“AIC-BIMTECH, in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission in India, organized a
week-long CTA program in various geographies of India on the theme “Waste to Wealth,” which marked its foundation in Delhi. The first event of this program was held on the 5th of this month at ‘Imperial Hotel, Delhi’.
In collaboration with local implementation partner Atal Incubation Centre (BIMTECH), the
Canadian High Commission in India launched the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA)
initiative. The program began virtually over the course of 12 weeks this year, from September to December, intending to connect Canadian early-stage SMEs and capitalize on the growing Indian market. The program was full of power sessions wherein AIC-BIMTECH coached on pitching, fundraising, sales and marketing, tax and legal problems, B2B meetings, and more, with the help of customized sessions by various domain experts. The India CTA “Waste to Wealth” cohort is the second to take place since the program’s inception earlier this year.
The event started with the welcome address of Dr. Abha Rishi, CEO of AIC-BIMTECH where
she discussed her concern about problems going on in the surrounding area and the need for various initiatives to alter these issues. She expressed her gratitude to the Canadian delegates for their thorough support during the tenure of this program and wished them the best for their future journey. The Trade Commissioner, CTA, and Canadian High Commission in India, Ms. Meena Bhullar, graced the event with her presence, where she addressed all startups and their potential for the Indian market, followed by Ms. Jennifer Daubeny, Minister Commercial, the Canadian High Commission in India participated in this event, where she discussed India and Canada’s long-term engagement and strategic partnership in terms of trade, investment, and supply chain. “India plays a significant role when it comes to the Indo-Pacific strategy,” she added. She also thanked AIC-BIMTECH for its engagement and participation over the previous four months. Dr. Anupam Verma, Deputy Director, and Dr. K.C. Arora, Registrar, BIMTECH, witnessed the event.
The event was further followed by an actual pitch session by three companies, where Mr.
Charles Foster from IQ Energy Inc., Mr. Raphael Kolenko from CarbonCap, and Mr. Hardwin
Zhen from EarthTech Group presented their pitches to the investors.
Dr. Janak Palata, a social activist and Padmashree honoree, attended the event and later
addressed the audience with her indelible remarks about the conversion of trash into some
useful entity being subject to personal choice and how she had changed her own life and
assisted others in changing theirs. “We should make an effort to reduce waste and become
self-sufficient enough to not rely on un-eco friendly products,” she added.
After one-on-one meetings with Canadian companies, investors and a meeting with Invest India, the event came to an end.
The next day, all of the Canadian startups went to Jindal Ecopolis and Okhla landfill, which is already a clean-tech company, for a site visit to look for strategic partners and learn more about the technology used in India’s clean-tech sector.
The event was hosted & led by Mr. Kapil Agarwal, Project Lead CTA, & Deputy Manager of
AIC-BIMTECH. A similar program was conducted at two locations on December 7th, in Indore with hosting partner “Indore Smart Seed Incubation Centre”. On the same day, Canadian startups and the project lead went to Nisargruna Biogas Treatment Plant, Devguradia Nisargruna, then to NEPRA Material Recovery Facility, and finally to Swahaa’s mobile waste processing vehicle, Choithram, Sabji Mandi. on December 8th, with the hosting partner “T-Hub.”where Re-Sustainability Ltd. organized the site tour and Canadian firms got a chance to see their varied plants namely, HiMSW site Jawaharnagar, Plant visit – P & D, Plastic Waste Recycling, CBG – by vehicle, WTE Plant visit, Dundigal HWMP Site (TSDF, E-Waste & WTE) and to Jeedimetla C & D respectively.
The Atal Incubation Center—Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH)—is the
vision of NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission. It is a platform with ample resources that bring together all the domain experts to develop world-class incubation facilities to build an innovative India. Personalized mentorship is provided through the amalgamation of national and international experts, from corporate as well as academic institutions. A strategic & focused approach is followed for long-term business planning, collaboration tactics, and guidance, in the market & financial support.