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The Nudge Foundation’s N/Core, a Bengaluru-based tech incubator that exclusively supports nonprofit startups, has selected eight early-stage nonprofits for its six-month incubation programme in partnership with Cisco. The programme will kickstart on May 28 in Bengaluru.
The startups have been picked from a pool of 713 applications, which include graduates from institutions such as IITs and IIMs, Northwestern University, UC Berkeley, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and more.
N/Core had received applications from nonprofits working in sectors like agriculture, disaster management, education, employability, energy, financial inclusion, gender equality, healthcare, human rights, nonprofit ecosystem, sanitation, and water, among others.
The applicants’ work in remote villages like Dankuni in West Bengal, Sadri in Rajasthan as well as cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
Commenting on the cohort, V C Gopalratnam, senior vice-president for IT and executive sponsor, Cisco India CSR, said, “Through this partnership with N/Core, we seek to inspire and empower a generation of global problem-solvers who can combine tech know-how, ingenuity, and social consciousness to solve some of the most pressing social challenges.”
These selected nonprofits will receive an innovation grant of $14,863 (INR 10 Lakh) apart from mentorship from technology experts from Cisco and renowned N/Core Partners such as Sanjay Purohit, ex-chairman of Infosys Consulting; Maneesh Dhir, COO of Meta Co and current partner at Social Venture Partners; K R Lakshminarayana (LAN), chief endowment officer at Azim Premji Foundation; and Ujwal Thakar, ex-CEO of Pratham and GiveIndia.
Commenting on the cohort, Sudha Srinivasan, CEO, N/Core, said, “I am delighted to see these young women and men from varied areas of work creating or applying technology to improve the quality of life for the bottom of the pyramid.”
Here are the eight startups selected for the incubation:
Intelehealth: Orissa-based Intelehealth, founded by Neha Goel, has developed an open-source telemedicine platform that empowers health workers to facilitate teleconsultations with remote doctors.
Involve Learning Solutions Foundation (ILSF): Chennai-based ILSF, founded by Divanshu Kumar, envisions to create an affordable and accessible ecosystem that empowers students towards self-driven learning and personal growth. They train and mentor senior school students (Educators) in their formative years of age 12-16 to teach their juniors (Learners).
Change With One Foundation: Delhi-based Change With One Foundation was founded by Kiran Verma to solve the blood donation shortage challenge by connecting the nearest available suitable blood donors with blood seekers in just a few seconds.
Lakeer: Hyderabad-based Lakeer is an urban governance initiative focused on making Indian cities more livable. Founded by Dipika and Varun, the team is building a GIS data and decision-support platform that helps visualise liveability at the ward-level using 36 indicators.
Samagra Empowerment Foundation: Pune-based Samagra makes toilets accessible, affordable, and aspirational for the urban poor. Samagra was founded by Swapnil Chaturvedi. Its SmartLoo uses a unique combination of IoT sensors and affordable hardware (like auto flushing controllers etc) to convert any existing public toilet into a smart toilet.
Pi Jam Foundation: Founded by Shoaib Dar, Pi Jam Foundation provides access to affordable open-source hardware/software that reduces entry barriers for experimentation and promotes global knowledge sharing. The Pune-based startup is enhancing the quality of computer education by developing a curriculum that fosters essential skills through a hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) approach.
Alohomora Education Foundation: Delhi-based Alohomora creates opportunities for students in 11th-12th standards to develop a career plan after the 12th standard. The startup, founded by Divakar Sankhla and Parinita Jain, uses tools such as Internet literacy for self-learning and reflective practices, app-based learning, data analytics to focus on learning outcomes for each student, and virtual networks for learning.
Aquasafi: Pavin Pankajan’s Aquasafi works with village communities (panchayat, cooperatives, SHG, etc.) on a partnership model to set up water treatment units in villages. The Bengaluru-based company installs automated remote monitored water treatment units that do not require full-time operators.
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