JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF) Backs Two Startups Nautical Wings and RawRX

JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF) has announced its strategic investment in two promising startups, RawRX (Blueday Living Private Limited) and Nautical Wings Aerospace, as part of its commitment to fostering entrepreneurial excellence.

RawRX, founded by Rahul Parakh, former Director at TATA 1mg, is a natural self-care brand delivering vegan supplements and topical wellness products. Born out of a personal need for clean and science-backed healthcare solutions, the company is redefining how chronic ailments are managed through food-based, high-absorption formulations like algae-based Omega-3 supplements and magnesium lotions for sleep and muscle recovery.

RawRX has successfully raised funding in its Angel Round, attracting notable investors such as the Baidyanath family, JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF), Amit Mehta, Dr. Varun Gupta, Mohita Mascarenhas, and Jermina Menon. The funds will be utilized to expand RawRX’s product line and team, ensuring greater access to clean and effective wellness solutions.

Nautical Wings Aerospace, a Bengaluru-based startup pioneering electric propulsion technology for the aviation industry, has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-Series A funding round from JIIF. Founded in 2020 by Shiv Varun Singh Rajput, Praveen T, and Vikas Kamath, the company specializes in delivering state-of-the-art, tailored propulsion solutions to OEMs on a global scale.

Its upcoming flagship product, the Integrated Electric Propulsion Unit (iEPU), is a cutting-edge turnkey solution designed to simplify adoption for drone manufacturers and air mobility companies. The iEPU features a plug-and-play design for seamless integration across various aircraft, catering to the specific needs of each client.

With JIIF’s backing, Nautical Wings aims to accelerate the development of its iEPU technology, enhance its R&D capabilities, and scale its reach in the global electric aviation market.

JIIF’s continued support for groundbreaking startups underscores its vision of empowering innovative businesses and fostering sustainable economic growth.

JITO Incubation & Innovation Foundation (JIIF) is a leading investment and incubation platform dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in India. By supporting cutting-edge startups across diverse sectors, JIIF aims to drive sustainable growth, technological advancements, and economic progress.

Health Tech Incubator of $50 Mn corpus launched by Aster DM Healthcare, LSV Capital

Bengaluru-based Aster DM healthcare and investment firm Life Science Vision Capital along with social entrepreneurship promoter firm Social Alpha jointly announced on Friday to have set up the country's first incubator-cum-accelerator to develop health technology start-ups.

The incubator-cum-accelerator, XHealth Innovation Lab, has been set up with an initial corpus of USD 50 million (nearly Rs 380 crore) for which investors have already given commitment for 60 per cent of the funding, according to a source involved in the venture.

Aster DM Healthcare Chief Innovation Officer Satish Prasad Rath said COVID-19 has pushed the healthcare system to look for disruptive solutions be it newer lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, support system for healthcare workers in form of personal protection equipment or remote ICU diagnostics to virtually managing chronic and elderly patients through digital healthcare.

"Combining Aster's network of hospitals and healthcare expertise with Life Science Vision Capital's investment philosophy and industry-leading capabilities, we aspire to accelerate the discovery of new therapies by leveraging deep tech in the field of healthcare. We intend to build these newer solutions that can revitalise the healthcare system in a sustainable way," Rath said.

The newly formulated innovation labs will run its own incubator XHealth Innovation Lab and incubate 10 start-ups in each cohort twice a year and develop both scientific and commercial solutions, the statement said.

"Life science and health tech companies are always looking for a data-driven digital innovation approach to help fuel the creation of accessible healthcare solutions. We look forward to collaborating with Aster DM healthcare and other business partners to help accelerate the cycle of healthcare innovation to populations throughout the world," LSV Capital Partners Managing Partner Shu Joshi said.

Aster and LSV will leverage deep analytics across the new platform to better understand key diseases and extract-related insights.

"The innovation lab will run its own 12-week incubator programme coupled with 2 weeks at Aster's hospitals in Bengaluru with 10 health tech start-ups graduating in January 2021. Applications will open on June 20 for the first cohort starting in October 2020," the statement said. PTI PRS

Indigram Labs Signs MoU with a leading Agribusiness Incubator in Africa

Indigram Labs Foundation (ILF), a technology business incubator and accelerator has signed MOU with EXCEL HORT CONSULT AGRIBUSINESS INCUBATOR [EHCAI], Uganda during the World Incubation Summit, 2019 held at Doha, Qatar. The conference brought together an exclusive group of international incubators and accelerators, multinational corporations, and government innovation agencies seeking innovative ways to collaborate with each other. 

EHCAI, at Uganda, is an organization that provides Business Incubation Management, Agri-business enterprise development and agro industry value chain development services to local, national, regional and international organizations as well as private sector players. It is a 20 years old business Incubator from Africa. 

ILF is tying up with several international accelerators and incubators across the globe, which includes TBIs in Singapore, Australia, Uganda, Israel, Estonia etc. This is first time they have tied up with a Ugandan Organization considering the strategic advantages both the nations can have from each other.

 “The aim of the partnership is at fostering job and employment creation in Africa and India through business incubation and technology exchange. The collaboration will add value and boost growth and development of incubators and accelerators. Excel Hort Consult Agribusiness Incubator limited will tap into rich knowledge and expertise of Labs Indigram foundation to grow its business and support to start ups in Africa,” said Mr. Alex Ariho, Director General, EHCAI, Uganda.

The collaboration between EHCAI and ILF can be leveraged to facilitate international linkage opportunities for innovations and startups in both countries. The partnership will also serve as a platform for cross learning, sharing knowledge, best practices on innovation, and startup ecosystem development between Uganda and India. It will also allow technology-based universities and institutes to undertake collaborative research and development in areas like Agri-Tech, Agriculture, agri-business etc.

“This is an important collaboration between the two incubators as this will help agri-business focused startups in India and Uganda to do and learn international business,” said Dr. Manisha Acharya, CEO, ILF.

Through this MoU, startups of both countries will get to know about the entrepreneurial university model and practices in different sectors like food technology, agriculture, etc. They can also, collaborate to explore new models of innovation by measuring the market potential in terms of desirability, feasibility, viability, and adaptability of the products. Startup interaction festival can be organized to bring together Ugandan startups and Indian startups to meet for discussion and exchange ideas, vision and business acumen with each other to get familiarize with the business environment, products, and services.

