Deadline: 31-Mar-22
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with AFD (Agence Française de Développement), has launched the Swachhata Startup Challenge to nurture the evolving ecosystem of the Indian waste sector.
The goal is to support 10 startups working at the nexus of technology and social innovation to solve India’s waste management challenges by improving efficiency of waste management, increasing social impact, improving transparency of waste value chain and reducing the use of single use plastic.
This initiative will support innovative startups with scalable business and dignified job-creating models by providing them financial capacity building and go-to-market support.
Themes
The ambition of the MoHUA-AFD Swachhata Startup Challenge is to distinguish players operating in 4 key fields of intervention.
- Social Inclusion
- Low-cost efficient mechanical solutions for cleaning septic tanks and sewer lines (Manhole to machine hole)
- Efficient operation and maintenance of community and public toilets in a hygienic and sustainable manner
- Safe containment, evacuation, transportation, processing and disposal of used water and fecal sludge & septage
- Social innovations for improved waste collection and management in low-income settlements
- Innovation for an easier access for informal waste-pickers to waste resources
- Innovation to take plastic waste management from informal to formal economy
- Zero Dump
- Innovative solutions for tracking segregated door to door collection solid waste
- Processing and recycling of all segregated fractions of Solid Waste
- Low-cost portable solution for remediation of legacy dumpsites
- Plastic Waste
- Solution of processing and recycling of plastic waste
- Solutions to minimize degradation of plastic during recycling
- Plastic waste management in eco-sensitive regions
- Innovative methods for collection of multi layered plastic and its disposal
- Technology for disposal of plastic from legacy dumpsites
- Alternatives of single-use plastic
- Change consumer behaviors and raise awareness around plastic segregation and recycling practices
- Transparency
- Tech innovations on real-time monitoring of operations in waste management infrastructure
- Innovations that track the flow of goods from manufacturer to the end of their life cycle or disposal
- Tech solutions that calculate the environmental, social and economic price of goods, especially plastics
Benefits
- Catalytic support and value addition to the core work of selected enterprises for creating impact at a scale.
- A financial award of INR 25 lakhs to top 10 startups from MoHUA-AFD
- 1-year of personalized professional support
- Add on support for eligible startups
- Upto INR 50,00,000 follow-on investment from Villgro to eligible startups
- Support for connections with municipalities to facilitate access to waste and experimental grounds
- Upto 100,000 USD worth AWS credits and technology support in conducting pilots to each winner
Eligibility Criteria
- Demonstrating the existence of a legal structure: the challenge is open to startups registered in India and French actors collaborating with an Indian startup (as a joint venture)
- Addressing one of the four themes
- Demonstrating the existence of a sustainable and autonomous economic model with Minimum Viable Product ready stage and onwards
- Digital technology and social impact are the heart of the solution
- For profit startups with more than 3 months of operations
Evaluation Criteria
Here are some points to keep in mind while applying:
- Uniqueness and potential of the tech solution to address the challenges of the waste sector: tech as a real lever for change and ambition to bring it to the next level
- Robustness of the operational and commercial model
- Potential for replicability and/or scalability
- The team is composed of diverse and complementary expertise with technical, commercial and administrative profiles. Added bonus for women led teams or teams with a significant number of women.
- Assertive social impact strategy and ability to measure it
- The prize should contribute in a positive and concrete way to the development of the entrepreneurial project.
For more information, visit https://swachhatastartupchallenge.com/