R-ABI Newsletter(July 2020 - December 2020)

Half Yearly Issue (July 2020-December 2020) Volume 2 (Scan here for R-ABI, IIT (BHU) website)

Hon’ble Director’s Message Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain Director, IIT (BHU) Varanasi Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi has set target to double the Farmers’ income by 2022. In order to accomplish his vision Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvenation (RKVY – RAFTAAR) Program was rolled out by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare (MoA&FW). This program aims to promote Agripreneurship and Agri-Businesses by providing financial support and nurturing through incubation ecosystem. We are highly elated to state that Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare (MoA&FW) has sanctioned to establish RKVY-RAFTAAR Agri Business Incubator (R-ABI) at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, a citadel of Technical education in India. R-ABI, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, aims to strengthen the marginal farmers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas by promoting Agripreneurship, spreading awareness and helping them to mitigate risks involved in agriculture. We request the students and the alumni network of IIT (BHU) Varanasi to participate in this program and to be a part of this nation-building initiative. 1

From the PI’s Desk Prof. Rajnesh Tyagi Principal Investigator RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubator IIT(BHU) Varanasi I am pleased to write the foreword for the 2nd edition of R-ABI, IIT (BHU) Varanasi Newsletter. R-ABI, IIT (BHU) is continuously achieving new milestones with untiring efforts and sincere dedication. Till now we have successfully completed 3 Cohorts. The first tranche of the Grant-in-aid has been disbursed to the incubated start-ups. Some start-ups like Allywing Solutions, VN organics, Healventures Biosciences have developed their market ready products. Diligent work of the Start-ups paid off as they won many awards at state as well as national level. In Cohort-3, we received 158 applications from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Telangana and Karnataka. After primary screening of the applications, 52 start-ups were invited to present their ideas and 32 start-ups were shortlisted for Agripreneurship Orientation Program (AOP) and Incubation programs. After 2 months mentoring and progress monitoring, 21 start-ups have been recommended for further screening by the Knowledge Partner. We are also looking forward to an extravagant event lined up ahead - Agri India Hackathon by PusaKrishi Incubator, IARI-ICAR. It is first all India Agri Hackathon where Agri start-ups will get great exposure and fruitful business connect. I congratulate all the start-ups for their efforts in building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem and working towards our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. R-ABI, IIT (BHU) at a Glance 2

July 2020 Padma Bhushan awardee and Co-founder of HCL Shri. Ajai Chowdhary visited R-ABI, IIT(BHU) Varanasi. He interacted with the incubatees and students of IIT-BHU and shared his valuable insights and experiences. August 2020 Outreach & awareness programs were conducted to sensitize youths, farmers, Agripreneurs etc. and they were encouraged to join RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme and other entrepreneurial supports in nearby rural areas. • Ms. Shipra Shandilya led Prabhuti Entreprises launched 2 new varieties of cookies this year – 1. Flourless saffron almond cookies 2. Mahua Cookies 3

September 2020 Principal Investigator of R-ABI, IIT (BHU) Prof. P.K. Mishra was awarded with prestigious ‘Dr. V.G. Patel memorial award-2020’ for Entrepreneurship Educator/Mentor/Trainer. • Insightful discussion about \"Atmanirbhar Bharat“ by Prof. Pradeep Kumar Mishra was aired on Doordarshan (DD National). He threw light on vision and missions of \"Atmanirbhar Bharat\" abhiyan, and various initiatives taken by government to provide employment to migrant labours during Pandemic through MSMEs. October 2020 • First tranche of the Grant-in-aid of amount INR 91 Lacs has been disbursed among 19 start-ups (10 under Prasfutan and 9 under Ankuran) 4

• R-ABI, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, successfully completed 1st RIC (R-ABI Incubation Committee) meeting of Cohort-3 to shortlist the potential Agri Start-ups for Ankuran (Pre-seed stage) and Prasfutan (Seed stage) Program under RKVY- RAFTAAR scheme of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted online. 52 Startups were invited to present their idea. RIC members examined their potential growth and recommended 32 start-ups for further development. In Cohort-3, 6 start-ups are women led start-ups • In the online Agripreneurship Orientation Program (AOP), 24 sessions including technical, legal, finance and business aspects were organized from 19th October to 4th December 2020. • 6 sessions were organized on modern Agriculture practices. • 5 Sessions were organized for the better understanding of finance, legal aspects and company compliances. • 13 Sessions were organized to provide insight on business, growth and sustainability. • Interactive sessions with the previous cohort start-ups were also organized for community learning. • Various Experts from the Industry, IIT (BHU), Institute of Agriculture Sciences, BHU and Institute of Management Studies, BHU shared their knowledge and wisdom with the start-ups. 5

