Astrophel’s Cryogenic Pump Hits ISRO Test Bench—Paving the Way for India’s First Private Gas Generator Cycle

• Astrophel Aerospace has successfully developed an indigenous cryo-pump capable of spinning at 25,000 RPM, to power its next-gen rocket engines.
• It awaits testing and certification by ISRO, marking a significant technical milestone in propulsion technology.
• The next stage of development will focus on upgrading it to a turbopump for integration into its in-house first and second stage engines by late 2026.
• Referred to as the “heart of a rocket engine”, it requires more than 50 precision-engineered components.

Suyash Bafna, Cofounder, Astrophel Aerospace, holding the cryo-pump for testing

Astrophel Aerospace, a Pune-based spacetech startup, is currently testing and characterising its indigenously developed cryogenic pump at ISRO facilities. Once successfully validated, the cryo-pump will be upgraded into a fully-fledged turbopump for integration into the startup's rocket engine, the Astra C1, by late 2026. The technical milestone positions Astrophel as one of the first private Indian space startups to develop an in-house cryo-pump.

Astrophel is also in the process of signing an MoU with a US-based partner and is actively exploring additional global collaborations, for export commercialisation at the sub-component level to service rising demand in the global space sector and industries such as oil and gas, which handle cryogenic fuels. Unlike other technical approaches, a turbopump draws power directly from the engine itself, eliminating the need for external batteries, making it a more sustainable long-term solution for space engine reusability and cost-efficient launches across all segments.

“This milestone is a testament to how India can indigenously develop advanced propulsion technologies at a fraction of global costs,” said Suyash Bafna, Co-Founder of Astrophel Aerospace. “ISRO’s certification will validate not just our pump, but India’s ability to innovate world-class space hardware with global export opportunities”, he added.

What began as fifty-plus separate, precisely engineered components comes together into a cryo-pump system that spins at 25,000 RPM, delivering cryogenic fuel that will power both Astrophel’s first and second-stage rocket engines. For context, at least 8-9 turbopumps are required just during the first-stage liftoff of an SSLV.

The announcement comes as India sets its sight on growing the space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033, capturing 8% of the global market. With more than 250 startups entering the sector, propulsion milestones like Astrophel’s cryo-pump are vital to achieving this vision. “This milestone represents the culmination of years of frugal engineering and is a stepping stone toward India’s first privately developed gas generator cycle,” added Immanuel Louis, Co-Founder, Astrophel Aerospace.

Though the size of a one-litre bottle, the cryo-pump is powerful enough to generate 100 to 150 horsepower, equivalent to that of a family car, which will be scaled up to deliver 500 to 600 horsepower (turbopump) for larger launch vehicles. Acting as the “heart of the rocket,” a turbopump feeds cryogenic fuel into the engine at high pressure, ensuring efficient thrust control and lower material costs. Astrophel’s approach differs from other startups pursuing 3D-printed, electric pumps. Adopting lean manufacturing principles from the auto sector ensures cost efficiency, rapid assembly, and scalable production.

About Astrophel Aerospace

Astrophel Aerospace is an Indian space tech startup developing affordable, dedicated launch vehicles for small satellites, powered by semi-cryogenic propulsion systems. Its flagship Astra C1 series and Potentia engine position it among the few Indian private companies to have independently built and successfully test-fired a semi-cryogenic engine on 15th August 2023, without any external funding. By combining best practices from automotive manufacturing with 3D printing, Astrophel reduces production time and cost by up to 40%, making it potentially one of the most accessible launch providers in the segment.

The company has developed in-house capabilities across throttleable engine valves, regenerative nozzle design, cryogenic subsystems, and real-time avionics software. Astrophel is planning full orbital missions from Indian launchpads utilising reusable launchers to capitalise on the potential of India's space industry, projected to reach USD 44 billion by 2033. It is supported by a distinguished advisory board of propulsion experts with experience working at ISRO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and DRDO. Together, they bring technical oversight and strategic depth to Astrophel’s mission to democratise space access.

About Suyash Bafna

Suyash Bafna is the Co-Founder of Astrophel Aerospace, playing a key role in systems integration, operations, and strategic execution. With a background in mechanical engineering, Suyash bridges the gap between propulsion, avionics, and structural design, ensuring that Astrophel’s launch systems are optimised for performance and reliability. He has been instrumental in coordinating subsystem development for the Astra C1 vehicle and managing timelines for the company’s upcoming suborbital launch. His focus on mission-readiness, testing protocols, and cross-functional collaboration has helped streamline development despite limited resources.

At Astrophel, Suyash also oversees external partnerships and vendor alignments, working to reduce costs while maintaining technical integrity. Passionate about building indigenous space capabilities, he is committed to enabling affordable access to space for small satellite operators. His systems-driven leadership contributes significantly to Astrophel’s goal of becoming India’s most cost-effective and agile launch provider.

About Immanuel Louis

Immanuel Louis is the Co-Founder of Astrophel Aerospace. An aerospace engineer by training and a lifelong aviation enthusiast, Immanuel holds a master’s degree from MIT Chennai. His journey began with building remote-control aircraft as a child and evolved into co-building one of India’s most affordable semi-cryogenic rocket engines. At Astrophel, he spearheads propulsion system design, engineering integration, and business strategy. He is committed to building India’s next-gen launch infrastructure and fostering a new wave of aerospace talent. His passion lies in combining indigenous innovation with global best practices to position Astrophel as an upcoming leader in the small satellite launch segment.

About MD Taj Baba, Founding Member & Head of Aero Thermal Engineering

MD Taj Baba is a founding member of Astrophel Aerospace and currently leads aero-thermal engineering initiatives with a dedicated focus on liquid propulsion and rocket nozzle systems. With a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering from AeSI, New Delhi, and a Master’s in Thermal Engineering from Osmania University, Taj brings crucial expertise in thermodynamic analysis, engine heat transfer, and high-performance thermal system design. While instrumental in shaping Astrophel’s early vision and direction as a Co-Founder, Taj is now transitioning away from operational leadership to focus full-time on technical development within the propulsion team.

At Astrophel, he has played a pivotal role in the design and validation of critical cryogenic engine components, control valves, and regenerative cooling systems. An Associate Member of the Aeronautical Society of India and a mentor to aspiring aerospace engineers, Taj remains deeply committed to advancing indigenous semi-cryogenic propulsion technologies and scaling India’s capabilities in the global space sector.

IIT Kanpur-Incubated Noccarc Gets ₹3.94 Cr in TDB-DST Funding for Commercialization of Digitally-enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilator

Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body established by Government of India, has entered into an agreement with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) , Kanpur incubated startup — Noccarc — which is dedicated to the commercialization of Digitally Enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilators.

TBD has pledged support of ₹3.94 Crores out of the total project cost of ₹7.89 Crores to Pune-based Noccarc for its indigenously developed technology innovation.

Incubated at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of the IIT-Kanpur, Noccarc has indigenously developed the entire technology, with several patents filed for each component, of the ventilator. The company's entry-level ventilator, V310, played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, being deployed in diverse hospitals across India, where it became instrumental in saving lives.

Noccarc V730i

Building on this success, Noccarc is now launching the Noccarc V730i, which is a smart ventilator. V730i allows seamless connectivity to the cloud via GSM, Wi-Fi, and LAN, allowing doctors and intensive care specialists to remotely monitor the patient data on Noccarc’s digital platform, and will also enable hospitals to digitize their ICU data and workflows.

This initiative is aligned with the Government's push towards creating a self-reliant India in the medical devices sector.

Founded in 2017, by IIT Kanpur graduates – Harshit Rathore and Nikhil Kurele, Noccarc (Formerly Nocca Robotics) is a medical device start-up company at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Its smart medical devices are just the beginning of our mission to transform the healthcare industry through technology.

In September 2019, Noccarc had raised INR 12.4 crore from IAN Fund and Indian Angel Network.

