WORK IN PROGRESS: October 2024

Welcome to the October edition of ‘Work in Progress’, our monthly newsletter that brings you stories of innovation and entrepreneurship as we work towards solving India's most pressing challenges.

While the government plays a vital role in incubating innovation, private investments are essential for accelerating its transition from lab to market. We are living at a time when our generation needs to overcome some of the biggest crises facing humankind. Climate change, healthcare, and extreme poverty are big problems that need bold solutions that can only be nurtured with big, bold backing. Government support is key to nurturing an ecosystem that can drive innovation, but it is not enough. At Social Alpha, we believe combining public support with private capital will unlock the potential of deep tech start-ups.

Read the full article by Manoj Kumar here

Notes From Climate Week NYC

At this year’s Climate Week NYC, the Social Alpha team connected with passionate individuals and organisations dedicated to climate action. While the event is a melting pot of diverse opinions and agendas, Vidya Phalke , Chief Technology Advisor at Social Alpha, came away with key takeaways.

In this piece, he talks about the disproportionate impact of climate change on the poorest and the most marginalised sections of our society, emphasising the need for empathy-driven action to scale our impact to mitigate or adapt to climate change.

Read Vidya's full reflections on the event here

Welcoming Albatross Energetics and Dōtō Health to the Social Alpha Family!

We are excited to announce our investment in Albatross Energetics , whose Liquid Desiccant Hybrid Air Conditioning (LDHAC) technology offers 30-50% better energy efficiency than traditional systems. At scale, this innovation can potentially cut 72 ktCO₂e emissions by 2030 while transforming India’s cooling landscape.

We also welcome CareMother by Doto Health to the Social Alpha family. CareMother, developed by Dōtō Health, is a digital solution that connects pregnant women to healthcare professionals with remote monitoring tools.

Social Alpha at the 8th India Water Week

Onkar Pandey participated in the Water Leaders’ Forum organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the The World Bank . The panel discussed the need for a collaborative approach to accelerate innovation in the water sector. Leaning into his experience as Director, Livelihoods and Prosperity at Social Alpha, Onkar shared our approach, which focuses on supporting impactful agri-innovations to improve water efficiency and make India’s farmers more climate resilient.

Introducing Farmers to WeBot 6.0: A Successful Farm-Robotics Demonstration in Odisha

We brought together farmers and technology in Odisha with widespread demonstrations of WeBot 6.0, a fully electric, remote-controlled robot with multiple implements made by Farm Sathi , a start-up supported under Social Alpha’s Communities program, India Agritech Incubation Network (IAIN). The event also included key government stakeholders from the Department of Horticulture, District Mineral Foundation, Odisha Agro Industry Corporation, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The event helped the start-up gather valuable feedback from farmers and government departments, paving the way for unlocking subsidies and additional support.

Inspiring Moment From Hasiru Dala

We are overjoyed to highlight the remarkable journey of Hasiru Dala , Social Alpha's first investment, as it reaches an incredible milestone. Recently, Krishna, a former waste picker, took the stage as a speaker at the United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum ( UNDP B+HR ) in Bangkok, showcasing the inspiring transformation that equitable opportunities can bring.

This moment is a powerful reminder of the inspiring stories that emerge from our collective efforts.

Hard Work Pays off When Funding Follows Innovation

Our start-ups are proving that great ideas backed by hard work have a way of attracting what they need to grow—funding!

Dharaksha Ecosolutions ’s pioneering sustainable packaging materials made from agricultural waste impressed lenders and raised ₹24.8 crore in a seed round led by Avaana Capital. Accelero, makers of affordable electric bicycles - eBik , eCarts and electric engine kits, received investment from the Selco Energy Access Fund to enhance sustainable motorised mobility for low-income populations in India.

NxtQube , a drone infrastructure start-up revolutionising automated drone operations, secured seed funding led by Venture Catalysts and other investors, and Wundrsight Health raised $400,000 from Inflection Point Ventures, Social Alpha, and angel investors. They’re transforming mental health care with AI-driven, VR-based therapies for stress, OCD, and substance use disorders.

And The Winners Are

We’re thrilled to announce the latest achievements across our portfolio!

Ai Health Highway ’s smart stethoscope, AiSteth, was selected for the CII Apollo India Innoverge Healthtech Challenge 2024 for bringing high-quality care and cost-effective screening of chronic diseases to primary care clinics or low-resource settings.

BrainSightAI won the Top Innovator Award at the ET Startup Awards. The win recognises its revolutionary work in improving mental health treatments with AI and ML integrations.

Ekosight ’s soil health solutions for farmers won the Best Startup in Agriculture at the Global Bio India 2024.

uBreathe ’s plant-based air purification technology was honoured at the CavinKare-MMA Chinnikrishnan Innovation Awards 2024. TraceX Technologies , a blockchain-powered food traceability platform, earned global recognition as a Top Innovator in the UpLink Traceability for Circularity Challenge by the World Economic Forum. Chimertech Private Limited took home the Best Agri-Startup Award at ICAR-NAARM's Foundation Day for its impact in agricultural and dairy tech.

