Honeywell India supports deep science startups in collaboration with IISc

These startups are focused on building innovations to solve pressing challenges in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, and renewable energy

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Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of industrial automation firm Honeywell India, said it is committed to fostering local innovation. The not-for-profit platform has partnered with the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), the incubation arm of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and has extended research and financial support to over 40 Indian startups and 9 entrepreneurs-in-residence (EIR).

 

In FY23-24, HHSIF supported a total of 13 innovations—8 startups and 5 EIR programmes. These focus on building innovations in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, and renewable energy. Of the ventures supported in this financial year, 50 per cent were in the field of medtech, and 20 per cent were in agritech. In FY24-25, HHSIF has committed support to 7 startups and 1 EIR in allied sectors.

 

“Our mandate is to support deep science startups. It takes a longer time and larger resources for them to reach the point where they can enter the market and launch their product. As an incubator, it is not difficult for us to provide them with space and other support, but funding is a major bottleneck,” said B Gurumoorthy, CEO, FSID, and professor of mechanical engineering, IISc. “This is where companies, especially Honeywell, have been very steadfast in their support. They write cheques directly passed on to the startups, which goes a long way in providing the sustenance they need in the early years,” Gurumoorthy added.

 

In addition to financial assistance, HHSIF also provides research support, technology, and human capital. It offers a global network of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), angels, venture capitalists (VCs), and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to all its partner entities.

 

Prashanth Balarama, senior director, communications and corporate social responsibility (CSR), Honeywell India, said the collaboration with IISc is helping the firm engage with startups in areas that matter globally.

 

“There is absolutely no commercial angle to what we are trying to do with the startups. It is purely with the intention of infusing technology and sharing the knowledge we have as a global company,” said Balarama. “We are not seeking tangible or commercial benefits from this.”

 

One of the startups supported through the programme is Translead MedTech, founded by Manoj Kumar R. It aims to address issues faced by elderly people. One of Translead’s products is a specially designed chair that assists elderly individuals with critical joint problems, offering a better ‘stand to sit and sit to stand’ experience.

 

Another firm, Open MedLabs, founded by Neha Bhatia, Manish Arora, and Deval Karia, develops affordable and accessible medical devices for people living with chronic conditions like diabetes. Their goal is to equip about 6.5 million insulin-dependent diabetics in low and middle-income countries in Southeast Asia with effective devices within the next decade.

 

Agritech

 

In agriculture, the programme supports Green Collar Agritech Solutions, founded by Padmini Sampath, Hema Annamalai, and Sarangan Thirumavalavan. The firm leverages deep tech for agriculture and food processing, aiming to boost incomes across the value chain. Their first product, TARAM—an instant quality assessment tool for turmeric—uses Near Infrared Spectroscopy and machine learning to enable objective price discovery, helping farmers earn more.

 

Another firm, Rait Setu, aims to empower small farmers as entrepreneurs through tech-enabled agriculture and sugarcane-to-jaggery processing. This initiative boosts crop prices, increases farmer income, reduces carbon footprint, and creates higher-paying village jobs, minimising urban migration. The startup was founded by Santosh Rayappa Kittur, Pooja Santosh Kittur, and Roopa Suresh Kanapet.

 

Water treatment

 

The programme also supports NatureWrks, a company focused on reducing plastic packaging waste and combating environmental pollution. It was founded by Lakshminath Kundanati, Ankur Kulkarni, and Somanna Kolimada.

 

Another company, Openwater, aims to simplify water treatment and wastewater management. The firm, founded by Sanjiv Sambandan and Prabha Nagarajan, has developed a technology that enables individual users to treat water from any source using a hassle-free treatment unit.