Speaking on this occasion, the Founders of Noccarc, Nikhil Kurele, and Harshit Rathore, expressed that the support and assistance from TDB would propel the company in its quest for technological indigenization across India's healthcare sector. They emphasized that Noccarc's endeavours would contribute significantly to the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government, setting a precedent for innovation and self-reliance in the field of medical technology.

Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB said that, “Noccarc's innovations in advanced medical technology are a testament to India's capabilities in developing advanced solutions that cater to the needs of domestic healthcare facilities. M/s Noccarc focuses on commercializing Digitally Enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilators, which are expected to revolutionize the critical care industry. The company's manufacturing site in Pune is a symbol of the realization of digitally-enabled healthcare devices made in India, which have immense potential in export markets too.”

Notably, more than 85% of medical devices in India are imported, the push towards indigenously developed products is thus become more critical. The Government of India, under its "Make in India" initiative and a renewed focus on digitization across all sectors, including healthcare, is driving a robust ecosystem for homegrown Innovations like that of Noccarc. 

Pune-based Vinsys Completes the Pre-IPO Round at ~Rs. 200 Crore Valuation

• Singapore-based NAV Capital Emerging Star Fund and Swiss-based xMultiplied participate in the Pune-headquartered IT services and software services company funding round
• Other marquee investors include Nova Global Opportunities Fund, Aegis Investment Fund and Sambhavnath Investments, among others
• In its 25th year of operations, Vinsys has emerged as India’s second-largest corporate training firm and the market leader in Dubai
• Recently appointed Beeline Capital Advisors as Merchant Bankers for its planned IPO

Vinsys, a global IT and software services and software company headquartered in Pune, successfully closed its pre-IPO round. Marquee investors are led by overseas funds, including NAV Capital Emerging Star Fund and xMultiplied, and domestic players, such as Nova Global Opportunities Fund, Aegis Investment Fund and Sambhavnath Investments. Earlier this month, the company firmed its plans to list on the SME exchange and appointed Beeline Capital Advisors as Merchant Bankers.

NAV Capital Emerging Star Fund (NAVESF), category I Singapore-based FPI, focussed on the SME sector in India. Highlighting his investment rationale for Vinsys, Vineet Arora, Managing Director, NAV Capital Limited, said, “Trained workforce continues to be in demand the world over, and unlike the past, the focus remains on upskilling and updation for corporates and governments alike. Vinsys is attractively poised to tap this global opportunity with its vast array of Training and Certification programs, an unparalleled library of Digital Learning, diversified services, and a celebrated legacy of 25 years in the industry. Backed by strong Management and Promoters, we believe Vinsys is an Indian Multinational in the making with offices spread across the globe. Being an early-stage investor in such quality Indian companies aspiring to dominate the global stage, we at NAV Capital are driven to create a substantial capital appreciation for our investors.” NAV Capital Dubai is Investment Advisor to NAVESF.

xMultiplied is a Swiss-based private investment holding company founded by Nikhil Chawla and Vivek Chandaria, which co-invests with some of the leading family groups in the world from industrial, technology, luxury and entertainment. Commenting on the investment, Nikhil Chawla, Co-founder, xMultiplied, said, “India has evolved from being a back-office to the world to the development centre in the past decade. This transformation has opened a huge untapped potential for corporate training, upskilling, certification and education. What sets Vinsys apart is its diverse business model. The company has also built a successful software development vertical, offering customised solutions to governments and corporates. We at xMultiplied are excited about the opportunity where Vinsys can capitalise on AI-based digitalisation of Indian private and state- owned enterprises. The global expansion agenda of Vinsys is a massive opportunity, and we are thrilled to participate in its story of creating value in the future. At xMultiplied, we take great pride in backing industry-leading management teams with a proven track record of delivery. Our investment in Vinsys' story extends this sustained belief.”

Vikrant Patil established Vinsys as a specialised training centre catering to a select group of IT clients. Over time, it evolved into India's second-largest corporate training firm. Vinsys takes pride in its team of over 800 professionals who hold certifications from major tech companies and institutions, including IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Autodesk, and Cisco. The company offers tailor-made courses for critical sectors such as BFSI, Telecom, and Government departments, where IT and process training are crucial. Leveraging its proven success over two decades and strong relationships with clients and vendors, Vinsys operates in eight countries: the UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Kenya, the UK, and the US.

With a track record of training over 1 million professionals worldwide, Vinsys is now focused on doubling its growth through acquisitions, specifically targeting corporate training and digital learning platforms. The company actively seeks inorganic growth opportunities to expand its presence in new markets, including the US and UK, while solidifying its position in the Middle East. As part of its expansion plans, Vinsys aims to open a new corporate office and training centre in Saudi Arabia by the end of the second quarter. For the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023, Vinsys achieved a revenue of Rs. 157.30 crore and a net profit of Rs. 16.02 crore.

CSIR-NCL's Biotech Spinoff Serigen Working on Tissue Regeneration Raises INR 5.8 Cr from BioAngels, Colossa Ventures and other

Serigen Mediproducts is an innovative medical products company developing nextgen tissue repair solutions. The startup will utilize the funding for development of its product portfolio, team expansion and for strengthening its intellectual property portfolio.

Investors like, BioAngelsa unique partnership between IAN and BIRAC, And Colossa Ventures LLP bring domain expertise and to help the power of India’s women economy

Serigen Mediproducts, an innovative medical products company with a pioneering portfolio of silk protein-based products, has successfully raised INR 5.8 crore funding in a seed funding round from BioAngels (powered by IAN and BIRAC) and Colossa Ventures. The lead investors from BioAngels powered by IAN include Uday Chatterjee, Sri Prakash, Rishabh Mehta, Umakant Panwar and Anirudh Agarwal. The round also witnessed participation from other prominent angel investors and experienced entrepreneurs including Aadesh Harale, Anand Deshpande, Sanjay Dalmia, Shantanu Deshpande and Priti Rao.

The company will utilize the investment for business growth and rapid scaling of its manufacturing and sales verticals. Serigen Mediproducts further intends to use the investment for team expansion and strengthening its intellectual property portfolio.

Serigen Mediproducts uses a natural biomaterial, silk, to develop path-breaking tissue regeneration products. This platform technology is protected via patents and the startup leverages it to develop products for orthopedics, breast cancer and advanced wound care.

Founded by a team of seasoned biomedical technology developers and experienced scientists, Serigen Mediproducts is the world’s first company to do a clinical trial using silk for bone repair. It is ISO 13485 certified and has also secured all regulatory (CDSCO) approvals for manufacturing and sales of its advanced wound care product – Seriderm, which has demonstrated excellent clinical outcomes in diabetic foot ulcers.

Speaking on the same, Dr. Manish Diwan, BIRAC, said, “The sole mission of BioAngels is to connect angels, early-stage VCs and HNIs with biotech and healthcare companies for funding and value-added business mentoring. With its patented innovation, great team and exceptional products, the company is on the path of rapid growth and development. We extend our best wishes to the team and are looking forward to supporting them in all ways possible.”

The lead investors, BioAngels powered by IAN further added, “We are delighted to work with Serigen, an innovative biotech startup doing path breaking work, in the area of tissue regeneration using natural silk proteins. Serigen being a woman led company is a matter of both joy and pride to us. We believe Serigen represents a new trend in biotech innovation in India, and we are happy to be a part of their journey.”

Ms. Ashu Suyash, Founder and CEO, Colossa Ventures and ex-MD of CRISIL said, “The astute team of Serigen Mediproducts has created an outstanding nextgen tissue regeneration platform technology powered by silk. This platform is versatile and has the potential to be deployed across several medical fields. We are confident the company will deliver excellent clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in the coming times. We look forward to supporting their development and being a part of their growth journey.”

Dr. Anuya Nisal, Founder and CEO, Serigen Mediproducts, said, “At Serigen Mediproducts, we envision growing into a global medical products company in the times to come. We are grateful to BioAngels, Colossa Ventures and other key angel investors, who trusted us and partnered with us. With the investment received in this round, we look forward to scaling our business, expanding our team, strengthening our intellectual property portfolio and focusing on product development.”

