Indian express- 18th June 2019
WhatsApp and Invest India today announced the winners of ‘Startup India – WhatsApp Grand Challenge’. Five startup firms were selected as winners of the challenge and were handed $50,000 (approximately Rs 35 lakhs) each for developing homegrown product solutions to address the problems that are faced by many people across the country. The five startups were selected from 10 shortlisted entities which were allowed to pitch their ideas in front a jury comprising of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs which included Shailesh Lakhani (Sequoia Capital), Vani Kola (Kalaari Capital) Deep Kalra (MakeMyTrip), Harsha Kumar (Lightspeed Ventures), and Abhijit Bose (WhatsApp). The firms were selected on the basis of innovative thinking, the scale of impact and the ability to solve real problems faced by the citizens in the country.
The Startup India – WhatsApp Grand Challenge was launched earlier this year in a bid to inspire Indian entrepreneurs to develop solutions that have a socio-economic impact on the country’s economy. WhatsApp partnered with central government’s Startup India programme which has over 19,000 startups registered with it, spread across 513 districts.The 10 firms which were shortlisted to pitch were selected from over 1,700 entries from 25 states. The five startup firms which emerged as winners are: MedCords, Melzo, Javis, Gramophone and MinionLabs.
MinionLabs provides real-time electricity consumption insights that help businesses reduce electricity costs. The firm says that it has helped businesses save 12-16 per cent on their annual electricity costs.
For more information on this press article, visit https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/whatsapp-startup-india-winners-get-50000-each-5787201/
MinionLabs is the World Leader in Energy Efficiency for Cities, Businesses, and Consumers for the Internet of Things. Our Artificial Intelligence-based products, systems, and services enable our users to be energy efficient, reduce carbon footprint, prevent climate change and make people’s lives safer and comfortable, and businesses more productive and cities more livable in a sustainable way. Visit us at www.minionlabs.tech