The establishment of collaboration will also, pave a way for the new collaboration opportunities with other reputed international organizations working actively in domains like agricultural technology, food technology, artificial intelligence, blockchain programming, etc.

This partnership can serve as a platform to promote, participate and engage diversified stakeholders like expert mentors, institutes/universities/faculties, investors, media etc. Also, various activities can be organized like international programs, business seminars, workshops, exhibitions, networking events, conferences/conclaves/summit, startup idea-exchange festivals, etc. Both the incubators (EHCAI and ILF) can also jointly participate in various events to meet with investors, learn from worldwide successful entrepreneurs, explore market and technology trends etc.

About Indigram Labs Foundation (ILF):

Indigram Labs Foundation is a technology-based incubator founded in 2015 with a vision to promote creativity and innovation in agriculture, renewable energy and rural healthcare industry. Notably, Indigram Labs is one of India’s leading agribusiness incubators based in New Delhi. ILF aims at fostering and nurturing viable business ideas through the process of consulting, mentoring, leveraging technology tie-ups and access to platforms. ILF has been supported by the Department of Science and Technology since September 2016, via the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board, Govt. of India. Indigram as a group has 18 years of diversified & extensive on-ground experience & presence through its multiple entities & agencies.

Govt affiliated Incubators enables 160 Startups and Impact 1.5 Million across Country

In the period between April and September 2019, the three government-affiliated INVENT incubators SIIC-IIT Kanpur, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, and CIIE Initiatives-Start Up Oasis have invested INR 8.5 crore in 31 new social enterprises. Overall, the INVENT program has facilitated INR 34 crore in 139 Indian ventures through its implementing INVENT incubators and 58  of them  have also received follow-on investments  totalling INR 133 crore from leading venture capital organizations.  Some key follow-on investments have been received by promising social enterprises including Dehaat (50 cr from Omnivore, Trifecta Capital and Angels), Nocca Robotics (12.5 cr from IAN Fund & Angels), Medcords (7.5cr from Infoedge, Waterbridge and Angels) and 5C Network (4.5cr from Villgro, Unitus, Axilor & CIIE).

Since inception, the Innovative Ventures and Technologies for Development (INVENT) program has offered funding plus incubation support to 139 social Indian ventures and only incubation support to 21  Indian ventures through INVENT incubators. The program is spearheaded by Villgro as a lead incubator. The INVENT program has been empowering start-ups across sectors such as agriculture & allied, healthcare, livelihood & skill development, education and energy in the 8 low income states of India i.e. Rajasthan, MP, UP, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.

The start-ups empowered by the INVENT incubators, have achieved stellar growth and have created numerous jobs in the low income states of India. Each of the start-up’s supported by the INVENT incubators has created on an average, 12 new jobs. In all, the start-ups have created 1930 direct and 27195 indirect jobs; of which almost 40% jobs were taken up by women employees and around 84 were offered to physically challenged individuals. Collectively, the 160 startups have created an impact in the lives of 1.5 million people across the country. While 124 of the incubatees are first-time entrepreneurs, 68 of these are led by women founders. These numbers are indicative of the multi-faceted impact of the relentless efforts of the INVENT incubators led by Villgro Innovations Foundation.

Mohammad Azhar, Program Leader, INVENT at Villgro said, “Around 5 years ago, small-scale social enterprises operating in industries such as livelihood & skill development or agriculture & allied did not have active investors. After the implementation of INVENT, we have seen a stark growth in the number of investors taking an interest in these sectors. Programs such as INVENT excel at raising venture capital funds, creating jobs in low-income sectors and designing remarkable go-to-market strategies for start-ups in the social sector. The tangible results of INVENT’s outreach further cement this belief.”

Speaking on the impact created, Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, IIT Kanpur, said, “It is heartening to see the ground-breaking impact that INVENT has had on India’s social sector start-ups. IIT Kanpur, as the technological enabler of numerous of these start-ups is proud to witness their exponential growth and success.  We will continue to support social start-ups with best-in-class technology to help them augment their offerings and create a truly best-in-class, tech-enabled value proposition.”

Gaurav Kapoor, Head - Social Entrepreneurship at IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, said, “INVENT's impact on the entrepreneurship landscape within low-income states is truly remarkable. By enabling emerging start-ups across multiple geographies and non-conventional sectors, INVENT is significantly contributing to the growth of India’s vibrant economy. The INVENT program is in-line with the focus areas for IIM Calcutta Innovation Park’s focus areas namely Social Entrepreneurship & Ecosystem Development. The program has contributed significantly towards identifying and handholding early stage startups in their journey to scale"

Chintan Bakshi,  Chief Executive Officer, Startup Oasis said, “We at Start Up Oasis, CIIE believe that social sector start-ups will form the next phase of disruptive start-up growth in the country. Programs such as INVENT would lead to massive paradigm shift, and shall confer not only innovative solutions to socio-economic-environmental problems but also give enough impetus to the economy's growth in general.”

Launched in July 2016, INVENT initiated its ground operations in December 2016 by incubating 4 start-ups. Since then, its reach and impact have both grown immensely. It has played a major role in incubating and empowering 160 start-ups across India's low-income states. Supported by the Technology Development Board (TDB) and the Department for International Development (DFID), the program focuses on building capacity of incubators to drive social enterprises towards sustainability & scale, especially in low-income regions. Currently, 80 industry experts and corporates leaders are providing mentoring and hand holding support to these 160 startups which subsequently provide market connects, follow-on investments and national/international networks for their sustainability.

About INVENT

INVENT is a UK Government supported program and is being implemented by the Technology Development Board, Government of India. Spearheaded by Villgro as the lead incubator/management agency, the program supports 4 other incubators viz., IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, IIT Kanpur, Startup Oasis, and KIIT TBI with the ultimate goal to build the capacity of incubators for creating viable social enterprises (for-profit) and impact investments in the 8 low income states of India. Implemented since December 2016, the program has successfully incubated 160 startups across different sectors like agribusiness, healthcare, education, energy, livelihood & skill development. For more details visit - http://tdb.gov.in/invent-program/

40+ Schools sign MOU for World’s Largest No. of Startup Incubation, Acceleration Centers

The All India Muslim Business Startup Network (AIMBSN), India's only and Tanzeem E Waledain Urdu Madaris (TEWUM), a group of 40 plus schools signed an MOU and launched  'AIMBSN/ TEWUM, the World’s Largest number of Incubation & Acceleration Centers to promote Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Startups and align with the Government of India initiatives of Startup Standup India, Digital India, Skill India, Make In India.