The Indian medtech industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 37% from 2020 to 2025 to touch $50 billion within the forecast period. The sector is still in its nascent stages but is expected to grow significantly in the future because of the rising aging population, government’s support, increasing health insurance penetration and growing medical tourism. Serigen Mediproducts intends to bridge the gaps existing in the market and reduce the market’s dependence on foreign companies. The company envisions becoming a global player in the coming times.

About Serigen

Serigen was established in 2015 with a mission to develop innovative, high-quality tissue repair products. It is a spin-off company of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, India’s premier materials and chemicals research institute.

Serigen is led by a stellar team of founders (Anuya Nisal, Premnath Venugopalan and Swati Shukla) with academic backgrounds from premier materials research institutes like Indian Institute of Technology - Powai, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and University of Delaware, USA. The team has a proven track record of development of biomaterials for medical devices, that have been commercial successes and have been implanted in more than ten million patients globally.

Serigen was incubated at Venture Center, Pune, India’s largest science and technology business incubator. Serigen technology has been veted by national experts and Serigen is the recipient of prestigious and competitive government grants from BIRAC. Serigen and the founders have been recognized by several national/international awards including National award in “Polymers in Public Healthcare Category” from Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI, National Winner Empower TiE Women Global competition 2021, Indian National Academy of Engineering – Young Entrepreneur Award 2020 and Leaders in Innovation Fellowship from Royal Academy of Engineering, UK.

BioAngels is India’s first sector focused Angel Investor group and perhaps the world’s first angel group in partnership with a government body. It is a unique partnership between BIRAC, an enterprise of the Department of Biotechnology, and IAN, India’s single largest horizontal platform for seed / early-stage investing, focused on Biotech, Medtech, Healthtech, Pharma, Agritech, Cleantech startups. BioAngels brings the first external cheque from Industry leaders and domain experts with cheque sizes of up to INR 10 Cr. BioAngels brings Money, Mentoring, and Global Market Access. It provides Angel Investors, Family Offices, Micro VCs, Corporates and Early-Stage VC Funds, an opportunity to invest in high quality fast growth companies for Alpha returns. 

Colossa Ventures LLP is an investments ecosystem aimed at unleashing the power of India’s women economy one venture at a time. Using the power of 3 Cs – capital, capability and confidence, Colossa will look to invest in ‘women-first’ businesses that are disrupting the status quo and shaping the future. Colossa’s vision is to create a 10x difference by investing in the growth stage of purpose led, high quality, fast growing, innovative, women-centric businesses, while creating long term value for investors and building an equally powered sustainable world.

Pune Based EV Startup Weber Drivetrain Partners with China-based Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology

Under this TT Partnership, Weber Drivetrain has committed to the complete MAKE IN INDIA manufacturing of Controller and BMS for electric two-wheeler vehicles

Weber Drivetrain, a technology-driven EV startup for sustainability has announced a strategic Technology Transfer (TT) partnership with China-based Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology. Under this collaboration, Weber Drivetrain has committed to the complete MAKE IN INDIA manufacturing of Controller and BMS for electric two-wheeler vehicles.

Wuxi Lingbo has granted Weber Drivetrain two innovative patent technologies along with all design, Architecture, Layout , Hardware designs and software, ushering in a new phase of development in the Indian EV market. The EV startup is all geared up to market its set of products by January 2023.

Weber Drivetrain Pvt. Ltd. is a technology-driven organization in the Design, Development, Testing, Validation and Manufacturing of electric motors and controllers for electric vehicles.

On this partnership Prashant Shete, Founder and MD, Weber Drivetrain affirmed, “Amid a sustained government push and increased acceptability of electric vehicles (EV), we at Weber Drivetrain are extremely thrilled to have joined hands with Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology. As there is significant pent-up customer demand for us to fulfil, the technology transfer will be valuable for the advancement and upgradation of Controller and BMS for electric vehicles. We also believe that this strategic investment will further deepen our partnership with Wuxi Lingbo in advancing innovation in the electric two-wheelers segment in India.”

“Over the past few years, as demand for new electric two-wheelers vehicles in the Indian market has grown, we have witnessed a rapid expansion of automakers entering the EV space. We are pleased to partner with Weber Drivetrain as this tie-up will empower Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology to capitalise on the right opportunity on the business front in India. Besides that, we pledge our full support to Weber Drivetrain on all fronts as they proceed to revolutionize the EV market in India” said company officials, Wuxi Lingbo .

Established in March 2016, Wuxi Lingbo Electronic Technology Co., Ltd is a high-tech company that focuses on the overall solution of the electric control system in the field of electric vehicles. The Wuxi China-based company is a leading technology enterprise in the fields of brushless DC motor (BLDCM), permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) controller (PDU), lithium battery management system (BMS), and vehicle control unit (VCU). Additionally, the Chinese company has an annual output of 1.5 million sets of various controllers and 700,000 sets of BMS.

Last month, Weber Drivetrain marked its first step into the Indian EV market with the launch of its state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility based in Chakan MIDC, Pune, Maharashtra. Through a combination of in-house and collaborative R&D, Weber Drivetrain committed a total investment of 35 crores in Phase 1 for the establishment of a manufacturing unit under the “MAKE IN INDIA” initiative for the future of E-Mobility. The manufacturing plant will incorporate major automation integration, including the latest semi-robotics and cutting-edge manufacturing machinery, to produce 100% Made in India BLDC HUB Motors and Controllers for Electric Vehicles in accordance with Indian market regulatory standards.

About Weber Drivetrain

Weber Drivetrain is the Technology Driven Organization in the Design , Development, Testing , Validation and Manufacturing of Electric Motor and Controller for EV. Weber Drivetrain having a wide range of products available from 0.25 kW to 4 kW capacity and can serve E-bicycles, E-Scooters and E-Motorcycles. Through a combination of inhouse and collaborative R&D, Weber has established a completely indigenous drivetrain Manufacturing under “MAKE IN INDIA” initiative for Future of E-Mobility.

The state of Art automated manufacturing facility is based in Pune, Maharashtra with having massive experience and expertise in Vehicle Design and Development, also provides end to end vehicle integration solution to the Vehicle Manufacturing OEM’

Wipro Acquires Pune-based IIOT Startup Linecraft.AI

Wipro Group company – Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN), has announced the signing of the agreement for the acquisition of Pune-based startup Linecraft.AI, an AI-enabled Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) product startup of the manufacturing sector.

Deal value of the acquisition has not been disclosed. Prateek Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, said that this acquisition will help us expand our digital capabilities.

In a Linkedin post, Wipro said, "We are happy to share that Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN), Automation Business, Wipro PARI has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Linecraft Al, an Al-Enabled Industry 4.0 company."

Interestingly, Wipro PARI was also a startup founded by one of the Co-founders of Linecraft.AI, and was acquired by Wipro last year (discussed later in this article).

Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN), a business of Wipro Enterprises (P) Limited, set up its automation business in 2018 as a solutions provider for Industrial Automation.

"This acquisition is in line with our vision at Wipro Infrastructure Engineering to bring in the latest cutting-edge technologies to our customers in their journey from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0."

"This will further help us expand our digital capabilities and offer turnkey automation solutions with a bolt-on digital layer that provides deep insights and analytics, optimizing productivity using Al, and ML, thereby significantly enhancing our customer value Proposition," said the company's LinkedIn post.

Linecraft AI's software product suite provides artificial intelligence-enabled Industrial IoT solutions.

Wipro said in a media statement that the Linecraft.AI has the expertise of the automation sector, the strength of Artificial Intelligence ( AI) and Machine Learning ( ML), From which manufacturers can get more production and have better quality operations in real time.

Linecraft.Al is a seed funded Industrial loT product startup started by serial entrepreneurs — Ranjit Date, Mangesh Kale and Saya Date— in the manufacturing sector with 30+ years of experience in the domain. The startup's unique technology collects and analyzes large amounts of data from industrial machines and recommends ways to optimize efficiency using artificial intelligence and domain expertise.

