Avinya – Energy Startup Challenge (India)

The initiative aims to draw focus on innovation, socio-economic impact, sustainability, diversity, and contribution to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The objective is to encourage students, early-stage entrepreneurs, and research enthusiasts to innovate solutions and foster groundbreaking ideas & technologies that can shape the energy sector of the future.

Themes for Challenges

• Upstream
• Midstream
• Downstream
• Low-carbon
• Circular Economy
• CCUS
• Biofuels
• ESG
• Green Hydrogen
• E-mobility
• Functional topics across the energy value chain
• Functional topics across the energy value chain

Problem Statement

Pioneering innovation across the energy value chain

• Avinya – Energy startup challenge calls upon startups from India engaged in solving problems that cut across upstream, midstream, downstream, low-carbon, and alternate energy, including but not limited to ESG, Green Hydrogen, CCUS, Biofuels, Circular Economy, and E-mobility. Startups can also focus on any functional aspect of the energy value chain, such as operations, HSE, digital, technology, cost reduction, trading, energy efficiency, capability building, Industry 4.0, etc.

Incentives

• Fiscal Incentives
  • The top 3 winners will receive cash prizes of INR 3 lacs, INR 2 lacs, and INR 1 lacs, respectively.
• Non-Fiscal Incentives
  • All winners of round 1 are to be provided with
    • Certificates of recognition
    • Mentorship by leadership from top energy companies, investors, heads of incubation centers, and energy think tanks
  • Top 5 winners will be rewarded with
    • Felicitation at the India Energy Week’24
    • Potential opportunity to speak, showcase their ideas and network at the India Energy Week’24
    • Networking opportunity to connect with investors and industry leaders
    • Potential opportunity to work on POC and pilot projects

Eligibility Criteria

The following are the eligibility criteria:

• Open to the citizens of India.
• Stage of Startup: Ideation and Early-Stage (where early stage includes Bootstrapped/ Pre-seed/ Series A/Series B/Series C).
• Participating startups to be registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Startups to have a maximum of 10 years (as of 1st Jan’24) from the date of incorporation and turnover of less than 100 CR.
• The startups should be operating in the energy value chain as described under themes and problem statement.
• An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of an existing business shall not be considered a Start-up.

For more information, visit Government of India.