AIMBSN/ TEWUM was officially launched on October 2nd,  2019 by Dr. Tausif Malik founder AIMBSN in presence of TEWUM Board members, Teachers & Altaf Pirjade, Chairman AIMBSN Incubation & Acceleration Centers.



Speaking at the launch Altaf Pirjade, Chairman AIMBSN Incubation & Acceleration Centers said that "Based on the vision of our Government of India initiatives of Startup Standup India, Digital India, Skill India, Make In India, we would want all communities to participate in the Government of India initiatives and increase incomes through entrepreneurship by establishing startups and businesses".

Pirjade concluded by saying 'It's a Historic Moment !!!'

Legendary scholar, author, and community Anis Chishti Saheb said "That when we started TEWUM decades ago, our vision was for the upliftment of the community and country through education. With the launch of AIMBSN/ TEWUM, the World’s Largest number of Incubation & Acceleration Centers this would help in the development of our country in the new economy".

Gani Mujawar TEWUM Board member said: "When we met the Altaf Pirjade, Chairman AIMBSN Incubation & Acceleration Centers & Dr. Tausif Malik founder AIMBSN Ecosystem they briefed us about their program without an iota of doubt, we decided to establish AIMBSN Incubation & Acceleration Centers at TEWUM schools".

Kareem Attar, TEWUM Board member said: "A great initiative to increase entrepreneurship and overall development of our students. We are excited that we are launching AIMBSN/ TEWUM, the World’s Largest number of Incubation & Acceleration Centers".

The AIMBSN/ TEWUM, the World’s Largest number of Incubation & Acceleration Centers is part of the AIMBSN’s vision of establishing Incubators & accelerators at minority Institutions, where the startups, mentors, investors, and community can interact with each other to promote business and startups.

Indian American Chicago based Dr. Tausif Malik founder AIMBSN said that "AIMBSN/ TEWUM, the World’s Largest number of Incubation & Acceleration Centers will inspire a generation of fearless young entrepreneurs who will thrive on innovation and build their ideas for the new and old economy.

Dr. Tausif Malik said that “Launched held in honor to Gandhiji & Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam”.

In collective voice, the TEWUM team said that “We feel with the new initiative of AIMBSN/TEWUM Incubation & Acceleration Centers, our students while studying can participate in India’s Startup revolution by presenting their ideas to Board of Advisors and Experts for review, mentoring and funding. We would be applying for the Government of India promoted Atal Tinkering Labs & Atal Incubation Centers Venture capital”.

AIMBSN/TEWUM Incubation & Acceleration Center would provide services such as 1. Training & Workshops 2. Monthly Networking Events 3. Consultation 4. Incubation 5. Acceleration 6. Networking 7. Co-Working Space.

In February 2019  AIMBSN had launched  AIMBSN/IQRA, India’s 1st Muslim Minority School Incubation & Acceleration Center established in PCMC, Maharastra and the first POC was developed based on the business idea proposed by 12-year student Adam to establish a chain of bike repair stores.

AIMBSN would be shortly established Incubation & Acceleration Centers in other cities across India in association with other educational institutes to promote Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Startups. About All India Muslim Business Startup Network (AIMBSN) All India Muslim Business Startup Network

(AIMBSN) is a very unique business networking event and the objective of the All India Muslim Business Startup Network (AIMBSN)  Conference is to create an entrepreneurial spirit and participation amongst the Indian Muslim community, so they can participate and contribute back to the economic activity of their motherland INDIA.

As India is emerging as the hottest startup destination in the World and Muslim community contribution is minuscule, hence All India Muslim Business Startup Network (AIMBSN) wants to create a platform for the Muslim community and connect them with economic and startup activity.

UAE based Kaydence & Kianna to Launch Virtual Incubation hub for Media Startups

Kaydence Media Ventures, the media arm of the UAE based Kaydence & Kianna is all set to launch its innovative news and virtual incubation hub platform focused on startups - Incubees - in India and Middle East & North Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The ‘Incubees' initiative and a prototype of its platform was recently displayed at the Investor Demo Day held at Forum of Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FIIRE) Hub in Goa this week.

Commenting on the new initiative, Savio Rodrigues, Founder, Kaydence Media Ventures stated, “Our aim is to find an idea, nurture it and give it winds beneath its wing to fly. India, MENA and Asia-Pacific are regions bustling with new ideas, energetic young minds and purpose-driven innovations to make their regions and the world a better place. We need to encourage the process of ideation and give them a platform to shares their ideas, find mentors to help take an idea and build it into an enterprise; find partners and investors that can make the idea into a reality. Incubees - is that angel in the media space that helps the idea find a reality."

In highly competitive and vibrant startup markets in India, MENA and Asia-Pacific, the Incubees team believes its unique focus on individuals, ideas and markets will carve a niche for its platform, “Most news portals in India, MENA and Asia-Pacific tell you stories of startups in the Seed or Growth or Scaling Stage and Maturity, Exist, IPO or M&A Stage but we are focused on the Concept or Idea Stage, Pre-see or Validation Stage and Seed or Early Traction Stage. More importantly the platform has an inbuilt service of a Virtual Incubation Hub to reach out to young minds at their homes and garages where their ideas are germinating,” expressed Rodrigues.

India is currently home to over 14,600 startups, approximately 270 incubation & business acceleration programs according to the Startup India 2018-19 Report

Myrtle Rodrigues, Co-founder, Kaydence Media Ventures, expressed, “We want to focus on those bright minds that don't have the voice and opportunity to take forward their ideas from their homes to the world, connect them to strategic mentors and create an eco-system of ideation and implementation of ideas. In our first phase we are focusing on India and Middle East and in the second phase on the Asia-Pacific markets.”

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

Indian Govt to Set Up 51 Startup Incubators for Information & Communication Tech Sector

To support startups and entrepreneurs working in the information and communications technology (ICT) space, the government of India is planning to set up of 51 new startup incubators across India as part of its Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) 2.0 scheme, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) tweeted on Monday.