Ranjit Date earlier founded robotics startup called Precision Automation & Robotics India Private Limited (PARI), which was acquired in 2021 by Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN), a business of Wipro Enterprises (P) Limited. Post acquisition the startup become Wipro PARI.

Wipro PARI is now amongst the largest global automation companies with a strength of 1200+ employees and 3 facilities worldwide, with its headquarters in Pune, India.

Saya Date is an ex-Googler and a graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The mission of Linecraft.AI is to help manufacturers squeeze out more productivity from their production lines. It identify opportunities, which are hidden from the human eye, using its one of a kind algorithm.

Pune-based EV Tech Startup Weber Drivetrain Launches State-of-the-Art Automated Manufacturing Facility for BLDC Hub Motor and Controller

WDPL Manufacturing Unit

Weber Drivetrain is Co-founded by Mr Prashant shete and Mr Sachin Jain. Mr Prashant Shete, is a veteran in the automobile Industry with 24 years of experience and 5 years in setting up the greenfield projects in the electric vehicle segment

The brand has committed a total investment of 35 crores in Phase 1 for the establishment of a manufacturing unit for 100% Made in India BLDC HUB Motors and Controllers for Electric Vehicles with a high-end configurated, fully automatic Production Line.

Weber Drivetrain, a technology-driven EV startup for sustainability has announced official launch with its state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility based in Chakan MIDC, Pune, Maharashtra. Weber Drivetrain is Co-founded by Mr Prashant shete and Mr Sachin Jain. Mr. Prashant Shete is an automobile industry veteran with a stellar track record of 24 years and 5 years in the electric vehicle segment. Being an experienced professional, Prashant has accomplished a total of six greenfield electric vehicle projects.

Through a combination of in-house and collaborative R&D, Weber Drivetrain has committed a total investment of 35 crores in Phase 1 for the establishment of a manufacturing unit under the “MAKE IN INDIA” initiative for the future of E-Mobility. The manufacturing plant will incorporate major automation integration, including the latest semi-robotics and cutting-edge manufacturing machinery, to produce 100% Made in India BLDC HUB Motors and Controllers for Electric Vehicles in accordance with Indian market regulatory standards.

WDPL Motor

The manufacturing facility, under the initiative of Atmnirbhar Bharat, is all geared up to provide a wide range of products ranging in capacity from 0.25 kW to 4 kW and capable of serving multiple segments such as E-bicycles, E-Scooters, and E-Motorcycles. The Weber Drivetrain team, led by Prashant Shete, has extensive experience and expertise in EV parts and production and will also facilitate end-to-end vehicle integration solutions to vehicle manufacturing OEMs. Weber Drivetrain is expected to launch its product offering and solutions by December 2022.

“We are extremely proud and excited to mark our first steps into the Indian EV market. As minimizing barriers to electric vehicle adoption is critical to meeting India’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals, Weber Drivetrain is poised to offer a widespread, realistic solution to mass EV adoption in the country. Our mission is not only to have a strong influence on the EV industry but to also support and encourage every positive EV growth initiative in India and beyond. Additionally, given the unemployment problem, the manufacturing unit will also contribute to the creation of jobs opportunity in the state.” Said, Prashant Shete, founder and MD, Weber Drivetrain.

Weber Drivetrain Pvt. Ltd. is a technology-driven organization in the Design, Development, Testing, Validation and Manufacturing of electric motors and controllers for electric vehicles. Moreover, the company has a strategic partnership for Design and Development for BLDC Motors with Shinwin Motors, a leading Chinese electric vehicle motor manufacturer with a yearly output of 10 million motors and a turnover of 600 million USD. Under their joint initiative, BLDC motors and controllers will be designed and developed to address the specific requirements of the Indian market.

Virtual Reality Makes Inroads in to Rural Maharashtra; Immersive Media Startup Tellme Awarded in Shining Maharashtra Exhibition

Immersive media like virtual reality are making inroads into a number of businesses, ranging from education and entertainment to aviation and tourism.

This component of the ‘MetaVerse’ is spreading not just in urban India but rural areas. Thanks to the efforts made by India Tourism Mumbai and the content and technology powered by the start-up TellMe, visitors at the recent Shining Maharashtra Exhibition held at Phaltan had a memorable encounter with VR: Meta Quest.

The showcase of VR in tourism and culture provided a unique opportunity to visitors of all ages. From youth to seniors, stunning views of exotic places like Dal Lake in Srinagar, Gateway of India, and Malshej Ghat near Pune were experienced.

On popular demand, particularly from women and seniors, an immersive darshan of Shree Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur and several other temples was also given.

Audiences of all ages responded with a lot of enthusiasm to the footage seen and described their experience as one of actually being there – but virtually. Students, in particular, were enthusiastic at seeing more and were also inquisitive to know if their education curriculum can be shown in VR.

The exhibition by TellMe served as good validation of these concepts in the Metaverse. In response to the positive feedback from the exhibition visitors, the organisers of Shining Maharashtra 2022, the Swaraj Foundation, Phaltan, felicitated TellMe and Indiatourism with the ‘Best Interactive Stall Award’.

“We are working on creating high quality and immersive digital content of points of interests pan-India. We use all modes of photography- 360 degree panoramas, videos, aerial shoots using drones, and high quality 2D videos,” explained Srinivasa Rao, Director and Promoter of TellMe. The Pune-based startup is working on cutting edge technologies in the field of digital content and geospatial data.

"The response and excitement generated in all demographic groups has motivated us to accelerate our plans. We will also cater to the educational content segment which is much in demand to make subjects like history and geography more interesting,” he added.

TellMe being awarded in Shining Maharashtra

This media technology can also cater to the needs of those who are seniors or differently abled. “We took our VR headsets to old-age homes and were pleasantly surprised to see the eagerness and appreciation of the content,” Srinivasa observes.

“The emotions expressed while they were viewing the content was unbelievable. A senior citizen actually folded her hand with reverence while viewing Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur in the aarti video played on VR,” he added.

Srinivasa thanked India Tourism Mumbai for taking the initiative of exhibiting VR in all the road shows and exhibitions.

Do You Believe That You Too Can Start a Modern-Era Digital Transformation Business from Just INR 4000?

On January 11, 2018, out of the blue, a Pune-based digital transformation agency, Pharoscion, got a call from Noble Park, Australia. The call came from the owner of an e-commerce portal, seeking assistance for his online business. The agency accepted the offer without hesitation and, with the assistance of a web developer, delivered the solution flawlessly. As we all know, if you complete a project neatly and long before the deadline, it creates a necessary buzz, leading to more and more projects in the pipeline from different clients. 

And, that’s exactly how Pharosion Global became a modern era digital transformation agency with a global presence—a bootstrapped agency profitably running the business. Without taking any funding from any investor, the agency has been able to make its footmarks in Australia, Nepal, India, the UK, and the USA and is now trying to embark on its journey in other countries as well.

Pharoscion Global is a modern-era cloud and analytics-based digital transformation agency that focuses on the modern-era needs of businesses and startups. With a team comprising minds from IITs, IIMs and other experienced scholars, Pharoscion is your partner in areas (not limited to) like Cloud-based IT Products and Services, Digital Marketing, Branding, Data Analytics, SEO/SEM, as well as in Creative and Ads. Since January 2018, the agency has been following the "4Cs" strategy: curiosity, curation, commercial, and commencement, which has helped ventures achieve 10x growth. Just like any other business enthusiast, Pharoscion’s too is passionate about changing the world for the better.

Just the way Pharos, "The Lighthouse of Alexandria City," was built to help guide ships into port and Julius Caesar, in his Civil Wars (Part III, 111-112), describes the strategic importance as, "Now because of the narrowness of the strait, there can be no access by ship to the harbour without the consent of those who hold the Pharos." Likewise, in the 21st century, every Pharoscion has pledged to help businesses globally.

