With nearly 90,000 startups, the Indian innovation ecosystem is the third-largest in the world. While these startups aim to drive change in various sectors, the sustainability sector is gaining popularity.
Despite the startup innovation ecosystem constantly growing and changing, we took a deep dive into the companies driving sustainability. Here are five startups leveraging technology and breaking new ground for innovation in India.
Emergency Services For Livestock – Sustainability through Healthcare
In India, emergency care services exist for people, but what if your livestock needs care? This is what Animal ICU is aiming to provide. The sustainability-based startup is the first to offer a tech-enabled platform for animal healthcare. Manish Kumar Meena started the company after he experienced the challenges farmers endure when their cattle fall ill. This platform enables farmers to reach out to doctors locally with quick access to accurate information during an emergency.
The platform also provides an accessible dashboard for farmers to see information about –
- Routine check-ups
- Healthcare tips
- Health card
- Track their livestock’s health parameters
- Vaccination due dates
Animal ICU is the first organization in the world to have launched a cattle credit card. The sustainability-based startup offers a unique identification number, helping potential buyers with important information about the livestock.
Enabling Sustainable Farming in Metros
This startup is driving innovation in India through sustainable farming in metro cities. Blueleaves Farm builds automated vertical farms on complex residential rooftops. Its aeroponic cultivation setup can produce yields over 50 times per unit of land without pesticides and with up to 90 per cent lower water requirement.
With the help of robotics, artificial lighting, and IoT, Blueleaves can work with just a fraction of the space, time, and labour usually required to produce high-quality yields.
The farms show organizations and individuals a sustainable way to cultivate crops. The startup’s smart tech ensures that farming is climate-independent and pesticide-free, with much lower water requirements and 50 times more yield. All of this makes Blueleaves Farm one of the top sustainability startups in India.
Enhancing Farmer Yield Through Sustainability
ELAI Agritech tackles the challenge of low farm yields due to a lack of affordable tech. Affordable tech allows remote monitoring of fields and provides time-sensitive input to farmers, improving their crop potential and income.
The sustainability-based startup harnesses the power of next-gen tech tools to provide greater transparency throughout the agricultural supply chain. These tools and processes include AI, remote sensing and IoT. With the help of an interconnected data network (mobile, satellite, on-ground sensors), ELAI Agritech enables timely insights for farmers and other agriculture stakeholders.
An Android app helps farmers reduce losses and improve farm yields by creating a digital trail of the farm’s crop cycle. The trail offers stakeholders access to vital insights from the data through a SaaS-based monitoring platform. These insights enable data-driven policy creation and business planning for agribusinesses and governments.
ELAI Agritech has seen positive results in its 50 model farms, aiming to expand its farmer network in 2024.
Sustainable Waste Disposal
An essential aspect of sustainability is understanding waste disposal. The startup Elemantra is a non-profit that empowers and teaches communities how to engage in sustainable waste disposal. The startup promotes the long-term well-being of the people and the planet through various activities.
Elemantra applies its technical know-how and innovation to offer unique waste disposal products that enable sustainable waste management. Since its inception, it has transformed the lives of more than five lakh people across the country through fieldwork, scientific innovation, and a vision to revolutionize waste disposal.
Various startups in India seek to solve the waste disposal problem through startup accelerator programs. These programs offer viable, sustainable solutions through all stages, from ideation to implementation, ultimately fostering change in the country.
Sustainable Fuelling of the Economy With Biofuel
Jivoule Biofuels—a startup in the biofuels space drives to create clean, green fuel. The sustainable startup is building a bio-economy in the country through better biofuel availability.
Its mission is to transform everything from organic, wet, biomass, biodegradable, dairy, agri-waste, and poultry waste into Biomethane or Compressed Biogas (CBG). CBG, or biomethane, is a renewable and sustainable fuel used in industries, transport, and cooking and can easily replace CNG or natural gas.
These five startups are fostering sustainable ways to bring change in the way most people do things. With the help of business incubation centres like T-hub and startup accelerator programs, sustainability startups are driving futuristic change. Innovative and sustainable business models are models for other startups committed to making a difference.