51 new state of art incubation centres to be setup pan India under #TIDE 2.0.@_DigitalIndia @stpiindia @startupindia @NICMeity @ICTIPR pic.twitter.com/fVG4oyMWkT

— Ministry of E & IT (@GoI_MeitY) June 17, 2019

"Proposals for incubation centres will be invited from organisations of higher learning and R&D organisations across India- having incubation facilities," the ministry tweeted.

Proposals for incubation centres will be invited from organisations of higher learning and R&D organisations across India- having incubation facilities.@_DigitalIndia @stpiindia @startupindia @NICMeity @ICTIPR pic.twitter.com/Lwh07ogEGi

— Ministry of E & IT (@GoI_MeitY) June 17, 2019

Initially launched in 2008, the TIDE scheme was revised in 2017, hence TIDE 2.0. The scheme aims to assist institutions of higher learning to strengthen their Technology Incubation Centers and enable young entrepreneurs to initiate technology startup companies for commercial exploitation of technologies developed by them.

The selection of upcoming 51 incubators are categorized in to three groups -- Group 1 Centre (G1C), Group 2 Centre (G2C), and Group 3 Centre (G3C).

While G1C would have incubators offering “deep support” to startups including “mentoring, capacity building, investment and post-investment advisory”, G2C incubators would support “aspiring entrepreneurs and students” to launch their startups. G3C incubators would have to promote entrepreneurship in “unexplored regions”, as per its website.

In prerequisite, G1C, G2C and G3C should have 6, 25, and 20 incubations centres respectively in order to qualify. G1C should have 3 years and G2C should have 2 years of experience in offering incubation services along with tie-ups with industry bodies. G3C incubators should have at least an incubator or entrepreneurship cell.

Tide 2.0 would offer financial and technical support to incubators supporting ICT startups that are involving usage of deep technologies including artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, and internet of things in “pre-identified areas of societal relevance,” the ministry said.

More than 270 incubators and accelerators, which are managed by academic bodies, private players, government, and corporate, existed in the country till November last year. Over 70 incubators in India have been given financial support by respective state governments in the past two years, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade had said in last year’s States’ Startup Ranking.

Currently, there are 27 TIDE centres under the TIDE scheme (See List) are being supported at academic institutions across India.

TIDE Incubation Centers provide a gamut of services to new enterprises and facilitate linkages congenial for their survival and growth. The centres network with Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists who provide mentoring and financial support to the startups and enable tenant companies to mature over a period of 2-3 years and ultimately graduate to a commercial place to transact actual business.

Via ~ Financial Express

Kolkata gets it's first Fintech Incubator 'Fincubation' by a group of IIT and IIM Alumni

Kolkata gets it's first Fintech incubator - Fincubation, an initiative by a group of IIT and IIM educated industry experts with over 100 years of cumulative experience in the domain of finance. The fincubated companies will get industry expert's valuable lessons which they have learned the hard way in building their ventures and get access to over 1 million users onboarded by the existing operating products.

The platform will be helping the first-time entrepreneurs in Ideation, Feasibility Testing, Developing and validating business plans, Business and entrepreneurship training, Networking opportunities and Fund raising. Along with mentorship and guidance Fincubation provides the startups with resources, such as, co-working spaces to both locations with powerful computers, latest configurations, High-speed connectivity, 24/7 power backup,IT support team, Spacious work areas, Conference halls and Meeting rooms.

NASSCOM incubated Robo advisory startup Findvise Services Pvt. Ltd. is already getting incubated by Fincubation. Findvise, is a financial planning and investment advisory providing automated financial solutions with data and behavioral analysis through its app. Launched in January 2018, this smart Robo advisory platform aims to mitigate the challenges faced by the medium and lower income group in India that bars them from meeting their financial aspirations. Within a short time span of a year, Findvise is amongst the 4 start-ups from the Eastern part of India, selected for Nasscom’s first accelerator program. Findvise ranked within the top 10 most promising fintech startups by FICCI start-up Launchpad, the American consulate, Sillicon Valley-India, Nasscom and many others. 

Commenting on this initiative Mr. Vivek Bajaj, Managing Director Kredent InfoEdge “We believe that the financial inclusion in our country has just begin and we need more and more tech enabled solution providers to cater to various needs of retail participants. Through this initiative, we are not just helping deserving entrepreneurs to reach to the critical mass but also building an entire ecosystem around our products, which is helping our growing user base to get more value from us. A clear win-win situation for everyone. We are very selective in our selection process and we would like to work with people who share similar passion of simplifying finance for everyone”

The Founders

Vivek Bajaj-Director,Kredent Enterprises: A Chartered Accountant, Company secretary and a Post Graduate in Management from IIM Indore. He is an active financial market participant and speaker in various universities, IITs and IIMs.

Vineet Patawari -Co-founder & CEO, Elearnmarkets & StockEdge: a Chartered Accountant and a Post Graduate In Management from IIM Indore. He is an expert in driving growth strategy and its execution through product innovation, product marketing and brand building.

Vinay Pagaria-Co-Founder,StockEdge & Technology Head, Elearnmarkets: A Chartered Accountant and a qualified System Auditor (DISA) from ICAI by education, but software development runs in his blood. He has over 15 years of experience and is the technology lead for Fincubation

Rajib Ranjan Borah- Co-Founder & Director, Irage Broking Services LLP: A PGDM from IIM Calcutta and leads the proprietary trading business of iRage. He is also an expert in Algorithmic Trading and has been a regular speaker in many international conferences.

Media Startup Incubator MEHUB Kick-starts operations in Mumbai, Collaborates with Venture Catalysts

Mumbai based media startup incubator, MEHUB kick-starts its operations by collaborating with Venture Catalysts, India’s leading early stage Angel Investor network for startups. The collaboration is aimed to bring investment and growth expertise for the potential portfolio companies that the pioneering incubator MEHUB will take under its wings. The deal comes close on the heels of MEHUB setting up its robust infrastructure at the nerve centre of the entertainment industry in Mumbai. As part of this announcement, it is also joining hands with JPIN, which runs a Media & Entertainment Tech Venture Capital Fund and an investment platform in London, UK and is building the largest Euro-Asia investment and growth corridor with Venture Catalysts to help startups grow and scale internationally.

