A startup Intech Harness will provide pump controller for farmers facing erratic power and water conditions
Atal Incubation Center-International Institute of Information Technology (AIC-IIITH) has launched Raftaar – a COVID Support Acceleration programme in collaboration with EPAM. The Raftaar programme is a part of EPAM’s CSR effort to make a sustainable social impact and will support four for-profit social enterprises with a bridge grant of up to Rs 3 lakhs and other non-financial support.
The selected startups are:
- Jivoule Biofuels: A tech-enabled supply chain for collection of used cooking oil and convert it into biodiesel to be blended with regular diesel to reduce carbon emissions and utilise biodiesel without any alterations of current automobiles. This will solve environmental and health concerns.
- Intech Harness: A patented, IoT-enabled farmer obedient pump controller for farmers facing erratic power and water conditions to automate farm irrigation with an ability to respond to power and water disruption without human intervention.
- Tekra Solutions (myUDAAN): myUDAAN provides Mobility Assistance for persons with a disability and the elderly, including accessibility information and mobility assistant service on-demand to aid them to venture out freely with freedom.
- ClimateX: An integrated decision support platform (SaaS) that provides urban climate intelligence to the property, construction, financial, insurance and government sectors.
These and other similar startups using technology to improve access and impact in areas like healthcare, agriculture, environment and circular economy can help move the needle on India’s efforts towards the UN sustainable development goals. The programme helps them overcome the disruption caused by COVID-19 on their business operations and help amplify their impact and/or make them sustainable.
“We value knowledge sharing and education so much within EPAM and are proud to sponsor a variety of technology-related initiatives that act as a driving force for good, especially social impact-focused startups that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic,” said Shamilka Samarasinha, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, EPAM.
“The recipients of the Raftaar COVID Support Accelerator program are making impressive strides towards sustainability. The programme is just another way we continue to support our global and local communities.”
The key programme highlights include:
Milestone-based Bridge grant support up to INR 3 Lakh per startup
Bootcamps/workshops on various topics
Masterclasses and mentorship provided by expert
Refining business model and support scaling for impact
Access to CIE Startup services
IIIT-H’s technology expertise, lab facilities, and talent pool
Prof Ramesh Loganathan, Director, AIC-IIITH said, “COVID has disrupted the entire society and support for Social Startups is an essential tool to build back better. This is a timely programme that has been designed in keeping with the institute’s credo of encouraging research and education that makes a difference.”