PRASFUTAN Participants in AOP Shishir Ranjan Abhay Goel Subodh Shah FARMISTO Hari Organic Manure Pvt. Ltd Frenzy Farm LLP B2B platform for farmers & E-commerce platform for Botanical extracts for crop food processing units Agri-Input Sales protection Nirbhay Khanna Deependra Solanky Sanjeev Kumar Kaushal CAN Analytics An Interactive platform that Alignus Products and Services Jalwayu Technologies connects farmers with traders A phygital platform to provide Share Croppers to connect land customized input and output services to owners and farm labors to work on profit sharing basis farmers Vikram Kumar Singh Udit Srivastava Dharam Pal Singh Duhoon Krishiyaan Indi Text Info Research Farm Equipment for peeling and A blockchain based e- processing Shatavar and Museli. Agricultural Drones for spraying and monitoring commerce platform Mayank Kumar Yadav Ritik Pandey Phosphorus Based Fertilizers from Krishiyog Entreprises Zero cost evaporative bio degradable wastes. cooling chamber 6

ANKURAN Participants in AOP Debika Mukherjee Dr. Harsh Pandey Dr. Megha Saxena Divavi Enterprises Yamini Innovation Biochar & Wood Vinegar A collaborative platform Food supplement for to promote local produce neurological problems and sleep disorders Usha Mishra Harshvardhan Singh Gautam Sanjeev Kumar, Paarijat Healthcare Organic insecticide, fungicide TGT Global Development Ayurvedic medicine for and plant growth regulator headache, acne, cough, Services Animal feed through urban cold and gastro green waste Ashutosh Singh Arpan Singh Rajput Dr. Abhijit Ganguly Cutlery and table wear using Nathan’s Agro Technology High Proteins nutritional Mobile based application products using soyabean, agri waste for early detection of plant mushroom and selected diseases spices 7

Devesh Shukla Shivam Tiwari Siddharth Pradhan Platform to sell Bio adhesive for ceramic tiles Documentation, equipment and agri conservation and promotion of produce indigenous seeds Raghavendra Kumar Singh Om Prakash Anoop Kumar Devedee Eco friendly alternative of Bio-waste and polymer based Allelopathic Herbicides Stryrofoam thermocol using agri compressed board waste Reshu Bhardwaj Dr Moushumi Ghosh Mandavi Goswami Jalodari A high-value nutritional supplement comprising of guava powder and probiotic bacterial cultures Basavraj Teli Crop specific bio-fertilizers 8

AOP Resource person Neha Singh Founder, Forest Regeneration and Environmental Sustainability Trust Topic - Sustainable farming Dr B K Sarma Prof. I.Ag.Sc BHU, (Mycology & Plant Pathology), Topic - Micro nutrient based bio fertilizers and herbicides Dr Puneet Bindlish Asst. Prof. IIT BHU (Humanistic Studies) Topic – 1) Digital Pathways in Agriculture 2) Filters to check viability of a business idea Dr. Ravindra Srinivas Founder, Ecochoice Naturals Topic - Quality check and grading standards for food and vegetables Dr. Anil Kumar Chauhan Professor & Coordinator - Centre of Food Science & Technology, I.Ag.Sc BHU. Topic – Bio food processing & preservation 9

Dr. Rajnish Kumar Assistant Professor Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, IIT(BHU) Topic - Emerging Computational Tools in Drug Discovery Dr. O P Singh Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT (BHU) Topic - IP protection strategy Mayur Gujrati Company Secretary Topic - Company Registration and Compliances Dr. Amit Gautam Professor. IMS, BHU Topic - Finance Primer: break-even points, P+L statements, Income Statements Satish Chandra Executive Director - Institute for Agriculture Technology and Finance Management, Independent consultant finance Topic - Company Valuation 10

Gaurav Kedia IIT BHU Alumni, Chairman of Indian Biogas Association Topic – 1) Market Analysis for Agriculture start-up 2) How to find out pre-feasibility of a Project Praphul Mishra Managing Director, Oi Media Topic – Customer Identification and documentation Prof. Kunal Saxena IIM-C Alumnus, Professor at Presidency University Topic – 1) Digital Marketing 2) Sales Value Proposition Prof. Ashutosh Mohan Professor IMS, BHU Topic – 1) How to conduct market survey? 2) How to conduct customer interviews / feedback Sanket Shah Founder of Cognoscent Ventures Topic – 1) Business Modelling 2) Legal and partnerships 11

