Meet The Eight Startups That Won The National Technology Awards 2023

As many as eight Indian startups have emerged as the winners of the National Technology Awards 2023 which was organised by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, on May 14 to commemorate the silver jubilee of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests.

The department selected companies under three categories — the main award, the award under MSME and the award under tech startup. The startups would receive cash prizes of up to INR 25 Lakh, depending on the category.

The winners were selected by eminent scientists and technologists after a stringent two-tier evaluation process.

While IPO-bound ideaForge is the biggest name on the winner list, Kanpur-based PHOOL was felicitated for developing a sustainable alternative to leather from flower waste.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based cyber assurance platform xIoTz emerged as the sole winner in the women-led MSME subcategory.

Ranging from healthtech to deeptech, here’re the eight startups that have been recognised for their endeavours in the field of science and technology.

MyLab Discovery Emerges As The Main Winner

Founded in 2016 by Hasmukh Rawal and Shailendra Kawade, the Lonawala-based healthtech startup is backed by Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India. The startup develops cost-effective diagnostic solutions for Indians.

MyLab won the National Technology Award off the back of its patented NATSpert ID TripleH Detection Kit, which offers an all-in-one qualitative multiplex Real-Time PCR test for simultaneous detection and discrimination of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as HIV, HBV and HCV in donated blood.

While presenting the award, the panellists said, “The company has successfully indigenised CNATSpert ID TripleH Detection Kit, which offers qualitative multiplex Real Time PCR test for simultaneous detection and discrimination of HIV, HBV, and HCV in donated blood in a single tube format. NATSpert can help blood banks to supply non-infected blood, avoid litigations that come their way due to infected blood stocks and improve their quality standards.” 

MSME Winners

ideaForge

The IPO-bound drone manufacturing startup emerged as one of the three winners in the MSME category at the National Technology Awards 2023.

Founded in 2017 by IIT Bombay alumni Ankit Mehta, Ashish Bhat, Rahul Singh and Vipul Joshi, ideaForge manufactures drones for both civilian and military purposes. With 20 patents under its belt, the startup counts names such as Infosys, Qualcomm, IndusAge Partners, Celesta Capital and others as its backers.

The company has been awarded for developing a fixed-wing and VTOL hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle that can fly over diverse terrains and harsh environments, ranging from -30°C to +55°C, for a variety of security and surveillance applications.

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xIoTz

Bengaluru-based cyber assurance platform xIoTz has emerged as the sole winner in the women-led MSME subcategory under the MSME category of the National Technology Awards, 2023.

The startup empowers businesses to manage their cyber assurance, including network operation, threat operation, and NexGen vulnerability assessment, in one place via its solution, eXtended Operation Centre (XOC).

Founded in 2020 by Aradhana Rai, xIoTz is accelerated by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI, NASSCOM) and incubated at FIRST C3iHub, IIT Kanpur.

Tech Startup Winners

PHOOL

One of the five winners in this category is Kanpur-based startup PHOOL. The venture has been felicitated for developing a sustainable alternative to leather from flower waste collected from the temples and mosques of Kanpur.

Founded in 2015 by Ankit Agarwal, PHOOL manufactures incense sticks and cones by recycling flower waste. The startup also developed Florafoam, a flower-based alternative to polystyrene used in packaging materials.

The startup has won numerous awards in the past few years and raised$9.4 Mn in funding from the likes of Sixth Sense Ventures, the Indian Angel Network, The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation and Alia Bhatt.

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Sāscan 

Thiruvananthapuram-based Sāscan is a medtech startup that has developed a portable scanning device to detect early-stage oral cancer and biopsy guidance, OralScan.

The startup claims that the device is the first multimodal image-capturing device that uses multi-spectral imaging technology for non-invasive screening of oral cancer and biopsy guidance. 

Sāscan has developed proprietary software to operate OralScan so that even health workers can be trained to operate the instrument, gather patient data and share the screening report with clinicians in any part of the world for follow-up.

Founded in 2015, Sāscan has raised INR 15 Lakh in funding so far from Unicorn India Ventures and a grant from the Startup India Grand Challenge.

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XYMA Analytics

XYMA Analytics, an Industrial IoT (IIoT) startup based in Chennai, has been acknowledged for its remarkable achievement in developing a cutting-edge multi-point and multi-parameter sensing system. This innovative technology, based on a patented ultrasonic waveguide-based approach, utilises ultrasonic sound waves to measure specific parameters.

The company has produced Novel Multi-Point and Multi-Parameter Sensing to withstand extreme environments in Industrial applications using Patented Ultrasonic Waveguide-based Technology.

XYMA Analytics has successfully developed a range of sensors and solutions to address industrial needs. Their portfolio includes a temperature mapping sensor, rheology and temperature sensor, ultrasonic level measurement sensor, and an IoT platform that allows companies to monitor their plant assets from a single dashboard.

To support its growth and development, the company secured INR 2.25 Crores in funding during its seed round in August 2022. Notable investors in this round include 8X Ventures, Venture Catalysts, and Ravi Renganathan. 

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WellRx

WellRx, an oilfield technology startup based in Rewari, has developed innovative solutions for oil well construction, intervention, and integrated services. The company specialises in manufacturing custom drill bits and offers a comprehensive software suite designed for monitoring and managing oilfields.

The startup has been honoured for its pioneering technology in rejuvenating oil and gas wells. 

Established in 2020 by Deepak Diwaker and Rahul Gupta, WellRx is dedicated to creating a suite of advanced technologies tailored for oil and gas companies operating wells worldwide. 

The startup has garnered support from ONGC, which became a stakeholder in February 2023, demonstrating confidence in WellRx’s potential and impact within the industry.

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qZense Labs

qZense Labs, a women-led startup, has been recognised for its groundbreaking solution that detects early signs of food spoilage and provides shelf life prediction to companies. 

Founded in 2019 by Rubal Chib and Dr Srishti Batra, qZense Labs specialises in IoT-based automation and analytics solutions that effectively combat food wastage throughout the entire food supply chain. Their offerings encompass IoT solutions for supply chain management, cold storage, and automation services, with comprehensive analytics on crucial factors like temperature, humidity, gaseous compounds, ripeness, and shelf life monitoring.

In terms of funding, the startup has successfully raised a total of $868.2K in its seed round from notable investors such as Manish Modi, Vedant Loyalka, and Venture Catalysts spanning the period between 2019 and 2021.