Startup India and WhatsApp announce Winners for grants worth $ 250,000
Author: Shivangi Jain
Startup India launched the WhatsApp Grand Challenge earlier this year to support entrepreneurs looking to make a social-economic impact. The challenge received a whopping 1,700+ entries from 25 states across the country. Around 70% of the applications received were startups that are in early traction (started less than 6 months back) and prototype/ validation stage.
- MedCords (Kota, Rajasthan) uses technology to bring dependable and affordable access to quality healthcare to rural and semi urban areas. It digitally manages patient medical records, provides comprehensive e-consultations, and delivers insights using data science. They are currently live across 2,000 villages with data for 7,00,000 patients. Founder: Shreyans Mehta
- Melzo (Surat, Gujarat) is an affordable virtual reality content platform, enabling masses to consume content easily on low-end devices. Catering to over 140+ brands and SMEs globally, they have reached 3 million+ views across 200+ countries. Founder: Hardik Desai
- Javis (Mumbai, Maharashtra) is a WhatsApp-based interactive AI platform that connects the right people with the right information to get business done quickly. The platform receives an average of 3-4 individual queries per day, and currently has 1500 active users. Founder: Partha Sinha
- Gramophone (Indore, Madhya Pradesh) is an agri-tech platform providing agronomic intelligence to farmers and aims to be a one-stop-shop for all agricultural input needs. They help farmers reduce cultivation costs by 15-20%, and increase production by more than 30%. Founder: Tauseef Khan
- Minion Labs (Bengaluru, Karnataka) help businesses reduce electricity costs, leveraging a machine learning approach, and improve productivity by providing real-time electricity consumption insights. They have helped businesses save 12-16% on their annual electricity costs. Founder: Gokul Shrinivas