From Healthtech To Cleantech: MeitY Startup Hub Investor Connect Programme Spotlights Next-Gen Innovations

SUMMARY

The Investor Connect programme brought together startups from diverse sectors, showcasing the synergy between academic institutions, government bodies and industry players

The programme provided 10 promising startups from diverse sectors an opportunity to showcase their innovations at IIMA Ventures – IIM Ahmedabad's entrepreneurship hub

The event hosted a distinguished panel of 25 investors, including Sanat Mondal of IAN Alpha Fund, Anil Joshi of Unicorn India Ventures, and Nisarg Singh of Kettleborough VC

Continuing its pan-India journey, the MeitY Startup Hub Investor Connect Programme brought together 10 startups and 25 investors and industry leaders at IIM Ahmedabad on March 22.

This was the second event as part of the MSH’s Investor Connect Programme, aimed at empowering promising startups across India by connecting them with potential investors. The inaugural event was held in Jaipur.

The programme provided a platform for startups to showcase their ideas and receive constructive feedback from investors for sharpening their pitches and business models.

Organised by the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), in collaboration with IIMA Ventures and powered by Inc42, the event featured an esteemed investor panel. Among the attendees were Sanat Mondal, VP & principal at IAN Alpha Fund; Anil Joshi, founder and managing partner at Unicorn India Ventures; Nisarg Singh, managing partner of Kettleborough VC; Namrata Gupta, cofounder and COO of Synoverge Technologies, among others.

The 10 selected startups were part of diverse MeitY-backed programmes like SAMRIDH, TIDE 2.0 and centres of excellence (CoEs). The event was held at IIMA Ventures, the entrepreneurship hub of IIM Ahmedabad.

Founded in 2002, IIMA Ventures is also recognised as a CoE by the Department of Science and Technology and is supported by MeitY under TIDE 2.0.

Innovation Shines At Investor Connect

The Investor Connect programme brought together startups from diverse sectors, showcasing the synergy between academic institutions, government bodies and industry players in propelling the growth of early-stage ventures.

Healthtech startups Redicine Medsol and ecrooner, ecommerce startup Culture Circle, insurtech startup Cureclaims, parenting and health-focussed platform GrowthBook, skilltech startup My Equation, sportstech startup Player, edtech platform STEMpedia were among the startups which were part of the event.

The event also provided a platform for startups from emerging industries like the EV startup Webber and cleantech startup Auklr.

Several investors, including Abhilash Sonwane, director of Alchimia Partners; Gupta from Synoverge; and Jalpa Jain, director of Aadinath Bulk, expressed interest in various startups during the event.

Commenting on the diverse range of startups, Sonwane said, “The selection reflects the varied interests of investors. I typically focus on tech-enabled startups, and from that perspective, My Equation, Player and STEMpedia stood out to me.”

Jain was also impressed with Player. “One startup that really interested me was Player. I look at the founder first and Player’s founder was very humble. Also there’s a great opportunity in that sector (sportstech),” she said.

Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, cofounder and managing partner at Seafund, expressed interest in further evaluating EV startup Webber. Similarly, Kapil Kotnala, VP of investments at Mumbai Angels, indicated his intention to further evaluate Culture Circle.