15 Indian Entrepreneurs Selected for Clean Energy Initiative Supported by Apple and Acumen
In June 2023, Apple partnered with Acumen to support a new venture to support social enterprises in India to improve livelihoods through clean energy innovation. The initiative, known as the Energy for Livelihoods Accelerator, brings together Acumen experts to lead a 12-week program designed to help social entrepreneurs scale and refine their clean energy businesses.
Now, Acumen’s The Energy for Livelihoods Accelerator initiative has announced the selected cohort of 15 entrepreneurs. The application was open until July 24, 2023.
“This cohort represents a diverse mix of innovators working at the intersection of sustainable energy and poverty reduction. We are excited to support them in working with Apple to develop their business models with the ultimate goal of scaling their impact. We also see this accelerator as an opportunity to gather insights directly from entrepreneurs and develop and shape our work in this region,” says Mahesh Yagnaraman, Acumen India Director.
Over the next four months, participants will develop and refine a scalable business model that has the potential to change the lives of low-income people while saving resources and protecting the environment. The cohort participates in a combination of virtual Learning Labs, seminars and self-directed customer trials to support the development of their business models and effectiveness. At the end of the program, they will be invited to give a demo-day to the public about sustainable energy ecosystem stakeholders.
Upon completion of the program, they will join The Foundry, Acumen Academy’s global community of over 1,300 social innovators. Accelerator participants will also be considered for additional technical assistance and investment from Acumen’s Pioneer Energy Investment Initiative – Powering Livelihoods Using Solar (PEII+). This 5-year, $25 million initiative will invest in early-stage productive energy companies in India, East Africa and West Africa.
Here are the 15 entrepreneurs who are part of Acumen’s The Energy for Livelihoods Accelerator project:
1. Nimisha Tiwari
LinkIT Blue Collar
LinkITBlueCollar is a mobile technology-based platform that provides electric vehicle (EV) skills and guaranteed jobs to low-income communities of women and youth.
2. Tough Tiwari
EMPBindi International
EMPBindi International empowers women in rural communities with solar training and entrepreneurship support to guarantee sustainable livelihoods and clean energy solutions.
3. Runjesh Bargal
Vanya environmental services
Vanya empowers small farmers in India to become climate heroes. Using satellite data, remote sensing, and blockchain, they provide farmers with tools to check soil carbon content, helping them farm sustainably, sequester carbon, and generate revenue from the sale of carbon credits.
4. Riddhish Soni
Aumsat Technologies
Aumsat offers a patented IoT solution for intelligent water management. Their solar-powered water treatment agent removes excess minerals and turns hard water into soft water, improving irrigation water quality, reducing water and fertilizer needs, increasing yields by 38%, and preventing limescale from extending the life of farm machinery.
5. Neelkanth Mishra
Jaljeevika infotech Pvt ltd
Jaljeevika works with fish and agricultural producers to improve their livelihoods with solar-powered aquaculture systems, aiming to achieve holistic solutions that improve their production and income.
6. Dhananjay Abhang
Cat guy
Kisangas enables farmers to turn their organic waste into clean fuel and organic fertilizer with its patented cooking technology – a prefabricated and decentralized biogas plant. Fed by organic waste and anaerobic digestion, the plant produces two main products: biogas, which is used as a clean fuel, and liquid sludge, which is an excellent organic fertilizer.
7. Srinivas Marella
Coolcrop
CoolCrop solves the systemic problem of post-harvest losses by delivering solar-powered clean cooling solutions and processing systems close to the farm gate. Their affordable cooling-as-a-service business model enables knowledge-based profitable market connections that help small farmers earn better incomes.
8. Rishabh Rawat
Art
Arth’s innovative machines recycle cow dung into environmentally friendly, alternative prayer/ritual items and cremation logs, saving trees from deforestation. This waste-to-value model reduces water pollution and creates additional income for farmers.
9. Ashwini Vikas
Suryanirbhar Agritech LLP
Suryanirbhar Agritech designs and develops low power electric agricultural machinery for post-sowing row and inter-crop operations such as weeding, intercropping, brushing, spraying and secondary tillage operations. They run on DC motors and batteries and can be recharged via both mains and solar panels.
10. Nikky Kumar Jha
Saptkrishi Scientific Private Limited
Aimed at small farmers and street vendors, Saptkrishi’s Sabjikothi cart and e-cart models are microclimate-based storage solutions that maintain freshness and extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables up to 30 days without chemicals, preservatives or refrigerants. This storage solution requires minimal power, has a battery backup and can run on solar energy.
11. Upamanyu Ghosh
BluPower
BluPower produces clean and renewable energy from the existing water infrastructure through a modular hydropower plant. BluPower’s modular production unit produces 24×7 clean energy by directing the incoming water flow through the nozzles.
12. Tushar Devidayal
Devidayal Solar Solutions
Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt Ltd (DDSolar) provides access to energy and sustainable livelihood through solar cooling solutions. Solar units replace diesel-powered refrigerators and freezers, which reduces emissions and food spoilage.
13. Zunzar Patil
Eidikos Business Enterprises Pvt Ltd
Eidikos works in electric vehicle charging infrastructure by planning, designing and manufacturing electric car charging station products and solutions for today’s and future needs.
14. Jai Bharathi Addepalli
Mowo Fleet
Mowo Fleet trains women to drive electric two- and three-wheelers and helps them get to work by providing safe and emission-free rides to urban Indians and last-mile logistics solutions.
15. Dharmik Bapodara
Youth energy
Yotuh Energy solves the problem of low cold chain penetration in India by eliminating the use of fossil fuel based solutions and reducing the cap-ex and op-ex values of cold chain solutions. They have developed electrified cooling systems for cold chain transport vehicles that save up to 80% of cooling operating costs and double the customers’ profit margins.