This journey has started with just INR 4000. Yes, that is the exact amount the agency spent on its very first project, bestowed by the Australian company – Everstore Australia Pty Ltd. This success is the result of the combined efforts of every Pharoscion. After helping Everstore Australia with its other portals (evertyres.com.au, Everstore.com.au, Everracer.com.au), one of its Pharoscion co-founded The Pizza Central, a franchised based pizzeria chain. Pharoscion Global provides services in the areas of Digital Marketing, Branding, Software for Cafe Management, Business Development and Sales, Content and Copywriting, Website and App Development for The Pizza Central. When the winning streak continued for The Pizza Central, the agency expanded its business deliverables to the next level by launching multiple cloud-based apps like Food Khazaana, King Mechanic, Pharo Assist, Pharo Bill, Branding and Digital Marketing, and tech products like ERP and CRM Solutions for big companies, which are running in multiple countries successfully.

With a vision of being the Pharos of the 21st century for to-be and existing brands, Pharoscion Global also geared up to team up with various prestigious institutes of India like IIMs and IITs with its flagship internship program, "Get Hands Dirty."

Agencies Its mission of helping startups and businesses like the sun by day and fire by night makes it drive its sensible approach towards social responsibilities. By collaborating with Dadheech International Trade Foundation, Brahmani Welfare Foundation, Sounds of Nidra, and many schools, it is doing its part in uplifting society and humanity.

Every Pharoscion believes what Bertrand Russell says.

Do not fear being eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

With a hybrid work culture since inception, and keeping the above quote in mind, the agency is helping as many ideas as possible to become successful start-ups and businesses with its state-of-the-art solutions in areas like cloud computing, data analytics, software and web development, marketing, branding, and artist management. In this pursuit of excellence, it has also collaborated with its global partners – NxtGen, HostingRaja, and 3dotcommunication – and firmly believes in making Pharoscion Global a brand that people around the world trust.

Every Pharoscion on the team is a proud supporter of the Union Government of India's # MakeInIndia, # VocalForLocal, and # StartUpIndia initiatives.

India’s 1st Tech Redevelopment Platform DreamsRedeveloped Raises Pre-Seed Funding Led By India Accelerator

Company to use funds to develop AI enabled Platform for Redevelopment ecosystem and expansion

Pune based Dreamsredeveloped, India’s first Tech Redevelopment platform has raised an undisclosed amount Pre-seed round led by Indian Accelerator to build their AI enabled Platform which connects the entire Redevelopment ecosystem and expansion.

A brainchild of CA S Lakshminarayanan who went through the Redevelopment process for his building understood the nuances of Redevelopment and built a platform from scratch to help Senior Citizens to navigate through this lengthy and complex process of Redevelopment. He also has created some parameters which can microfit clusters in the Cities and has received rave reviews from Citizens and Media alike.

Commenting on the deal, CA S Lakshminarayanan, Founder, said, “Having gone through the nitty-gritties of Redevelopment we are focussed on building a platform which provides a hassle-free experience to the senior citizens in their whole Redevelopment process, provides a good discovery and transparent platform for the Developers and also provides a gamut of services for the service providers like Architects, Lawyers, Liaisoning, Mediation, etc. Dreamsredeveloped has been well-received by the market and has been growing at a rapid pace in a niche market. We conducted India’s First Redevelopment Expo in December and the enthusiasm in which Property Owners and Developers participated provided us a good impetus and validated the whole Platform approach.”

CA Harish Menon, Co-founder, said “I am glad we utilised the opportunity and created a platform which is well-liked by Senior Citizens and youngsters alike in the Redevelopment ecosystem” 

Mona Singh, Co- founder, Indian Accelerator, said, "We believe in the Platform approach in an uncharted area like Redevelopment which would be a huge untapped market in bigger cities. Also having interacted with the Founders, we believe their hands-on knowledge will come in handy towards building a nationwide platform for Redevelopment."

Pune Startup Indic Inspirations Signs MoU with ISRO as Registered Merchandiser

Image - Indic Inspiration

Indic Inspirations India Pvt. Ltd. a Pune-based Culture Startup announced the signing of a MOU with ISRO, India’s premier space agency. The company creates and markets Indic Object based souvenirs, gifts and merchandise that celebrate India’s Traditions, Heritage, Culture & Achievements. ISRO rolled out its Registered Merchandiser Program for ISRO-Themed Merchandise recently.

Rolled out as a part of the missions of its Capacity Development Program Office (CBPO), ISRO envisages this as a program that will spread the stories of its past, present and future missions. ISRO aims to create an ecosystem for a sustained outreach programme which will enable students and the public to know more about ISRO’s programmes and encourage them to develop interest and knowledge about India’s Space Program. ISRO encourages institutions which are involved in STEM activities for reaching out to students at large. The Merchandising program is a big part of this outreach program.

India’s citizens will now have access to authorised merchandise of elements of ISRO’s missions and work – from Scale Models, TShirts, Mugs, Space related education Games, Science Toys and more. The whole nation has proudly watched many of ISRO’s missions live on TV and will now have the chance to own authentic merchandise and create their own proud associations with ISRO! It extends the activities of ISRO’s museums around the country and conveys information about its activities to India’s citizens.

Sunil Jalihal, Founder, CEO of Indic Inspirations considers this program to be a great platform to spread the inspiring work of ISRO in the country. He says “Indic Inspirations is proud to be associated with this program. ISRO is an inspiration to all Indians and its history, missions and achievements are stories that need to be told. Its missions are inspiring stories of high quality rocket-science, inspirational leadership and frugal engineering and have created many useful applications that has helped leapfrog India into the technological future. We will soon be launching a whole collection of ISRO Themed Merchandise that will appeal to all Indians and Science & Space enthusiasts alike”

ISRO is India’s premier Space Agency making India one of the few space faring nations with its space based applications, constellation of satellites for various applications in communications, astronomy, navigation and remote sensing. The Indian Space Research Organisation has carried out 111 spacecraft missions, 79 launch missions and planned several missions including the Aditya, Gaganyaan and MOM 2. ISRO has earlier set a world record of launching 104 satellites in one mission, not achieved by any other space agency.

Indic Inspirations (www.indicinspirations.com) was established in 2019 and has created many Indic Objects based product collections – Gifts & Souvenirs for India’s Citizens and visitors to India. Their products are available all over the country through its online store. The company recently raised angel funding from investors in California, USA, Singapore and India.

Pune Startup To Launch Alcohol-Free, Non-Toxic, Gentler, Long-Lasting Hand Sanitizer Developed from Silver Nanoparticles

Representational Only

An environment friendly hand sanitizer that is gentle on the hands and does not dry them, will soon be available in the market. The alcohol free, aqueous, non-inflammable and non-toxic hand sanitizer has been developed from Silver Nanoparticles by a Pune based start-up.

Recurrent drying up of hands due to repeated application of hand sanitizers is a challenge which people have faced during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The hand sanitizer developed by Weinnovate Biosolutions prolongs antimicrobial activity thus obviating the need for repeated applications. Silver nanoparticles give slow and sustained release of silver ions to kill microorganisms that come in contact. Besides, it can be stored in ambient conditions.

It has successfully completed Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved clinical trial for the hand sanitizer and demonstrated high efficiency in killing viruses.

Weinnovate Biosolutions was supported by CAWACH 2020 grant of National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and incubated at Entrepreneurship Development Centre (Venture Centre), Pune. They developed the colloidal silver solution-based hand sanitizer. The technology operates on the ability of the silver nanoparticles to prevent the synthesis of viral negative-strand RNA and viral budding.

“We are very confident of the study outcomes and waiting to get the license for our hand sanitizer formulation from CDSCO, India. We are sure that such innovation will push India towards its 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' mission and make India a self-sustained nation to face such pandemics in future”, said Dr. Anupama Engineer, Cofounder & COO Weinnovate Biosolutions.

Silver nanoparticles have been found to be an effective antiviral which act against many deadly viruses like HIV, Hepatitis B, Herpes simplex virus, Influenza virus, and so on. Recent reports have suggested the role of Glutathione capped-Ag2S NCs (Silver nanoclusters) in inhibiting the proliferation of Coronavirus by preventing the synthesis of viral negative-strand RNA and viral budding. The colloidal silver on which the technology of the sanitizers of Weinnovate Biosolutions is based can help arrest Covid -19 spread by blocking the RNA replication and infectivity by blocking the surface glycoproteins.

