et startup awards 2022 finest on campus: ET Startup Awards 2022: Solinas Integrity wins the Finest on Campus class

The ten-member ET Startup Awards jury acquired into an in depth dialogue earlier than choosing Solinas Integrity, whose robotics options assist eradicate handbook scavenging, because the winner of this 12 months’s Finest on Campus class.

After two rounds of deliberations and voting, Solinas edged out ClaimBuddy, a Gurgaon-based Mediclaim assist startup, in a detailed contest with the jury praising IIT Madras-incubated deep-tech startup’s try to unravel what they mentioned is an enormous downside in India.

“Human lives are misplaced cleansing sewage pipes… This can be a main subject which must be addressed,” a jury member mentioned.

Based in 2018, Solinas develops robotic options for the pipeline and sanitation business, addressing leakages and eliminating handbook scavenging. It focuses on short-range and long-range pipeline inspection and robotic cleansing of septic tanks.

“It’s actually a campus startup… A scholar teamed up together with his professor to unravel an issue with a transparent affect on a societal subject like handbook scavenging,” one of many jury members mentioned.

Solinas’ merchandise have been deployed in a number of cities together with Coimbatore and Chennai, and have been displaying a robust affect when it comes to financial savings (600,000 litres saved each km of inspection) in addition to discount in handbook labour.

“Sanitation staff clear sewers at nice private threat and each few months one or two of them lose their lives doing their jobs,” mentioned jury member Sanjeev Bikhchandani, cofounder at Info Edge. “Saving lives is extra vital than any monetary return,” he added, justifying the jury resolution to decide on Solinas over ClaimBuddy.

As for ClaimBuddy, a medical insurance claims assist firm that works with sufferers and hospitals, the jury was of the view that it’s tackling an actual problem which can compound over the subsequent few years, giving the corporate an extended runway.

“This award recognises and validates our efforts and our enterprise thought… We’re on monitor to develop our enterprise to Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and a few areas in Bihar, and receiving the Finest on Campus award on the ET Startup Awards offers us robust credibility as we construct our partnerships,” mentioned Divanshu Kumar, cofounder and CEO of Solinas Integrity.

The concept for Solinas got here through the closing years of a venture that Kumar labored on alongside together with his professor Prabhu Rajagopal. Seeing the plight of handbook scavengers, they determined to develop a robotic. In 10 months, they have been in a position to design and develop a prototype that gained one of the best masters venture at IIT Madras.

The startup now has six folks sharing main tasks – Kumar, Bhavesh Narayani, Moinak B, and Linda Jasline, together with schools Rajagopal and Krishnan Balasubramanian.

The startup is seeking to ramp up its expertise in software program and electronics because it seems to enhance its city-based dashboard the place pipeline information will be fed in for higher ease of data-driven resolution making. It is usually seeking to rent for gross sales and enterprise improvement roles.

Solinas not too long ago closed a seed funding spherical of Rs 4.5 crore the place the traders included 8x Ventures, Lister Ventures, and Kotta Enterprises of Weizmann Group.

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Different Contenders

ClaimBuddy | Khet Singh and Ajit Kumar Patel

What it Does: ClaimBuddy’s digital infrastructure helps hospitals streamline their monetary and operational processes. It permits hospitals to course of claims and assists sufferers in getting the best declare payout. The startup gives tech and financing options to hospitals and docs which, it claims, improves their operational and monetary effectivity by not less than 30%.

Sanfe | Archit Agarwal and Harry Sehrawat

What it Does: Sanfe is an internet-first model providing ladies’s hygiene merchandise. It collates buyer insights in areas similar to feminine health, physique issues, shaving and hair elimination. It then develops merchandise round these insights and scales them up quickly utilizing the D2C channel.

Bhanzu | Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, Prachotan DL, Krishnakanth JSS, Alluru Uday Kiran and Srinivas Jonnalagadda

What it Does: Bhanzu is a worldwide math studying platform that goals to eradicate math phobia and alter the best way college students understand the topic. It’s attempting to encourage careers within the math and STEM fields and in addition goals to introduce college students to science, coding and AI, by means of the lens of math.

Vecros | Besta Prem Sai, Sai Haneesh Allu (ex-cofounder), and Rajeshree Deotalu

What it Does: Vecros, a robotics firm based by IIT Delhi alumni, builds drones for aerial inspections. Vecros has patented a design for its indigenous drone and desires to increase these capabilities to disrupt the best way important infrastructure is inspected. It is usually creating legged robots for indoor, on-ground inspections.