As many as 13 start-ups from NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore’s centre for entrepreneurship and innovation, have been declared winners at Elevate Karnataka, an initiative by Startup Karnataka. This initiative is to identify 100 innovative start-ups in Karnataka, who would be given government support by means of funding and mentoring to scale up their product or solution so that they can elevate to the next level.
A total of 22 finalists were from NSRCEL’s various programmes, of which 13 were declared winners.
Winners
1. Venture name: GoKarma Tech Solutions LLP
Founder: Nishchay Chaturvedi
Chaturvedi says: “SmartPuja is an online digital platform providing sacred, hassle-free puja services. Our one-stop solution encompasses every aspect of Hindu religious ceremonies, providing the best puja experience with verified and experienced pandits and purohits . Be it for your home or office, one can book a pandit or purohit in Bengaluru at the click of a button.”
2. Venture name: Verb
Founder: Bharath and Ilan
Founder says: “Envisions that dance and the art of movement can be made possible with technology.”
3. Venture name: GoGaga Matchmaking Pvt Ltd
Founder: Neha Kanodia
Kanodia says: “GoGaga is a relationship app that provides a digital solution to the traditional fix-ups/matchmaking. A person asking friends to connect/introduce them to their friends has been, and continues to be, the go-to channel for youngsters to widen their network. At GoGaga, the users make their friends their matchmakers, adding a fun digital twist; making singles as well as committed ones stakeholders in relationships. A friend vouching for a connection ensures 100 per cent trust, which is crucial in this day and age. In addition, the crucial problem of churn for dating apps is kept under check, with seekers becoming connectors post a successful match.”
4. Venture name: Dabble Playart Pvt Ltd
Founder: Karen Saldanha
Saldanha says: “The idea of Dabble was born when, as two young mothers, we couldn’t find safe art materials for our toddlers while as trained art therapists we knew the importance of introducing art to children as early as 18 months. After extensive market research and product experiments we decided to incorporate Dabble Playart. We make playtime fun for children by creating products that are inspired by art and colour by using natural ingredients that are safe for children and hence not a source of anxiety for caregivers.”
5. Venture name: Ntalents
Founder: Deepika
Deepika says: “Ntalents is automating candidate screening by providing data-backed insights to companies using AI.”
6. Venture name: Pixart Technologies (P) Ltd
Founder: Vinuth HS
Vinuth says: “Unplug Stories is a platform that provides personalised books unique and special to every child, portraying him/her as the main character. To cater to this need, we have developed an augmented learning platform which creates personalised books based on inputs from customers. Further, parents, educators, and authors can use our vast library to generate unique content easily. We use natural language processing to recommend expressions, poses, and backgrounds to create content.”
7. Venture name: DTi Labz Private Limited
Founder: Aashish US
Aashish says: “At DTi Labz, we are driven by the vision to make inimitable technological products that can serve society and lead to a better living. With our pioneer product Dream Kit, we have designed and developed an educational kit for kids of age 10 and more, with which they can bring their dream ideas to reality. We are developing Dream Kit to give its user the finest experience of creating and inventing. With Dream Kit, anyone from age 10 to 100 can make something as simple as a glowing LED light to something useful, like a pet feeder. With Dream Kit we wish to see many dreams turning to reality and moulding many innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs for tomorrow.”
8. Venture name: Wings for talent
Founder: Sivakumar
Sivakumar says: “Wings For Talent strives to establish a simplified and efficient hiring process by providing an AI-powered interview platform and revolutionising the age-old interview methodology. A tailored technical question bank based on a company’s needs, and personalised interviews by experts are our USPs.”
9. Venture name: Neshaju Envirotech Pvt Ltd
Founder: Ganesh Chari
Chari describes the USP of his venture as: “Identifying and harnessing on-the-ground-mines, not in the form of e-waste but product/materials for systematic utilisation using sustainable material recovery with zero land-fill.”
10. Venture name: Quaadbotics Pvt Ltd
Founder: Dinesh N Ramu
Ramu says: “We are bringing out Shudhi — a waste segregator. Using image processing, artificial intelligence and robotics, we are able to segregate the waste into different categories. We are implementing Shudhi in electronic city township authority solid waste segregation unit.”
11. Venture name: Truce Consulting Services Pvt Ltd
Founder: Anand Kutre
Kutre says: “We are focused on designing and manufacturing innovative products that help the differently-abled to solve mobility challenges. We have recently launched TurnPlus, an assistive mechanism for the front car seat. It will help the differently-abled, old people and people with medical conditions get in and out of a car easily. It is helpful for transferring from a wheelchair to a car.”
12. Venture name: Tactopus Learning Solution Pvt Ltd
Founder: Chandni Rajendran and Saloni Mehta
Founders say: “Our business seeks to address the lack of inclusive learning resources for children with visual impairment. We design tangible books with textured and tactile image representation, that can be read by the sense of touch. The books are supplemented by a mobile application that makes them interactive using advanced image processing and augmented reality technologies.”
13. Venture name: Prayasta 3D Inventions Pvt Ltd
Founder: Shilpi Sen
Sen says: “One in every 22 women in India is diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Prayasta 3D , a 3D printing research and development firm, is developing silicone-based personalised breast prostheses which are uniquely customised to every patient.”