A study to evaluate the efficacy of hand sanitizer on different types of viruses is also currently underway by the group.

Pune-based Startup Launches 3D-Printed Masks Coated with Anti-Viral Agents, Claims To Be More Efficient than N-95

Representational

An integration of 3D printing and pharmaceuticals has resulted in a novel type of mask which attacks the virus when viral particles come in contact with it. Developed by Pune-based start-up firm Thincr Technologies India Private Limited, these masks are coated with anti-viral agents known otherwise as virucides. 

The virucidal mask project is among the earliest projects to have been selected for commercialization, by Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, as part of the Government’s fight against COVID-19.

The project received financial support from TDB as part of its search for novel solutions to fight COVID-19, in May 2020. Following this, an agreement was signed on 8th July, 2020 for developing the masks. The 2016-incorporated firm claims that these cost-effective masks are more effective in checking the spread of COVID-19, in comparison with ordinary N-95, 3-ply and cloth masks.

Addressing the Need for High Quality More Effective Masks

Thincr Technologies India works in development of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printers to discover new pharmaceutical formulations and drug-loaded filaments of different drugs. Founder Director Dr. Shitalkumar Zambad explains: “We started thinking of the problem and possible solutions, during the initial days of the pandemic. We sensed that use of face masks will become nearly universal as the most important tool to prevent infection. But we realized that most masks which were then available and within the reach of common people were homemade and of relatively low quality. It is this need for high-quality masks which led us to undertake a project to develop and commercialize cost-effective and more efficient virucidal coated masks, as a better approach to reduce the spread of infection”.

The Development Journey

With this aim, Thincr Technologies began to focus on developing virucidal coating formulations. It was developed with support from Merck Life Sciences located in Nerul, whose research facility was used for the purpose. The coating formulation has been utilized to coat the fabric layer and the 3D printing principle was employed to achieve uniformity of coating. The coated layer can be incorporated as an additional layer in N-95 masks, 3-Ply masks, simple cloth masks, 3D printed or other plastic cover masks, along with reusable filters. These masks thus provide an additional protection beyond the protection achieved by filtration mechanisms.

The coating has been tested and shown to inactivate the SARS-COV-2 virus. The material used for coating on the mask is a Sodium Olefin Sulfonate based mixture. It is a soap forming agent with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. In contact with enveloped viruses, it disrupts the outer membrane of the virus. The ingredients used are stable at room temperature and are widely used in cosmetics.

The filters of these reusable masks have also been developed using 3D printing. Further, Dr. Zambad says that the masks have been found to have bacterial filtration efficiency higher than 95%. “In this project, for the first time, we used 3D-printers to make multilayer cloth filters to precisely fit for plastic-moulded or 3D-printed mask covers”.

Thincr Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. has applied for a patent for this product. Commercial scale manufacturing has also started, informs Dr. Zambad. Meanwhile, 6,000 virucidal masks have been distributed by an NGO to four Government Hospitals in Nandurbar, Nashik and Bengaluru, for use by healthcare workers and also to a girls’ school and college in Bengaluru.

Pune-based Startup Ahammune Biosciences raises Pre-Series A funding from Ideaspring Capital and Indian Angel Network

Representative

• The Pre-series A funding round was led by Ideaspring Capital and IAN
• The fresh funds raised will be utilized for “first-in-human” studies with Ahammune’s new drug candidate AB1001 for vitiligo.
• The firm has placed drug candidate as a topical solution, which forms a 54% of the total market share of available options.
• Ahammune Biosciences will also use the funds to build the patent portfolio and to further the research and development efforts of the company

New Delhi, April 26th, 2021: Pune-based biotech startup company, Ahammune Biosciences has raised an undisclosed amount in a Pre-Series A round led by Ideaspring Capital and Indian Angel Network. Kotak Private Equity, Legacy Assets LLP (Baldota family fund), and Dr. Ajith Kamath (ex-Pfizer) have also participated in the round along with existing investors, including Dr. Anand Deshpande and Mr. Suman Kant Munjal. The Company also has Dr. Ganesh Natarajan as an existing investor and has been in receipt of funding grant from Government of India’s body, BIRAC.

The freshly infused capital will be used for “first-in-human” studies with Ahammune’s new drug candidate AB1001 for vitiligo. The study will comprise Phase-I safety studies in healthy human volunteers and Phase-II efficacy studies in vitiligo patients. The biotech company will also deploy the funds in building the patent portfolio to further the research and development efforts.

Vitiligo, a debilitating skin depigmentation disorder, has a global prevalence of about 1-2 percent. The burden of the disease is huge in India with certain regions having an incidence rate of about 8 percent. Ahammune, founded in May 2016, has filed its first Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for approval to conduct human studies with its lead drug candidate for vitiligo.

Talking about the latest development, Dr. Parul Ganju, Co-founder and CEO of Ahammune Biosciences said, “Currently, there is no cure for vitiligo. Our drug aims to fulfill the unmet need in Vitiligo therapeutic. We have positioned it as a topical solution, a segment of the market that accounted for 54% of the total market share of available options. Our preclinical data suggest our drug candidate is very safe and is able to stop the spread of depigmentation and repigment white patches in animal models. Based on these studies, the first intended use of the drug will be in patients with non-segmental vitiligo, who have active vitiligo."

Apart from the treatment for vitiligo, the company is aiming to target multiple dermatological indications with its deep pipeline of IP-based molecules that modulate cellular pathways underlying skin health and immunity.

"This disruptive scientific domain area of Ahammune thus has the potential and huge upside to provide a range of treatments for other immune-mediated diseases of the skin," added Dr. Ganju.

“Effective Vitiligo treatment is currently an absolute unmet need and an unattended market. Millions of people are suffering because of this disease and lack of available options. There is clearly a tremendous need for a new drug with an upside of huge market potential. In addition to Vitiligo, Ahammune team has the capability to discover drugs for other autoimmune skin disorders like Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Scleroderma that have an even bigger market. We are very excited to be the first Institutional investor in Ahammune and back stellar founders Dr. Parul and Dr. K. Natarajan,Professor, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University” said Naganand Doraswamy, MD Ideaspring Capital.

Further commenting, Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder at Indian Angel Network said, “Vitiligo is currently an unsolved problem and there is real need for a new drug. This need represents a potential market size of $2.4 billion by the year 2024. Currently, first-line treatments are generic drugs like corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, manufactured by several companies throughout the world. There is really no drug focused on curing vitiligo, which is approved by US-FDA and this presents a unique opportunity for the company. The team of Ahammune, led by Dr. Parul Ganju, has demonstrated a deep understanding of developing the drug and ensuring high level of efficacy".

The company has been founded on the basis of finding cost-effective solutions for chronic skin diseases. Earlier, Ahammune established the efficacy and safety of its drugs in preclinical animal studies and is now transitioning into a clinical phase company. The biotech firm has protected its innovations by filing for IPR, which are its strategic business assets. Since more than 900 million people are affected with skin diseases globally, Ahammune aims to provide patients with new and comprehensive treatment strategies.

About Ideaspring Capital:

Ideaspring Capital is an early stage venture fund investing in product innovation startups in India focused on global B2B and B2B2C markets. We take a hands-on approach, to nurture high-potential ideas, and transform vision into reality by providing meaningful interventions in product management, product marketing and operations. Ideaspring is an entrepreneur-focused fund with a strong belief in our motto- "For Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs".

About Indian Angel Network

Indian Angel Network is India’s first and world’s largest business angel network with close to 500 members across the world, comprising the who’s who of successful entrepreneurs and dynamic CEOs. With investors from 12 countries, IAN’s presence spans 7 locations, which includes cities in India and the UK. The network is sector agnostic and has funded start-ups across 17 sectors in India and 7 other countries growing global footprint companies. With an excellent track record, IAN has been giving excellent cash exits year-on-year to its investor-members, for the last 11 years. Some of its marquee investee companies include Druva, Box8, Sapience Analytics, WOW Momos, Consure, Fareye amongst many others.

