The patented technology achieves more than 95% water recovery and saves 35% on costs
10.04.2024 - 15:37:09riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar Offers a Launchpad to the Cleantech Startup, INDRA for Series A with USD 4M Funding
Business Wire IndiaINDRA, co-founded by Krunal Patel, an alumnus of K J Somaiya College of Engineering, along with his co-founder, Amrit Om Nayak, in 2017 solves issues of water treatment in the industrial and sewage segment with its patented electro-chemical oxidation and coagulation process. They've developed a proprietary water treatment solution - a plug-and-play system requiring 90% less space compared to existing solutions while recovering up to 99% of treated water.
The Indian market for water treatment is estimated to be worth $12 billion at the moment, and by 2030, it is projected to grow to $20 billion. With the current focus on industrial effluents from textiles, steel manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and sewage from hotels and commercial properties, INDRA’s impact extends across sectors where the need for effective water treatment is paramount.
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has helped INDRA receive investment support from BIRAC Seed Fund, supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, while connecting them to several investors and industries.
They began their startup journey with riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar by participating at the Bio-Entrepreneurship Program initiated by Bioriidl where they developed their initial prototypes, seeked mentorship, accessed the digital fabrication machinery like laser cutting machine along with R&D support. They carried out their first pilot at Somaiya’s Maitreyi hostel (Girls hostel, Somaiya Vidyavihar campus) to validate their prototype. Through the mentor & investor connections, they were able to set up their manufacturing unit in Bhiwandi to scale up their production capacity.
One of their initial customers was Godavari Biorefineries Pvt Ltd from the Somaiya ecosystem. Some of the other end customers of INDRA include Unilever Oleochemicals (Indonesia), Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, IHCL (Mumbai), Gelnova Laboratories (Navi Mumbai), Orient Fashions (Noida), and many more.
In the initial days, to build prototypes and get early access to the market for pilot testing & customers, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has provided instrumental support resulting in over 1 billion litres of waste water being treated, ~4,500 tons less of sludge, reducing ~3,600 tons less of harmful chemicals, and producing more than 850 tons less of greenhouse gases as compared to conventional chemical and biological water treatment solutions.
The smart cleantech startup, INDRA has recently raised its Series A funding of $4 million led by Emerald Technology Ventures and Mela Ventures, headquartered in Switzerland to create an impact on over 5,00,000 lives and counting. The investment round also saw participation from Peak Sustainability Ventures and The Climate Angels.
Not only that, INDRA has received several grants and fund support from prestigious programs like NIDHI Prayas, NIDHI Seed Support System & CAWACH, supported by Department of Science & Technology and BIRAC Seed Fund, supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. INDRA’s successful fundraising will help the startup in rigorously addressing the global challenge of wastewater management by joining hands with leading investors in the cleantech space.
“We ran a six-month pilot at Maitreyi’s hostel (Girls hostel at the Somaiya Vidyavihar in Mumbai). The campus already had a conventional sewage system, but our system was one-seventh its size. We could process 25,000 litres of wastewater every day. That’s when we decided to upgrade and make our solution commercially scaleable, through continuous support from riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar’s ecosystem,” said INDRA Co-Founder, Krunal Patel.
“Solving the wastewater treatment challenge needs continuous innovation and relentless commitment. We are excited to drive the world’s transition towards sustainable water management thus potentially saving up to 75% of net carbon emissions in the process as compared to conventional chemical and biological processes,” said INDRA Co-Founder, Amrit Om Nayak.
Gaurang Shetty, Chief Innovation Catalyst at riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar added, “Wastewater treatment is a pressing problem demanding urgent global attention. I am very excited as INDRA solves this challenge comprehensively with minimal infrastructure and space requirements, in a sustainable manner achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 by the United Nations.”
About riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar supports the creation and incubation of early-stage companies from ideation to commercialization by providing them with resources, labs, facilitating government grants, investor connections, funding and mentorship. Business incubators of riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar are supported by the Department of Science & Technology; BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Government of Maharashtra. It has incubated over 220 startups and facilitated in creating 1000+ jobs and internship opportunities while the total revenue generated by the startups is over INR 400 Cr.
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has been bestowed with the National Award for the year 2020 in the Emerging Technology Business Incubator category by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
About Somaiya Vidyavihar
Padma Bhushan Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya’s first initiative in education was the founding of a school in 1942 in rural Maharashtra, to provide quality holistic education. It was founded on the belief that education is an important pillar of nation-building with the power to change lives, and that it is the duty of the privileged to provide education to the needy.
