program in Panaji, Goa from 4^th – 6^th March, 2019.

Called ‘Tales, We Win’ (TWW), the program will witness the participation of founders of social sector start-ups from India, Colombia and Mexico as well as a global fellowship program for aspiring social enterprise practitioners.

With storytelling as its guiding theme, the program aims to help entrepreneurs in communicating their organization’s vision and story in ways which are compelling and unique, leading to a broader sphere of influence.

“Social entrepreneurs tend to embark on a steeper entrepreneurial journey. With failure rates being a lot higher, it is leadership displayed by the founding team that determines their future. Storytelling makes all the difference as it would help such entrepreneurs to define the organizational goal, influence every stakeholder – be it their teams to deliver or winning interest from investors to get funded”, said Debleena Majumdar, Director – Research and Growth, Gray Matters Capital and Founder – Kahaniya on the choice of the program adopting a storytelling theme. “Across the 3 days, participants of the program will learn to FIND, LIVE and TELL their stories of enhancing personal leadership and organizational effectiveness.”

Outlining Gray Matters Capital’s rationale behind the initiative, Joe Iarocci, Board Member, Gray Matters Capital, said, “At Gray Matters Capital, we invest in people and their ideas that have the potential to create impact by solving social issues at scale. Through TWW, we wish to answer the question of how we as investors can attract, develop and support the very best of the global social enterprise leaders to deliver the best for their organizations so that they can create impact at scale.”

International executive coaches Patrick Solomon and Priya Ramesh Perumbilavil along with Sujatha Rao, Founder & Director, Viridus Social Impact would join Joe and Debleena as the facilitators of this program at the Goa Marriott in Panaji.

The list of participants of the 2019 edition of Tales, We Win are:

Indian Social Enterprise Leaders

Name	Organization	Success Story
Alok Katiyar	MadGuy Labs	Govt exam app in vernacular
Anusha Bharadwaj	Voice4Girls	Empowering adolescent girls in India
Chitra Ravi	Chrysalis (EZ Vidya)	Developing a child centric education curriculum
Manjeet Singh	Buddy4Study	India’s largest scholarship network
Nikhil Saraf	Stones2Milestones	Creating a Nation of Readers
Soumya Velayudham	Gray Matters India (GMI)	School Assessments

Latin American Social Enterprise Leaders

Name	Organization	Success Story
Ellie Rose	Salus Holding (Mexico)	Disrupting healthcare and elderly care market | Creating jobs for women as nurses
Josele Ordas	Connovo (Mexico)	Replicating successful social businesses to scale their impact
Juan Manuel Lopera	Aulas Amigas | TOMi Digital (Colombia)	Technology for Smart Classrooms

Global Social Accelerator

Name	Organization	Success Story
Sandhya Maliakal	IDEX Accelerator	Hands-on practical work experience in the social sector in India

Social Sector Investor

Name	Organization	Success Story
Aarthi Ramasubramanian	Gray Matters Capital’s edLABS initiative	Backing visionary education and skilling entrepreneurs with innovative funding

The program would end with all participants delivering their leadership stories and how they’d use storytelling to bring about a change in their respective organizations.