Indian start-ups will showcase their innovations in India Energy Week

There will be a special start-up pavilion at IEW 2025, demonstrating the breadth of innovation in India's energy sector. Last week Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri announced the winners of two prestigious startup challenges - Avinya'25 and Vasudha - at a special ceremony held at ONGC headquarters.

The announcement came at the conclusion of "Energize India: Catalyzing Growth Through Startup Innovation," a high-powered conclave that brought together energy sector veterans, investors, and innovators.

The winner of Avinya'25, India's premier energy startup competition, was UrjanovaC Pvt Ltd. The runners-up were Breathe ESG Private Limited, AgriVijay, Apeiro Energy and UGreen Technology. For Vasudha, the global startup challenge in the upstream oil and gas sector, the winner was Latin Energy Partners Inc., Paraguay and the runner-up was Ultrasound Process Consulting LLC, USA.

Addressing the occasion, Minister Puri highlighted the pivotal role of PSUs under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in fostering innovation through a Rs. 547.35 crore startup fund. Supporting 303 startups with Rs. 286.36 crore, these efforts propel India's vibrant ecosystem of over 110 unicorns, creating transformative growth and jobs.

The winning startups will receive prominent exposure at India Energy Week 2025, where they will showcase their innovations to over 70,000 energy professionals from 120 countries. The winners will join fourteen public sector undertaking (PSU) startups in a special startup pavilion at IEW 2025, demonstrating the breadth of innovation in India's energy sector.

These startup challenges are part of India Energy Week 2025, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 11-14, 2025. The event has grown significantly from its previous editions in Bangalore and Goa and will feature over 700 exhibiting companies, 500 speakers, and more than 6,000 delegates.

Last week, Pankaj Jain, Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said, "Fossil fuel is not going anywhere in India for the next 25 years. We have several terabytes of seismic data on our open waters earmarked for exploration. I urge our bright sparks to think about developing solutions to mine through the data and contribute to hydrocarbon exploration efforts."

Sarthak Behuria, Former Chairman of IOCL and ONGC, and a jury member of the AVINYA'25 jury panel witnessed remarkable energy innovations, with startups showcasing ideas that push the boundaries of technology and sustainability.

Behuria highlighted that all the presentations were very interesting and creative. Happy to see how they think of energy security, energy transition and affordability. The program selecting the startups through AVINYA'25 was most appropriate and it includes all stakeholders who are associated with this industry particularly as we move towards IEW.

From shortlisting to selecting the top winners, the jury panel of AVINYA'25 recognized innovations that have the potential to transform the future of energy.

Jury member Dr Suddhasatwa Basu, FIPI Chair Professor, IIT Delhi, shared his insights on the rigorous selection process that identified the most promising startups.

Basu said, "In the first round we have selected 40 of them. Then we shortlisted to 10 with whom we interacted and finally, we selected the top 3 innovators and some others as a consolation prize to give them a platform for showcasing their technologies during IEW."

Jury member Dr P Chandrasekaran, Former Director (E&D), OIL, highlighted how such platforms empower Indian talent to set the course for innovation, collaboration, and long-term progress in the energy sector.

Chandrasekaran said, "This will be a beautiful opportunity not only for the professionals of the Indian Industry of Oil and Gas and the entire energy spectrum but also for the Universities and institutes to frame their future course of work. IEW is not only going to help academia and industry Professionals but also to the govt so that the formulation of policies and execution of plans. This is going to take India to the next level."

India has firmly established itself as the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with over 1.57 lakh certificates issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for recognition of startups as of December 31, 2024.

The nation's entrepreneurial landscape, fuelled by more than 100 unicorns, is redefining innovation and creating new opportunities across sectors. (ANI)