MEHUB is a start-up incubation outfit which will identify and reach out to start ups operating in the space of technology driven Media & Entertainment & Edutech and offer them an environment conducive to growth comprising infrastructure, professional consulting, finance and business opportunities aligned to guaranteed expansion. In the very year of its inception, MEHUB targets to identify and incubate 20 startups within the identified space. Once success stories come to fruition, the company will scale up its operations to take on a fresh batch of start-ups under its wings.

The company boasts of sound infrastructure and forging gainful associations with professionals within the industry and across spectrum which the identified start-ups can leverage to their advantage. The company is also on its way to construct an advisory board with celebrated names from the industry who would add immense value to MEHUB mentored companies. Apart from a direct inroad to Venture Catalyst, MEHUB will also make various funding options available to its roster of companies through the core team’s pre-existing network of long term relationships within the finance sector and investor community.

Talking about the inception, Nidhish Mehrotra, Co-Founder, MEHUB said, “ Media & Entertainment industry in around INR 95 thousand crore & with so many platforms entering into the Indian market like Netflix, Amazon, Jio, Hotstar etc, there will be a level playing field for content creators, producers, & technology driven companies like VFX, Virtual Reality etc. We are poised to witness a content boom, yet there are no players in the market which is ready to cater to this unprecedented surge of demand. We have done a prolonged market research to understand this need gap hence MEHUB is born. The founders come from a diverse background and will be further padded up by an advisory board of stalwarts, so we are well placed to lead the identified star-tups to success”.

Adding to Nidhish’s statement, Varun Mathur, Co-Founder, MEHUB, stated, “While we are experiencing content boom on various platforms there is a dearth of steady supply. This is one industry where entrepreneurship comes very naturally; the nature of the industry is such. I wanted to harness this force and marry it with the market dynamics. MEHUB is a well researched venture where we are committed to not only grow businesses but raise budding entrepreneurs. Talent is a word used to describe the creative workforce in the industry but we at MEHUB believe that the indigenous outfits and entrepreneurs scattered throughout the industry can add immense value and expand the industry at multiple levels.

Nayan Gala - Co-founder JPIN & Managing Partner, Venture Catalysts, London said, “The entertainment industry needs a centralized ecosystem considering the higher number of variables present in it as compared to other segments. Being determined by qualitative variables rather than quantitative ones, entrepreneurs in this category need more mentoring and handholding than others. Through MEHUB’s dedicated efforts and our strong global network, we are ready to facilitate the portfolio companies and high-potential entrepreneurs to make India a desired destination for entertainment focused businesses,

Anuj Golecha - Co-founder, Venture Catalysts said, “India has a thriving entertainment industry and probably the largest consumer market. The steady rise of OTT platforms, web-based content driven by smartphone consumption, falling data costs have come together to make entertainment one of the most lucrative avenues at the moment. Through our infrastructure and MEHUB’s expertise and insights on industry specific operations, the association has set the ball rolling on the holistic enablement of enterprises in these domain,

Apart from providing infrastructure, consulting and funding, MEHUB will lay equal stress on learning and development. It will make relevant workshops available to the roster companies to participate and draw up. The state – of- the-art workshops by stalwarts from the industry puts MEHUB in a frontrunner position within the space as these quality workshops and master classes are designed to resolve business issues and assure growth.

IIT Delhi Invites Applications from Innovators, Startups working in Deep Technology for Incubation Program

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has invited applications from innovators or start-ups working in deep technology domains for admission to Platform for Harnessing Deep technologies (PHD) incubation programme. The institute will support emerging futuristic technologies including connected intelligent systems (CIS), mixed reality, advanced materials, nanorobotics, drugs and vaccines; drug delivery systems) requiring advanced research and development.

Based out of IIT Delhi’s TechnoPark at the Sonipat Campus, the programme provides comprehensive support for converting your idea into a startup, including free incubation and accommodation to the budding entrepreneur as well as funds for the prototype development/proof of concept.

Selected candidates will get support in the form of infrastructure, mentorship and funding. The programme is inclusive and open to qualified people outside of the IIT system as well. Selected candidates will get lodging for two years, funding support up to Rs 50 lakh to develop Proof of Concept (PoC), technical and business support and access to investors and entrepreneurship support programs.

Eligibility

Innovators intending to initiate a startup or any startup company registered in India after April 1, 2016 working in innovators working in deep science and technology domains as evidenced by IPs/ select publications. Desirable education qualification for project leaders is PhD or MD or equivalent but basic education include either having a masters’ degree such as M.Tech/ MBBS/ M.Des/ M.Pharma/ M.Phil with undergraduate training in science and/ engineering or B.Tech/ M.Sc. graduates with minimum three years startup/ R&D experience can also be considered.

The last date to submit the application is April 30, 2019. Detailed guidelines and application forms are available at IIT Delhi Website https://fitt-iitd.in/harnessing-deep-technologies/.\



Director, IIT-Delhi, Ramgopal Rao, said: “It is time to take the innovation ecosystem in the country to the next level and raise the bar for everyone. If you have a great idea in deep tech space, IIT-D will take care of the rest. The PHD Incubator Program provides comprehensive support for converting your idea into a startup, including a fellowship and accommodation to the budding entrepreneur as well as funds for the development of proof of concept."

Source - Indian Express

Gurugram-based UIncept Invites Applications from Entrepreneurs for its Re-Modelled Incubation Program

Gurugram based Incubator, Accelerator, UIncept invites applications for the next cohort (July 2019 - June 2020) of their remodelled Incubation Program for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Having successfully conducted 3 incubation cohorts, previously, UIncept is now inviting applications for the next batch of the 11-month program which starts in July 2019, at their Gurugram campus. UIncept has incubated and invested in 16 startups, and are now all set to have aspiring entrepreneurs to be a part of their remodeled Incubation Program. With this program, budding entrepreneurs learn from faculties from Innovation and Research  Foundations, IITs and IIMs, and get to incubate their startup amidst best-in-class infrastructure. The program now includes an entrepreneurship course to enable incubatees with strong business acumen.