IAN has also launched the IAN Fund, an INR 375 crore fund, is a uniquely differentiated seed/early stage Fund which aims to transform India’s entrepreneurial landscape. The fund invests in innovative companies in sectors including healthcare and medical devices, VR, AI, software as a service, marketplaces, fin-tech, big data, artificial intelligence, agritech, and hardware. With this, IAN has created the single largest platform for seed and early-stage investing, enabling entrepreneurs to raise from Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 50 crores.

Pune based Cultural Startup, Indic Inspirations Raises Angel Funding of ₹2.5 Cr from Marquee Investors

Indic Inspirations raised funding from senior executives from Google-USA, Goldman Sachs-Singapore, Venture Finance Development Corporation among others

Plans to target ₹10,000 crore Indian souvenir market

15th March 2021, Pune - Indic Inspirations (www.indicinspirations.com) – a Cultural Startup, based out of Pune, announced the completion of an Angel Funding round of ₹2.5 Cr with marquee investors, from California-USA, Singapore and India.

The angel investors who have invested include senior executives from Google-USA, Goldman Sachs-Singapore, Venture Finance Development Corporation, a Family Venture Fund, a Senior IT executive and seasoned Architecture-Design and Automobile industry entrepreneurs from India.

Founded in Dec 2019, Indic Inspirations is a Retail Venture with a keen focus on INDIAN PRIDE & NOSTALGIA based products. With the recently raised funding, the company aims at aggressively ramping up its platform by scaling up their Design , Marketing and Distribution channels. Driven by Design & Technology, Indic Inspirations plans to change the way India's cultural products are designed, marketed and distributed.

Commenting on the development, Sunil Jalihal, Founder-CEO, Indic Inspirations, "India with its rich culture, heritage, traditions and its achievements, it is sad that we don't have products and souvenirs that represent them. On the contrary, other countries are monetizing our ideas and concepts like Yoga and Haldi. We aim to tap a ₹10,000 crores Indian souvenir market with our collection of products. And with the ongoing buzz around 'Make in India' and 'Indian Pride' along with consumers and corporates looking for alternatives to Chinese Products, the opportunities are endless to revive our Arts & Crafts and artisanal earnings."

The company has built many unique products with best in class packaging – for contemporary utilities, addressing the interests of consumers – not just Him & Her! The brand through its partnerships – with rich content owners such as ISRO, ASI, BORI and bulk consumer end points including Institutions and Corporates, plans to deliver many valuable products. Indic Inspirations designs, manufactures, packages and markets Home Décor, Indic Souvenirs, Personal & Corporate Gifting products. It also promises to change the range, relevance, reach, quality and packaging of India's Culture Products!

Indic Inspirations has been an active member of the Network of Indian Cultural Enterprises (NICE – niceorg.in) co-founded by Sanjay Anandaram, a veteran of the entrepreneur ecosystem. Commenting further on this announcement, Mr. Sanjay Anandaram said, "NICE as an organisation is nurturing cultural entrepreneurs, enabling investments and fostering an ecosystem. We are pleased to be a part of Indic Inspirations' journey to create a profitable and impactful cultural venture".

About Indic Inspirations:

Indic Inspirations aspires to narrate stories of India's Culture, Heritage, Traditions and Scientific achievements through Indic Inspired Objects! Our products tell the stories of art and culture of India, Science, History, Spirituality, Mythology, Dance, Mountains, Wildlife Parks, Festivals, Cities, Monuments, Yoga and the Vedas - aspects of India's rich tapestry, themselves inspired by India's rich Art & Indian crafts traditions. Indic Inspirations was born out of the work of Heart for Art Trust (www.heartforartonline.com) and its work since 2014 - with 400+ artisans from 65+ crafts across 14+ states of India - to help rural artisans INCREASE their LIVELIHOODS and get back their PRIDE!

Link to Website - https://www.indicinspirations.com/

About the founder:

Sunil Jalihal, Founder & CEO of Indic Inspirations, is a serial entrepreneur and has many years of experience with Global IT companies including Wipro, Siemens and Hewlett-Packard and co-founding technology & social ventures. Tech Startups that were funded by Intel Capital, JP Morgan Chase and Reuters Greenhouse Fund. He has earlier co-authored Romancing the Chilli – coffee table book on India's agricultural heritage that won several awards at the World Gourmand Awards in Paris. He created and helped setup Veer Yatra Military Tourism for MESCO that now has 50,000+ tourists a year.

Do let me know if you need anything else.

Pune-based Lebenor launches Halcove Touch Free Buttons to make Elevators safe to travel

Easy to replace button; tested and approved by leading Lift manufacturers; Made in India

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to rethink safe living and adopt better hygienic practices in their day-to-day lives. From washing hands regularly to sanitizing surfaces, humans have become increasingly cautious of touch points as contaminated surfaces are one of the key sources of virus transmission. In adapting to this new situation, everyone is trying to minimize physical contact in an effort to reduce risk of virus contraction.

Elevator buttons are one of the most common touch points that are used numerous times by multiple people in residential societies, commercial complexes, malls and many other places. Needless to say, the risk of an elevator button being contaminated is high.

With Halcove Touch Free buttons installed in the Lift, traveller has to place the finger near to the surface of the button and the sensor inside the button will detect the presence of finger within a proximity distance of 10-15 mm and operate the lift.

Halcove Buttons make the elevator 'travel safe' without any change in the way the user interacts with the elevator since ages. Halcove buttons are also designed to replace any existing buttons without any major modifications.

Speaking on the launch of Touch Free Elevator Button, Lebenor Co-Founder-Amarnath Kamath said, "We observed people using car keys, toothpicks, key chains etc. to operate elevators so as to avoid touching the push buttons to avoid infection. What if we could operate the lift without ever having to touch the lift buttons? This is when we realised that contactless operation of elevators in India can reduce 40 crore touches per day, and completely eliminate one common source of infection."

Visit https://lebenor.com/video-channel to know more about the product.

About Lebenor

Lebenor is a DIPP registered start-up with business objective to design, develop and manufacture products for Building Automation. The founders of the company are engineering professionals with more than 20 years' experience in the field of Embedded product development and system integration.

We believe that contactless technology is a step forward in the right direction to prevent spread of Covid-19 infection and are working on innovative products incorporating contactless technology to make the world a safer place.

For more information, kindly visit: www.lebenor.com

SOURCE Lebenor

Electric Vehicle Company Techo Electra Launches "SAATHI"

• Expands into the Delivery Business vertical
• Driving your Success Journey!

Techo Electra Motors, based out of Pune with their manufacturing facility at Chakan today announced the Launch of its new Electric Moped called "SAATHI" thus strengthening the brand's presence in India as part of its strategic expansion across the country. It may be recollected that they had recently launched the 62nd dealership in Pune before the lockdown.

"SAATHI" which is aimed at giving livelihood to the F&B and Delivery verticals is an ideal vehicle for Delivery executives which will be cost effective and give more returns. The product is aimed at letting people start their own business, the bike is designed keeping in mind the economic recovery and will bring back livelihood of people.

Smart features of "SAATHI"

Gone are the days when people had to be dependent on someone else to start their work, as this bike is the most effective means to take your business ahead solely. Techo Electra SAATHI has more possibilities for drawing fleet operators. It's best equipped for the ones looking for short-distance commuting.

Mr. Prakash Bhootra, MD - Techo Electra said, "Techo Electra scooters are far cost competitive than fuel vehicles and also bring in huge savings for the consumer in terms of high range and a good battery life. SAATHI will be perfect for people who are in the Delivery business as our scooters are noiseless, come with reverse switch to ease parking, new age looks, etc. On an average a customer can save over Rs.25000/- per year on Fuel expenses alone. Apart from savings, it's time to do our bit and make our Country a better and a liveable place to stay with a cleaner environment for our future generations."

