6 innovative startups from Shark Tank India awarded grants: DBS Foundation

These startups were recognised for their commitment to a dual bottom line, aiming for profit while making a positive social or environmental impact

DBS Foundation has awarded grants to six sustainability-focused startups that were featured in Season 3 of Shark Tank India. They were recognised for their commitment to a dual bottom line, aiming for profit while making a positive social or environmental impact. DBS Bank India and Sony Entertainment Television collaborated to co-power the season.

Grant allocation for business expansion

The awarded grants, varying between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, were allocated to assist the enterprises in expanding their consumer base, scaling operations, and improving productivity through technology enhancements.

Startups awarded are

The Honest Home Company: Leading the charge against plastic pollution, this eco-focussed brand provides sustainable packaging solutions. It makes household products using organic raw materials free from toxic chemicals.

Dharaksha Ecosolutions, a Faridabad-based start-up, specialises in mycelium-based biodegradable packaging. With this, it tackles the issue of stubble burning and plastic pollution by offering biodegradable packaging alternatives.

This biotech start-up, founded in 2020 by Arpit Dhupar and Anand Bodh, harnesses the natural ability of fungi roots to break down complex organic matter through the secretion of enzymes. As mycelium continues to grow, it creates a nearly solid structure within its digested substrate.

Without (by Ashaya): This Pune-based start-up has come up with a unique technique to integrate fashion with recycling of trash to promote sustainability. Founded by Anish Malpani, ‘Without by Ashaya’ has developed a way to transform multi-layered plastics, commonly used in chip packets and notorious for their recycling challenges, into stylish sunglasses.

FarmDidi: Founded by Manjari Sharma, an IIM alumni, FarmDidi is a tech-led food startup that is empowering women in rural Maharashtra to manufacture high-quality food products and make an income.

XMachines: Hyderabad-based X-Machines is a robotics startup. It develops AI-based robots to cater to the needs of farmers. Its portable device uses robotics technology to automate the task of removing weeds from agricultural fields. Using sensors and machine learning algorithms, the device can identify and precisely target individual weeds, while minimising damage to the surrounding crops.

Trestle Labs: The Bengaluru-based startup has developed a solution - Kibo - that translates and digitises printed, audio, handwritten and digital content in 60 global languages, including 12 Indian languages. The Kibo app is being used by over 40,000 persons in 15 countries, including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Indonesia.