Meet The 42 Startups That Won National Startup Awards 2022

On the occasion of the National Startup Day, the union government on Monday (January 16) announced the winners of the ‘National Startup Awards 2022’ (NSA 2022). 

As many as 43 startups were presented awards, while two incubators and an accelerator were also felicitated for their contribution in their respective sectors. Union Minister Piyush Goyal presented the awards to the selected startups and lauded their contribution during an event in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, the minister said that the idea of ‘Startup India’ has taken root throughout the length and breadth of the country, and added that innovative ideas and initiatives will have to be nurtured to meet the aspirations of a young India. 

The NSA 2022 recognised and rewarded excellence shown by startups and ecosystem-enablers. The awards seek to laud startups that contribute to inclusive growth by upending established business models and creating new markets, and coming up with implementable solutions that have demonstrated ‘success and value’.

The third iteration of the awards received applications from 2,667 startups, incubators and accelerators across 31 states and Union Territories (UTs). The applications were received across 17 sectors, 50 sub-sectors and 7 special categories.

The categories included fintech, health and wellness, food processing, travel, media and entertainment, among others. On the other hand, startups were also felicitated across special categories, including areas such as women-led startups, impact in rural areas, manufacturing excellence, among others. 

Karnataka led the charts as 18 startups based in the state emerged winners. Maharashtra was a distant second with 9 winners, while Delhi stood third with 4 winners. Gujarat accounted for 3 winning startups, while Uttarakhand came fifth with 2 winners from the state. 

Telangana, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Assam accounted for one winner each. About 33% of the ‘unique startup’ winners were from emerging cities, Tier-2, 3 regions, and other smaller towns and cities.

Meet The Winners Of National Startup Awards 2022

While Bengaluru-based Wolkus Technology Solutions (Fasal) and Natura Crop Care were among the winners in the agriculture space, Mumbai-based Testbook Edu Solutions and Trascender Services were the winners in the education and skill development category. 

Indigenous Energy Storage Technologies, based out of Roorkee, was felicitated in the energy category, while Vadodara-based enzyme manufacturer Infinita Biotech bagged the pole position in the environment category. Nashik-based EV startup Revamp Moto emerged as the winner in the transport segment. 

In the women-led startup category, SaaS platform Algorithmic Biologics emerged as the winner, while Kamrup (Assam)-based Primary Healthtech was felicitated in the ‘Special Category – Startups from North-East.’

Telangana-based T-Hub and Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms won the prize in the incubator space, while Cisco Launchpad was featured as the winner in the accelerator category.

The NSA 2022 focused extensively on diversity, inclusion, and innovation. The winning startups will receive INR 5 Lakh each, while the winning incubator and accelerator will be awarded INR 15 Lakh each. 

The applicants were judged by a panel comprising July Ventures Managing Partner Amitab Shrivastava, Orios Venture Partners Anup Jain, ace investor Sanjeev Bikhchandani, and three other managing partners at July Ventures – Gaurav Porwal, Nidhi Saraf and Sarath Naru.

The announcement of the awards come at an interesting time for the Indian startup ecosystem. The year 2022 left the Indian startup ecosystem battered and bruised largely on account of the global headwinds. From a record $42 Bn raised in 2021, Indian startup funding fell with a thud to $25 Bn in 2022. Against 42 unicorns minted in 2021, just 21 turned startups turned unicorns in 2022. 

While the startup industry goes through a rough patch, the NSA 2022 has emerged as the perfect avenue to facilitate startups and to emphasise their importance. It will highlight the role of startups and their tangible effect on the economy and will likely spawn a new generation of entrepreneurs.