Building your own venture is no simple feat. And the dropping success rate of startup ventures does not paint a very pretty picture. Pick up any startup stat based article online and it’ll tell you 8 out of 10 startups don’t make it past their initial years. It’s most likely because many entrepreneurs fail to invest themselves in learning the fundamentals of running an enterprise. The experts at UIncept factored this in and drafted the program to help budding entrepreneurs get hands-on experience, get the fundamental right, to take on any obstacle they may experience in their startup journey.

What makes the program unparalleled is that it is customized as per the requirements of each business. No two business ideas are identical, neither should their incubation process be. Entrepreneurs will learn from experts from their field, will be facilitated with industry-specific tools and technology to set their business on course.

Founder and Chief Mentor at UIncept, Manish Gupta comes with over 25 years of experience in the education sector. Gathering his thoughts on the Incubation Program, he said, “We have built a conducive space for entrepreneurs that will help them begin their entrepreneurial journey on the right note. It’s critical for entrepreneurs to understand the complete business ecosystem before they jump the bandwagon of the trend of starting up. I firmly believe that the new age entrepreneurs can greatly contribute to the economic and social growth of the country, with the right guidance and support. That’s where UIncept comes in. Be it with the right network of mentors, investors, or partnering with tech support brands, we are pulling every string we can to empower the future change makers with all the critical resources."

About UIncept’s Incubation Program



The 11-month structured program, which will be held at UIncept’s Gurugram campus, is designed to be customized according to each business ideas. The aim of the program is to support entrepreneurs to build their venture from scratch into scalable enterprises, with a working product/service. Mentors from India's most prestegious institutions and B-Schools will head boot camps and sessions to cover all business aspects. The program includes an entrepreneurship course to help incubatees get the fundamentals right - the legal, financial and administrative side of running a business. It is suitable for aspiring entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs who wish to lead new product development in existing companies and scions of business families who want to explore new verticals for their ventures.

Startups supported with tangible facts, figures and research about the feasibility of their business ideas will go ahead with the incubation process by the end of the program.

The program will entail - 

Mentorship: Mentors from  IRF (Innovation & Research Foundation), IIMs (Indian Institute of Management), and IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) will focus on giving entrepreneurs the 360° purview of the business ecosystem. Experience-based training will cover live examples by experts to capacitate budding entrepreneurs to power their business ideas and ensure that they are up for any challenge that comes their way. The program also extends continual support from faculty and resources of JIMS network of institutes and universities.

Networking: Networking is one of the major pillars on which the success of any venture rests. Through this program, participants will get numerous opportunities to talk to investors, potential clients and build a robust network. The program also extends routine investor meetups, CEO lunches, sessions with mentors and internal events to help entrepreneurs strengthen their connections, so when they step into the market, they have their way set to scale up.

Marketing: Through research, guidance, and case studies, the mentors at UIncept will help startups in drafting marketing and communications strategies for their venture, to build an impactful brand, relevant to their target audiences.

Swanky Working Ground: UIncept Gurugram offers a fully serviced workspace that accommodates all the amenities that entrepreneurs may require to function their enterprises effortlessly.

You can apply for the program by clicking here

About UIncept

UINCEPT is the starting ground of ideas and leaders that can transform lives and the world as we know it.

The outset of UINCEPT (formerly UDGAM), in 2015, was based on the vision of creating conducive opportunities for new age entrepreneurs on a mission to shake things up and make an impact. And with time, they are constantly reinventing themselves and growing in all directions to create an all-encompassing ecosystem for future disruptors. They have successfully incubated 16 startups over 3 cohorts and currently have 10 Ed-tech startups on-board for their Acceleration Program.

India's Largest Law Firm Launches 1st Legal Tech Startup Incubator in the Country

Mumbai-headquartered  Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, one of India's largest full-service law firms, has launched first of its kind legal tech startup incubator.

Called as Prarambh, the startup incubator will support new technology-based solutions for the legal industry in such areas as dispute resolution, transactions, law firm operations, legal research, compliance, contract management, access to justice, and legal talent management.

Prarambh Logo

Prarambh will work with young entrepreneurs to come up with new technology-based solutions for the legal industry. This will include areas related to: 

Access to justice dispute resolution transaction efficiencies law firm operations legal research compliance contract management managing legal talent others Prarambh will initially be housed at the New Delhi office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, and later extended to other locations.

The incubator will start out with 3-4 startups, which will be announced the first week of July.

The submission of applications will open from 8^th April and will close on 30^th April. The application link will be available here from 8th April, 2019.

The list of shortlisted startups will be announced on 31^st May 2019. The candidates would be invited for interview and to make a pitch in June 2019, which will be followed by announcement of successful candidates in the 1^st week of July 2019. The successful start ups will move in to the firm’s premises at a suitable date in the next 4 -6 weeks thereafter.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas was founded in May 2015 to continue the legacy of the 100-year old Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co., whose pre-eminence, experience and reputation of almost a century has been unparalleled in the Indian legal fraternity. With a long and illustrious history that began in 1917, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India, with over 700 lawyers, including 120 partners, and offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chennai. 

In 2017, the law firm became the first firm in India to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technology in its day-to-day practice, signing up with Canadian machine learning software provider Kira Systems to process contracts and other legal documents more quickly and accurately.

Source - Business Standard

India to Get 1st Cancer Tech Focused Startup Incubator in Kochi, Kerala

India will get its first cancer technology incubator at the Kerala Technology Innovation Zone in KINFRA Hi-Tech Park, Kochi, to create India-focused innovations and developments in the cancer care sector, reported New India Express.

Floated by Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), the incubator will support in converting research into entrepreneurship in the cancer care sector. The incubator will also get research support from University of Illinois, which have recently signed an MoU with Kerala.

CRCC, which will help the incubator with its clinical expertise, will sign an MoU with KSUM on January 13.

Setup by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the nodal agency of Government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state, the new centre is Called as "Centre for Biomedical Research, Innovation and Commercialization in Cancer" (BRICS).

The incubator will focus on technology innovations in cancer care, frugal innovations that can improve the access of best cancer treatment for the public, sector-specific fintech innovations and converting academic researches to products.

The incubator will have Deep Tech infrastructure, various labs for cancer research including Cytology, and an advanced prototype creation and validation facility.

