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Qualcomm Incorporated on Friday announced the winners of the sixth edition of Qualcomm Design in India Challenge, a hardware startup incubation program.
Space tech start-up Dhruva Spacewas the winner of the 2021 cohort with its low earth orbit satellite to enable 5G radio access network, bagging an award of ₹65 lakh.
Ossus Biorenewables, with Its smart autonomous bioreactor generating green hydrogen from industrial effluents, and Nimble Vision, with its Ni-Smart manhole product to monitor sewage flow, were the first and second runners-up, winning awards of ₹50 lakh and ₹35 lakh, respectively.
Twelve top start-ups were selected among 160 applicants, for incubation in areas of technology development, business model and intellectual property rights. Three winners were chosen after completion of the annual incubation cycle.
Further incentives
In addition to the awards for the top three start-ups, the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge 2021 offered a host of benefits to all the finalists, including grants and other incentives.
An initial grant of ₹1.6 lakh was offered for all shortlisted start-ups at the start of the incubation period, and an additional grant of ₹1.6 lakh four months into incubation for eligible startups after a mid-cycle review.
Reimbursements of up to ₹3.2 lakhs were offered for two full utility patent applications filed with either the India PTO or PCT member countries pertaining to the proposal for the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge and during the incubation phase of the program.
Further, “Accelerator services at no additional cost, including diagnostic assessments and workshop interventions on scaling operations, customers, and products; managing competition and financials; organization-building, and investment-seeking,” it said.
Finalists also had the opportunity to connect with MeitY/DPIIT in person or through meet-and-greet sessions and to participate at industry events hosted by Qualcomm or those where Qualcomm participates.
A dedicated engineering team was provided for supporting the shortlisted start-ups with their prototype design and development and access to a dedication Innovation Lab for testing.
Going commercial
The Innovation Commercialization Fund (ICF), launched in 2020 with an initial fund size of ₹60 lakh, was continued in 2021 with a fund size of ₹60 lakh.
“ICF is available to all Qualcomm Design in India Challenge alumni start-ups and is used for reimbursement of the expenses incurred in taking the product commercial – mandatory certification costs, costs incurred on industrial design, and manufacturing costs to fulfill customer purchase orders,” it said.
The Qualcomm Design in India Challenge was first launched in 2016. The challenge aims to support innovation and invest in ideas that have potential to strengthen and accelerate India’s digital economy.
The program has, till date, incubated 77 start-ups with over 22 commercial products, over 200 patents filed and ₹1,050 crore raised in funding with four successful exits via acquisition, Qualcomm said.
A total of ₹1.9 crore in awards has been distributed during the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge 2021.
Entrepreneurial strength
Rajen Vagadia, Vice President and President of Qualcomm India, said, “The Qualcomm Design in India Challenge is a celebration of the entrepreneurial strength of India’s start-up ecosystem and its capacity to create innovative solutions that go on to make their mark globally.”
“The passion and creativity of the participants, as they worked on their ideas, was truly inspiring. As we conclude this year’s edition, I wish the winners the best of luck for their onward journey to innovate for global impact. Homegrown startups have the potential to deliver positive outcomes on many important socioeconomic fronts, and the onus is on the private sector to offer the technology, financial, and knowledge support they deserve,” Vagadia added.
Start-up ecosystem
Sudeepto Roy, Vice President, Engineering, Qualcomm Incorporated, said, “We are entering a new era of innovation with start-ups creating new business models, attracting global investors and creating job opportunities.”
“As India looks to leverage the combined potential of 5G, AI, IoT, Cloud and Big Data, we are proud and privileged to be able to stoke the spark of start-up led innovation across some of the most important sectors. The ideas put forth by the winners and participants over the years validate our confidence that India can provide new-age solutions for its own needs as well as the world’s,” Roy said.
“The Qualcomm Design in India Program is committed to paving the way for technology-led improvements in the infrastructural, medical, and rural IoT spaces, supporting innovation and strengthening the start-up ecosystem in India,” Qualcomm further said.
Other initiatives meant to enable the ecosystem and entrepreneurship include the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship India, which invests in advanced research conducted by university Masters and PhD students; the Qualcomm Women Entrepreneurs India Network for female entrepreneurs; and L2Pro India — an e-Learning program developed for Indian entrepreneurs and inventors to gain a deeper understanding of how to value and protect their intellectual property.
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