Sachin Nandwana Co-Founder Bighaat Agro Pvt Ltd Topic – Revenue Strategy Suresh Kumar Shukla Founder of Filternet Foundation IIT (BHU) Alumnus Topic – How to write Business Model Canvas Sonali Jha Founder of Cunomial Incubation Management Portal Topic – How to write a Business Plan Bhavik Mehta Investment Professional at Roots Ventures Topic – How to write & present a pitch 12

November 2020 Constitution Day • ANAND-KANAN Agri Tech Pvt Ltd, one • Principal Investigator Prof. P.K. of the start-ups incubated in R-ABI, IIT Mishra and Staffs of R-ABI, IIT (BHU) (BHU) Varanasi, has opened an read the Preamble and took oath to Organic Haat at Karaundi, BHU upheld and protect the Constitution Varanasi with the grant-in-aid support on the occasion of ‘Constitution of the RKVY-RAFTAAR Scheme. Day’ (26 Nov 2020) Hon’ble Lakshman Acharya, Member, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, inaugurated the store on 12th November 2020. This store will provide a market place and platform to the other incubated start-ups to showcase their products. • Our incubate Titlis Engg & Projects Pvt. Ltd won the prestigious ‘Gujarat Leadership Award 2020’ in Solar Energy Leadership category. • Progress Review meeting of selected startups was conducted on 23 Nov 2020 under the Chairmanship of Principal Investigator Prof. P.K. Mishra. 13

December 2020 • Founder of Allywing solutions Gaurav • Valediction of Agripreneurship Orientation Singh completed the final testing of his low-cost water pump which is now Program (AOP) of Cohort-3 was held on ready to be sold in market. This is a 10th December 2020. Hon’ble Director of revolutionary irrigation pump for IIT-BHU Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain was the marginal farmers which can save fuel Chief Guest and Dean (R&D) Prof. Rajiv cost and give much higher output than Prakash was the Guest of Honor for the conventional pumps. event. • Satyaprakash Dev Pandey and his team of Sonanchal Aroma Pvt. Ltd. provided training of organic farming, food processing, food preservation, packaging and marketing to the rural and tribal women & youth of Singrauli region, M.P. 14

December 2020 Nisha Niranjan and Vikash Pataiya of VN Organics have won Jai Chand Mehta Gold medal (For best entrepreneurship) at ITM Gwalior. Ashok Manwani of Manwani Pearls, incubated at R-ABI, IIT (BHU) gave training on pearl cultivation and shell handicraft manufacturing to the tribal and rural women at Singrauli, M.P. They created beautiful shell handicrafts which are drawing a lot of market attention. Mushroom cultivation training was given by our incubatee VN organics in association with NCL, Singrauli for skill development of Tribal and rural belt. 15

• Incubatee of R-ABI, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Agri India Hackathon – the largest Grihasta Georgic Pvt. Ltd launched virtual gathering of agriculturists, ‘Shop-on-wheels’, a mobile van to startups, innovators, experts and directly deliver farm fresh goods to students was inaugurated by Pusa Krishi consumers. Hon’ble director of IIT(BHU) ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and DAC&FW. Varanasi Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain Hon’ble Agriculture minister Shri flagged off the vehicle. Narendra Singh Tomar was the chief Dean(R&D) Prof. Rajiv Prakash and PI guest of the event. AIH is the largest Prof. Pradeep Kr Mishra were also virtual meet to create dialogues, and present to grace the event. accelerate innovations in agriculture. It will unfold incredible things like Business learnings, innovation, pitching, networking etc. like never before. • A session on \"Revenue Strategies to Hack Growth\" was conducted by Dr. Kunal Saxena who is currently Asst. Professor in PRESIDENCY UNIVERSITY, Benguluru. Dr. Kunal is a Digital Marketing Expert, Data Specialist & Strategic Marketing Leader with 14+ years of experience in Technology & Education domain. Various Deep Tech, Agri Tech and Food Tech start-ups incubated at IIT BHU, attended the online session. 16

Leadership and Strategic Team Partner Institute Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain Prof. Ramesh Chand Director, IIT (BHU) Varanasi Director Prof. Rajiv Prakash IAgSc, BHU Dean (R&D) (A MoU is signed with Institute IIT (BHU) Varanasi of Agriculture Sciences, BHU for domain mentorship support.) Prof. Rajnesh Tyagi Principal Investigator R-ABI, IIT (BHU) Varanasi Execution Sonal Shukla Dr. Abhishek Singh Team Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Sudarshan Chakravarty Arjun Tiwari Business Executive Business Executive 17

Reach us: In front of IIT (BHU) proctor office. IIT (BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi – 221005 Uttar Pradesh, India