Somaiya Vidyavihar comprises 34 allied institutions, with more than 39,000 students and 1,500 faculty. These educational institutes are spread across two widespread main campuses in Vidyavihar and Ayurvihar in Sion, both located in the heart of Mumbai. A number of smaller campuses across rural Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are also managed by the Trust. The Somaiya educational institutions offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate, Post-Graduate, and Doctoral levels. The Somaiya Vidyavihar campus also offers vocational programs, in addition to junior colleges and schools in English, Gujarati, and Marathi medium from pre-primary level onwards.
The Indian market for water treatment is estimated to be worth $12 billion at the moment, and by 2030, it is projected to grow to $20 billion. With the current focus on industrial effluents from textiles, steel manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and sewage from hotels and commercial properties, INDRA’s impact extends across sectors where the need for effective water treatment is paramount.
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has helped INDRA receive investment support from BIRAC Seed Fund, supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, while connecting them to several investors and industries.
They began their startup journey with riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar by participating at the Bio-Entrepreneurship Program initiated by Bioriidl where they developed their initial prototypes, seeked mentorship, accessed the digital fabrication machinery like laser cutting machine along with R&D support. They carried out their first pilot at Somaiya’s Maitreyi hostel (Girls hostel, Somaiya Vidyavihar campus) to validate their prototype. Through the mentor & investor connections, they were able to set up their manufacturing unit in Bhiwandi to scale up their production capacity.
One of their initial customers was Godavari Biorefineries Pvt Ltd from the Somaiya ecosystem. Some of the other end customers of INDRA include Unilever Oleochemicals (Indonesia), Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, IHCL (Mumbai), Gelnova Laboratories (Navi Mumbai), Orient Fashions (Noida), and many more.
In the initial days, to build prototypes and get early access to the market for pilot testing & customers, riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has provided instrumental support resulting in over 1 billion litres of waste water being treated, ~4,500 tons less of sludge, reducing ~3,600 tons less of harmful chemicals, and producing more than 850 tons less of greenhouse gases as compared to conventional chemical and biological water treatment solutions.
The smart cleantech startup, INDRA has recently raised its Series A funding of $4 million led by Emerald Technology Ventures and Mela Ventures, headquartered in Switzerland to create an impact on over 5,00,000 lives and counting. The investment round also saw participation from Peak Sustainability Ventures and The Climate Angels.
Not only that, INDRA has received several grants and fund support from prestigious programs like NIDHI Prayas, NIDHI Seed Support System & CAWACH, supported by Department of Science & Technology and BIRAC Seed Fund, supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. INDRA’s successful fundraising will help the startup in rigorously addressing the global challenge of wastewater management by joining hands with leading investors in the cleantech space.
“We ran a six-month pilot at Maitreyi’s hostel (Girls hostel at the Somaiya Vidyavihar in Mumbai). The campus already had a conventional sewage system, but our system was one-seventh its size. We could process 25,000 litres of wastewater every day. That’s when we decided to upgrade and make our solution commercially scaleable, through continuous support from riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar’s ecosystem,” said INDRA Co-Founder, Krunal Patel.
“Solving the wastewater treatment challenge needs continuous innovation and relentless commitment. We are excited to drive the world’s transition towards sustainable water management thus potentially saving up to 75% of net carbon emissions in the process as compared to conventional chemical and biological processes,” said INDRA Co-Founder, Amrit Om Nayak.
Gaurang Shetty, Chief Innovation Catalyst at riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar added, “Wastewater treatment is a pressing problem demanding urgent global attention. I am very excited as INDRA solves this challenge comprehensively with minimal infrastructure and space requirements, in a sustainable manner achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 by the United Nations.”
About riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar supports the creation and incubation of early-stage companies from ideation to commercialization by providing them with resources, labs, facilitating government grants, investor connections, funding and mentorship. Business incubators of riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar are supported by the Department of Science & Technology; BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Government of Maharashtra. It has incubated over 220 startups and facilitated in creating 1000+ jobs and internship opportunities while the total revenue generated by the startups is over INR 400 Cr.
riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar has been bestowed with the National Award for the year 2020 in the Emerging Technology Business Incubator category by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
About Somaiya Vidyavihar
Padma Bhushan Shri Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya’s first initiative in education was the founding of a school in 1942 in rural Maharashtra, to provide quality holistic education. It was founded on the belief that education is an important pillar of nation-building with the power to change lives, and that it is the duty of the privileged to provide education to the needy.
Somaiya Vidyavihar comprises 34 allied institutions, with more than 39,000 students and 1,500 faculty. These educational institutes are spread across two widespread main campuses in Vidyavihar and Ayurvihar in Sion, both located in the heart of Mumbai. A number of smaller campuses across rural Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are also managed by the Trust. The Somaiya educational institutions offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate, Post-Graduate, and Doctoral levels. The Somaiya Vidyavihar campus also offers vocational programs, in addition to junior colleges and schools in English, Gujarati, and Marathi medium from pre-primary level onwards.