Each startup selected for the incubation will get a maximum incubation period of three years without extension and it is due to the fact that gestation period in cancer research is relatively higher. However if recommended by an an expert committee then an additional one year will be considered as an extension.

KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath, said in a media statement, "We are providing the basic infrastructure now. We hope that international start-ups and companies will join in future. Developing countries have a bigger cancer challenge because of late detection and financial issues. The solutions created here should increase the productivity of doctors, too,” said KSUM CEO Dr Saji Gopinath.

According to Dr Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Director at CCRC, “Most of the studies are done abroad and purely based on the needs and types of diseases faced by their population. We need a unique platform for ourselves and this would be the first step towards it. The use of imported technology is also the reason why the cost of cancer care treatment goes high. If we can develop our own technology, the expenses will also go down."

"We will be guiding the programme by bringing out the key areas where research and innovation is necessary. Our doctors will help out in their specific field of expertise.", he said.

Industry partnership with private players like Biocon, Siemens Healthineers, NeST Technologies, and IBS are being explored in order to address the issue of marketing channels for the products in future.

India contributes to 7.8% of the global cancer burden and 8.33% of global deaths due to cancer and was reported that the number of new cancer cases in India was 1,219,649 in 2016.

According to the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), for every two women newly diagnosed with breast cancer in India, one woman dies of it.

To recall, it was in year 2016 when two Kerala-based researchers -- Dr. Manzoor Koyakutty and Dr. Shantikumar V. Nair, have had developed a technology alongside a gadget that will detect cancer within 30 minutes. Working at Amrita Center for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, the researchers have even got international patent for same and an allocation of Rs 60 lakh funds from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

India's Largest Technical Varsity APJAKTU (Formerly UPTU) to Setup 150 Startup Incubators

The technical university of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (APJAKTU), formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), will be setting up 150 Incubators to extend technical support and funding to innovative startups by its engineering students.

The university would be setting up 150 incubators to mentor students in the new academic session.

The incubator programme will also be offered to affiliated colleges in the university. APJAKTU is touted as one of the largest technical universities in India with about 800 colleges affiliated to and having around 150,000 students enrolled in its various programmes .

Moreover, under the incubation programme stipend will also be provided to the startups and entrepreneurs selected for the upcoming incubators.

The application window for students to send their ideas to APJAKTU will open January onwards.

The university has also constituted a committee of 25 experts from different fields to shortlist the best entries which will then be incubated by AKTU.

According to Vinay Kumar Pathak, the vice-chancellor of APJAKTU, "The incubators will be set up on the lines of Small Industries Development Bank of India's Innovation and Incubation Centre at IIT-Kanpur. The young innovators will not only get infrastructural support but also a stipend. The support extended to students would include facilities for developing different parts of a machine in workshops, testing of prototypes and assembling parts with available equipment.

To recall, in February this year, the state government had massively hiked the fund allocation for startups in the state from Rs 5 crore to Rs 250 crore, which the state govt will use the startup fund to set up incubators in Lucknow.

Established in 2000, by the government of Uttar Pradesh as Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), the university was officially renamed as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University in the remembrance of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a former President of India.

UP has introduced its Startup Policy in 2016 to encourage establishment of small business and industries by providing sops like interest subsidy and exemption in stamp and electricity duty.

In September last year, the state had announced that capital city Lucknow will get biggest incubator centre that the Indian startup ecosystem has seen till date.

The proposed incubator, which will be up and running in the next 3 years, will be setup in about 40 acres of land near Lucknow Airport, which is on outskirts of the city. The upcoming incubator will comprise data centre, business processes outsourcing (BPO), development centre, training centres etc. [Read More Here].

Source - Times of India |References - Wikipedia

Goa Gets Startup Incubation Centre 'FiiRE' with ₹10 Crore Grant from DST

On Friday, Goa finally got a much needed startup and entrepreneurship incubation centre at Fatorda, Margao region. Named as Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE), the incubation centre was launched at Don Bosco College of Engineering, a Goa University affiliated institute established in 1970.

Established with the support of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India under the National Initiative to Develop and Harness Innovation, FiiRE is dedicated towards helping move the startup process from the garage to the laboratory.

"FiiRE aspires to be the ‘GO TO’ Technology Business Incubator in the country supporting one hundred startups by 2023," says the FiiRE website.

The incubation centre aims to implement a structured incubation process to make the startups invest-able and leverage the strengths of the ecosystem to help startups scale faster.

The incubation centre will get Rs 10 Cr grants from DST and Agriculture Department of Goa state government would provide FiiRE an additional Rs 25 lakh to be used for startup ventures dealing with agriculture.

Besides providing incubation and co-working space to startups and entrepreneurs in the state, FiiRE will also provide access to government funding agencies, Seed fund including access to Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists.

FiiRE is now inviting free pre-incubation offer and interested startup/entrepreneurs can apply here.

Last year in March, the state's chief minister Manohar Parrikar had announced allocation of Rs 15 crore budget for startups in Goa as well as a separate allocation of Rs 50 lakh to encourage incubation centres and entrepreneur development centres in the state.

Later in December of same year, Goa state government had also approved the land transfer of over 12,000 sqm belonging to the directorate of skill development and entrepreneurship for the purpose of creating a startup-related ecosystem in the state.

Source - Goa Chronicle

[Top Image - Weekend Travels]

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

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

5,000 startups from 100+ Incubators

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

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

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

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

Innovation Challenge for Helping Small Businesses

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source - Business Line, Zeebiz

Andhra Pradesh Gets 'Sedibus', A Startup Ecosystem Platform offering Accelerator, Incubator and More

Andhra Pradesh's second most populous city Vijaywada gets the Sedibus, a startup ecosystem platform by Malaxmi Group that offers incubator, accelerator, co-working space and networking platform for promising startups and entrepreneurs. The Seidibus was launched by the state's Information and Technology Minister Nara Lokesh.

Located across 10,000 Sq. Ft. in Malaxmi Hub at Nidamanuru village on the outskirts of Vijayawada, the Sedibus will mentor and handhold startups and young innovators from Amaravati in the initial phases, and will spread out their operations eventually across the state.

The Sedibus Vijayawada will offer incubation, acceleration, cowork space, networking platform, lecture halls, events, offering of support systems etc. Vijayawada is a hotspot for all the startup related events and activities for The Sedibus.

