Young start-ups take centre stage across colleges to celebrate innovation week

BMCC formally inaugurated its entrepreneurship development cell on March 2, 2022. “We host workshops to enhance skills in demand for the start-up ecosystem such as networking, share market, corporate relations, etc. Only students of the first and second year are a part of this club. As of now we have 80 students, some of whom are temporary members,” said Vivek Fartade, who manages corporate relations for the club.

One of the startups showcased at the event was Merra by Darpan Jain, 22, an alumni of Symbiosis. Talking about his start-up, Jain said, “We use AI models to create images that are not usually available– such as an astronaut riding a horse—and print them on t-shirts and hoodies. One can provide text prompts on our website about whatever one is passionate about, and the programme will create an image. We print these images on phone cases and clothing.”

The annual fest

Pune Startup Fest is an annual event organised by BHAU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell and COEP Technological University. Its sixth edition rolled out on January 27 and 28 under the theme ‘Venturing the Innoverse.’ At the event, startups were showcased in categories like technical, educational, social, innovation, intellectual property rights, health, lifestyle, agricultural, and green zone. Highlight of the festival is Pitcher’s Valley, which gives start-ups a chance to present ideas to investors.

BHAU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell is a student-led club. It organises various events like Idea competition, B-Plan competition, case study activity, budgeting, workshops and seminars. One startup showcased at the fest was ELESPA HEV by Prathamesh Choudhary, alumini of JSPMs Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering.

About his startup, Choudhary said, “We came up with the idea of converting one’s existing scooters, mopeds or bikes into Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). After conversion, the vehicle will run in both electric and petrol mode. With rising petrol prices, air and sound pollution, 90 per cent vehicles should run on electric mode and 10 percent on petrol mode, that too only as a backup. So that one doesn’t have to stop in between because of battery drain out and wait a few hours to charge the battery at stations. One can also swap discharged batteries with charged batteries.”

SPPU also celebrated the innovation week from January 10 to 16. SPPU research park held an innovation showcase on January 13, which was inaugurated by SPPU registrar, Vijay Khare. Talking about the showcase, Dr Arvind Shaligram, CEO SPPU Research Park Foundation, said, “We had around 47 stalls, some of which were incubated at the research park itself, and others were from various SPPU departments. Some students came up with innovative projects, and we wish to motivate them by providing them mentors, so they rise to a level of good start-ups.”

Khare also spoke about Katha Ventures by a 22-year-old Rutuja Gawde. “It is a small start-up that wishes to boost tourism or trekking by supplying essentials and historical information of forts etc.” In another innovation from the biotechnology department, Revati Chandekar (26) and Radhika Ashtekar(24) used a plant-based product for quality polymer. Around 900 visitors came to see the startups showcased by SPPU.