Social Alpha Labs and Portfolio Start-ups Shine at Global Bio-India 2024 

Social Alpha Labs, representing its Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC), had a strong presence at the prestigious Global Bio-India 2024. This annual event, organised by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) , brought together global biotech leaders, start-ups, incubators, and investors, showcasing India’s advancements in biotechnology.

The Lab highlighted its cutting-edge offerings, including the Energy Storage Lab and pre-compliance services, attracting significant attention from industry stakeholders. Alongside our Labs team, several of our portfolio companies, such as Ekosight , BeAble Health , Samarth Care , Chimertech Private Limited , CERVICHECK by Pragmatech Healthcare Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and REVY Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd. , made waves, demonstrating their breakthrough innovations in agriculture, healthcare, senior care, and environmental solutions.

Bringing Together Finance and Technology for Smarter Agri Practices

Social Alpha, alongside Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Sa-Dhan Association , hosted an engaging workshop in Bhubaneshwar that brought together 21 financial institutions, technology providers, farmers, and organisations working in the agri-livelihood space.

The event sparked lively discussions on innovative financing solutions and featured demonstrations of cutting-edge solutions from agritech companies while farmers shared their inspiring success stories.

Triple Patent Breakthrough: Tan90, Blackfrog, and PadCare Set New Industry Standards!

Tan90 , our portfolio company, has secured its second patent for its ‘Fast Freezing Hydrated Salt-Based PCM’. This achievement strengthens Tan90's leadership in thermal management, pushing forward energy-efficient, eco-friendly solutions for the cooling and preservation industries!

At the same time, PadCare and Blackfrog Technologies have both been awarded a US patent, which will help them take their innovations to a global market. PadCare’s innovation recycles used sanitary napkins and keeps them out of landfills, while Blackfrog’s portable, medical-grade refrigerator aids in delivering vaccines and medicines to remote areas.

Mojo Green Lights the Way with New Innovations!

Social Alpha-backed MOJO.GREEN has launched its ‘Mobile Electric Light Tower’, which is lithium-ion powered with zero emissions and zero noise. Perfect for construction, outdoor events, and disaster relief, these towers provide LED illumination with no diesel and minimal maintenance. It has also introduced a ‘Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) charger’ for electric vehicles, which allows seamless recharging from one EV to another.

Takachar’s Big Win: Joining the AirMiners Kiloton Carbon Removal Mission!

Takachar , one of Social Alpha’s portfolio companies, has been selected by AirMiners for the Kiloton Fund. This prestigious program supports pioneering carbon removal start-ups, with each team receiving investment and a $100K purchase offer from Shopify to accelerate commercialisation.

Takachar’s innovative biochar technology plays a vital role in reversing climate change, and we’re proud to support their journey toward a more sustainable future!

EF Polymer Shines Bright on Forbes Asia’s ‘100 to Watch List'!

EF Polymer India , a Social Alpha-backed company, has been named to the prestigious Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch list for 2024! This recognition celebrates the company’s innovative approach to sustainable agriculture and highlights its growing impact in the sector. Launched in Udaipur in 2006, EF Ploymer’s super-absorbent and organic hydrogel, Fasal Amrit, is solving water scarcity issues and improving crop health for farmers in 17 countries.

Animeta Agritech Receives Bharat Agripreneur Award and MSG91 Business Program Recognition!

It has been a good month for the hard-working team at AniMeta AgriTech (YourFarm) ! A Social Alpha-supported start-up, Animeta's work in transforming the lives of dairy farmers across India has bagged it the Bharat Agripreneur Award at the Bharat Entrepreneurship Summit 2024 in New Delhi. In addition, they have been listed in the prestigious MSG91 Business Program! These achievements bring them closer to their vision of impacting 20 million dairy farmers in the next five years.

Angirus on a Double Mission: From Government Halls to Global Giants

Angirus® IND is making waves from Jammu to Udaipur! In Jammu, it presented its eco-friendly Wricks (bricks made from waste) to top government leaders at the prestigious ‘SANKALP’ event, while in Udaipur, the team wowed IKEA Foundation and WASTE NL with its groundbreaking waste-to-materials innovation. From policymakers to corporate titans, Angirus, part of Social Alpha’s Techtonic accelerator, is pushing sustainability forward on all fronts!

Announcing the Winners of Techtonic – Innovations for a Circular Economy!

Last month, we revealed the nine remarkable start-ups that will form our new cohort! Congratulations to the winners - Banofi Leather , KOSHA.ai , Angirus® IND , Sunbird Coconut Leaf Straws , CanvaLoop , Microbeworks Scientific , NovoEarth , Go Do Good , and Bintix . We look forward to working with these innovators to reshape waste management and bring us closer to a circular economy.

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