The Sedibus will offer support specially to startups in deep tech sphere, into AI, ML, IoT, Drone technology etc. It was already in Hyderanad in September this year.

The Sedibus is Malaxmi Group's endeavour to build complete startup ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, fostering entrepreneurship, enabling mentor programs and creating sustainable investor networking for the young and innovative entrepreneurs. The Sedibus will have cowork spaces, incubation, maker's space, acceleration and will become a domain of quality networking bringing together innovators and industry leaders.

Post bifurcation, the state government of Andhra Pradesh has been enforcing effective policy making and framework to create a viable ecosystem for the startups in the region.

"There is no dearth of talent and innovation in Andhra Pradesh. What is lacking here is the robust ecosystem to support and grow such ideas and disruptions. The Sedibus is our brainchild to address the gap. Meaning 'catalyst' in Latin, The Sedibus will truly bring the startup entrepreneurs in the region closer to mentors and industry leaders, connecting the dots. We will be working closely with some of the startups in deep tech and automation and hand hold them in terms of mentoring, investment and other possibilities. Focus will also be working on strategic sectors like smart cities, agritech and healthcare" said Harish Chandra Prasad, Founder and Chief Mentor of Malaxmi Group.

"We have conducted elaborate research on the prevailing ecosystem at other places to fully understand what fits while building a similar platform in Andhra Pradesh. In the course of time, we have understood that Andhra Pradesh requires a lot of work from the scratch, enabling ground level engagement in the form of mentor interactions, bootcamps, hackathons and active networking summits. We will be bringing mentors from leading accelerators from across the country to come and conduct their bootcamps and talks here. We have already signed up with startup platforms and accelerators like The Entrepreneur Zone and 50K Ventures to bring their accelerator innovator programs and machine learning bootcamps. More associations are underway to create feasible environment and opportunities for startups within the state" said Deepa Balasubramanian, Chief Executive Officer, The Sedibus.

Source - ANI News

Bengaluru Gets First Incubation Centre for Women Entrepreneurs

Chennai-based shared workspace company for women, WSquare, has established first ever incubation center for women entrepreneurs in India's Silicon Valley Bengaluru, to help young women entrepreneurs network, provide mentorship, help them brand and ideate their startups.

The launch of WSquare was announced at sidelines of 'Digital Influencers Conclave for women' held in Bangalore, where about 100 women participated including Smitha Hemmigae, head of marketing of ThoughtWorks India, BigBasket HR head Hari T.N, Head of JobsforHer Foundation Neeraja Ganesh, Urbanladder's Director of customer experience Nandhini Vishwanath, stand-up comedian Rajesh Hinduja and WomensWeb founder Aparna Vedapuri.

Besides WSquare, Hyderabad'd T-Hub had also launched women-exclusive incubator called 'WE Hub' in March this year on Women's Day.

In December last year, Rajasthan state government had also launched startup incubator for women in the state in addition to special fund announced for women-led startups.

In October last year, Women Bio-tech Incubator was launched in Chennai, which is supported by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Centre's department of biotechnology.

About WSquare, it is itself a women-led facilities startup founded, by Vandhana Ramanathan and Jinal Patel in 2017, in order to provides a Working Desk for Women who are looking for an alternative to work from home or to just work independently.

[caption id="attachment_127061" align="aligncenter" width="750"] WSquare Co-working Centre in [/caption]

In March 2017, the duo bootstrapped and launched Wsquare, a women-only co-working space in Chennai that helps entrepreneurs and professionals focus on their work without having to worry too much about office-related or domestic chores.

It is one of a kind shared workspace ecosystem for women entrepreneurs that offers affordable yet professional and women friendly workspace. It also facilitate women consultants, budding architects, lawyers, chartered accountants, fashion designers, musicians and freelancers.

WSquare has its shared workspace center in Chennai and now in Bengaluru. It also plans to launch in Mumbai and Hyderabad soon. The price ranges from Rs. 500 to Rs. 12,000 for daily, monthly and flexi pass based to rental models.

[Top Featured Image - WSquare co-founder | Cedits - thenewsminute.com]

Bengaluru Gets First Incubation Centre for Women Entrepreneurs

Chennai-based shared workspace company for women, WSquare, has established first ever incubation center for women entrepreneurs in India's Silicon Valley Bengaluru, to help young women entrepreneurs network, provide mentorship, help them brand and ideate their startups.

The launch of WSquare was announced at sidelines of 'Digital Influencers Conclave for women' held in Bangalore, where about 100 women participated including Smitha Hemmigae, head of marketing of ThoughtWorks India, BigBasket HR head Hari T.N, Head of JobsforHer Foundation Neeraja Ganesh, Urbanladder's Director of customer experience Nandhini Vishwanath, stand-up comedian Rajesh Hinduja and WomensWeb founder Aparna Vedapuri.

Besides WSquare, Hyderabad'd T-Hub had also launched women-exclusive incubator called 'WE Hub' in March this year on Women's Day.

In December last year, Rajasthan state government had also launched startup incubator for women in the state in addition to special fund announced for women-led startups.

In October last year, Women Bio-tech Incubator was launched in Chennai, which is supported by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Centre's department of biotechnology.

About WSquare, it is itself a women-led facilities startup founded, by Vandhana Ramanathan and Jinal Patel in 2017, in order to provides a Working Desk for Women who are looking for an alternative to work from home or to just work independently.

[caption id="attachment_127061" align="aligncenter" width="750"] WSquare Co-working Centre in [/caption]

In March 2017, the duo bootstrapped and launched Wsquare, a women-only co-working space in Chennai that helps entrepreneurs and professionals focus on their work without having to worry too much about office-related or domestic chores.

It is one of a kind shared workspace ecosystem for women entrepreneurs that offers affordable yet professional and women friendly workspace. It also facilitate women consultants, budding architects, lawyers, chartered accountants, fashion designers, musicians and freelancers.

WSquare has its shared workspace center in Chennai and now in Bengaluru. It also plans to launch in Mumbai and Hyderabad soon. The price ranges from Rs. 500 to Rs. 12,000 for daily, monthly and flexi pass based to rental models.

[Top Featured Image - WSquare co-founder | Cedits - thenewsminute.com]