Sapientury, a start-up, co-founded by S L Kushal and Komala Channa from Bengaluru-based RV College of Engineering, will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh in May, during the TiE Global University Pitchfest, from the Mysuru chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).
TiE Mysuru chapter president Ajith Pai said, "TiE University Pitchfest – 2021 was conducted for university students and more than 48 teams from 26 institutions across Karnataka participated. As part of the competition, the teams pitched their ideas to a panel of experts, that included successful entrepreneurs, academicians and professionals.”
He said, “K-tech Innovation Hub of IKP, partnered with TiE Mysuru, on this project, and offered three months free incubation and mentorship support to the top four finalists. A series of free workshops and mentoring sessions were organised by TiE for the benefit of the teams. All the teams were mentored and guided by TiE Mysuru chapter, its members and partners.”
Pai said, “TiE Mysuru strives to provide an enabling ecosystem to students, to nurture them into quality entrepreneurs. Mahesh Rao, charter member and head of TiE-University Mysuru and other members contributed for the success of the event.”
The four teams that made it to the final round are: Sapientury, Drona Automations, InfinityX Innovations and Broomstick.
Sapientury, co-founded by Kushal S L and Komala Channa, is an IIMB-incubated, EdTech start-up that has developed a DIY Kit, coupled with online micro-courses for engineering students, to become industry-ready, by learning beyond the syllabus.
Drona Automations, founded by Suraj Wodeyar from VIAT Muddenahalli, has developed an innovative Horizontal Sewer Pipes Cleaning Robot, to provide controlled cleaning of pipes.
InfinityX Innovations, founded by Satyam Raj of Cambridge Institute of Technology, is working on accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in India, with their automatic battery swapping stations, through an innovative battery pack and swapping cable setup.
Broomstick, a Mysuru-based startup, is developing an innovative device for commercial floor cleaning for the Indian market. Broomstick was co-founded by Mehul Jain and K G Yogindra from The National Institute of Engineering, Mysuru.
The panel of judges included Craig Abbott, managing partner, CWA Advisors, and board member, TiE New York, USA; Hemaltha Annamalai, former CEO and MD, Ampere Vehicles, and past president TiE Coimbatore chapter; and Viiveck Verma, founder of UpSurge Enterprise Solutions and board member, TiE Hyderabad chapter. They evaluated the pitches on parameters like, innovation, scalability, market opportunity, commercialisation and business model.
The cash prize of Rs 1 lakh of TiE Mysuru chapter includes Rs 50,000 sponsored by D Sudhanva, CEO of Excelsoft. All teams will receive $1,000 Amazon Web Service (AWS) credits along with one-year TiE Mysuru Student Membership and participation certificates.