SAATHI is power-packed by a 48V 26Ah Lithium-Ion battery that delivers an outstanding mileage of 60-70 km per charge and takes around 3-4 hours to charge fully. With 60km range in just Rs.12/- (1.5 units/charge), it is also your Saathi to your monthly savings. SAATHI will be available from the 2nd week of October 2020 and will cost Rs.57,697/- on-road Pune and can be booked at the closest dealer.

For further information, please visit: www.techoelectra.com.

Pune-based KPIT wins 'FICCI CSR Award' for Incubating Path-Breaking Innovations Addressing the Challenges of 'Real India'

• KPIT bagged the prestigious  award for its ‘KPIT Sparkle’ initiative, which connects thousands of entrepreneurs from small towns and rural areas every year with the incubation ecosystem

• The annual event nurtures innovation right from idea generation to product manufacture with a supportive incubation process

• In the last 5 years, 22000 ideas from 1500 institutions in T1, T2 and T3 cities have been supported by KPIT Sparkle

Pune-based KPIT Technologies Limited has emerged as the winner of this year’s ‘FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility Awards’ for incubating path-breaking innovations by young entrepreneurs from across the country which address the challenges of ‘Real India.’

FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility Awards – India’s first CSR award – was instituted in 1999 by FICCI. The aim of the award is to identify and recognize the efforts of companies in integrating and internalizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 

The award to KPIT recognised  its unique initiative ‘KPIT Sparkle’ which is unlocking the power of IPR in India by connecting thousands of budding entrepreneurs to the incubation ecosystem every year, especially those from small towns and rural areas. It helps them converge on the final objective of bringing innovative solutions to the society.  

Every year, faculty and students of undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD courses, from the Science, Engineering, Design and Management streams of colleges and universities across India get this opportunity to turn their ideas into working prototypes for industrial production. In the last 5 years, 22000 ideas from 1500 institutions in T1 and T2 cities have been supported by KPIT Sparkle.

KPIT won the award in the category of ‘Exemplary Innovation (irrespective of the turnover of the company)’ after a stringent evaluation process by an independent panel consisting of eminent experts and industry leaders. This year's jury was chaired by Mr. Amit Chandra, Chairman, Bain Capital-India,  and Jury Members comprised Ms. Nishi Vasudeva,  former CMD, HPCL, Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, founder Vaish Associates, Mr. Pranjal Sharma, Economic Analyst and Writer & Mr. Arumugam Kalimuthu, Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Institute. 

Elaborating about the achievement , Mr. Kedar Sapre, Senior Marketing Specialist, of KPIT, said: “I’m grateful to FICCI’s eminent panel of jurors who have understood and recognised the value that KPIT Sparkle is creating by promoting the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship right at the grassroots level. India is a land of brilliant ideas and many often the best ideas come not from top notch institutions from big cities but from students of smaller towns and rural areas. KPIT Sparkle nurtures such innovations from idea generation to product manufacture with a supportive incubation process.”

Prose Integrated, a new age communication firm specialising in digital outreach, has been trusted by KPIT with KPIT Sparkle's brand positioning and visibility. The firm also partnered with the core team of KPIT Sparkle for preparing its nomination for the FICCI CSR Awards.

According to Mr. Setu Shah, Founder & CEO, Prose Integrated, “While working on the KPIT’s entry for the FICCI CSR Award-2020, the challenge was to drive home the message that even IPR can be part of social projects if innovations are around solving the problems of Real India. We managed to successfully convey to the juries how and why KPIT Sparkle was about Innovation, IPR & Entrepreneurship for and by ‘Bharat’. KPIT winning this award, thus, is a proud moment for even us at Prose Integrated as we helped in nurturing and shaping ‘KPIT Sparkle’ and saw it grow year on year. I congratulate KPIT’s entire team for this huge win.”

The winners of the 18th FICCI CSR Awards-2020 were announced on July 27th, 2020. In the previous years, a number of companies including HPCL, ITC Limited, Mahindra & Mahindra, Cairn India, SAIL, Tata Tea, Infosys, Tata Chemicals, HINDALCO, TISCO, TELCO, Lupin, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, etc. have been recognised by the FICCI CSR Award for their exemplary work in the area of CSR. 

About KPIT 

KPIT is a global technology company with software solutions that will help mobility leapfrog towards an autonomous, clean, smart and connected future. With 6000+ Automobelievers across the globe, specialising in embedded software, AI & Digital solutions, KPIT enables customers to accelerate implementation of next generation mobility technologies. With development centers in Europe, USA, Japan, China, Thailand and India – KPIT works with leaders in mobility and is present where the ecosystem is transforming.

About Prose Integrated:

PROSE Integrated is a new generation communications firm offering integrated solutions in Digital & Social Media management, Public Relations (PR), Advocacy, Advertising & Events. With a completely self-owned latest infrastructure in Mumbai and branch offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and Singapore, the firm has successfully completed over 80+ projects. Since 2014 the firm has an experience of partnering with clients across BFSI, Education, Healthcare, Startup Ecosystem, Trade associations, Think Tanks, Traditional manufacturing and New age service sectors. Its cloud-based 'PROSE Dashboard' is now used by India’s top corporates for deploying strategy and enhancing efficiency.

Ed-Tech Firm uFony Services Raises Funds from Chennai Angels for Its School Diary® Platform

uFony Services Pvt. Ltd., the Pune-based Ed-Tech company, has raised funding from The Chennai Angels & other independent investors for School Diary®, an interactive platform that brings education to smartphones. School Diary® is a user-friendly platform that caters to K12 schools, helping them engage students and conduct classes virtually without compromising on privacy.

It is an integrated virtual classroom with online teaching, virtual PTMs, instant academic and non-academic updates, and even an online store where parents can shop for school products. The platform also has an administrator interface to collect online payments, automate accounting, manage transport, track live busses, monitor driver/staff behavior, manage payroll, inventory & accounts, and much more.

Running profitably for the last 3 (three) years, uFony is a leading player in the K12 Education space. The company provides SAAS solutions to 1000+ educational institutes including colleges, schools, coaching, pre-schools, and daycares across 10+ countries. Post-COVID, uFony aims to bring about a change in traditional teaching methods and make them more compatible for the future.

“School Diary® is being leveraged by Schools across Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. It is generating interest from a lot of School Districts in the USA,” said Ashish Chaturvedi, Founder of uFony Services Pvt. Ltd. “With smartphone penetration on the rise and digital learning to gain acceptance, we expect more and more schools in the USA and other countries to sign up for School Diary®. Our recent raise is to enhance our digital presence and enroll business partners to scale up quickly in the international market.”

The education industry is rapidly changing to adapt to an unstable situation. “The great thing about Ufony is its constant efforts to rediscover themselves and to provide greater value to their existing customers. By providing new features constantly, Ufony unfolds new ways of using its services at little or no extra cost and certainly with minimal efforts,” said R. Narayanan (Naru), the Investment Director. “Take for example its latest feature of video. With the mere addition of a tripod on which the cellphone can be perched, the teacher is able to instantly include an ailing child who is unable to attend class. Just at the press of two or three buttons on a phone, the sick child is transported right into the class where they can view their teachers and friends as well. Great application to a video conferencing function. Even greater addition to School Diary®’s functionality.” 

Chandran Krishnan, CEO of The Chennai Angels says, “The traditional education system that schools followed pre-COVID has led to a disruption in studies for students across the globe. Platforms like School Diary® have paved the way for education to be advanced, accessible, and most of all fun. Students seem to enjoy the idea of online classes, a trend that might become essential in the near future. We are excited to see the growth of School Diary®, which brings school to students’ smartphones.”

Established in November 2007, The Chennai Angels (TCA) is one of the leading angel networks in India. TCA is sector and geography agnostic, and has made 52 investments till date, with a 20% exit track record, in enterprise solutions, consumer products, education, healthcare, automotive, gaming and other sectors. TCA is a member-driven network with 100+ successful industry leaders, technocrats, and business professionals in its network.