KL Deemed to be University Drives Innovation and Entrepreneurship through ACIC - KL Startups Foundation

New Delhi: KL Deemed to be University, to provide a vibrant and sustainable hub for the startup ecosystem, designing innovative solutions for societal challenges faced by communities. Through ACIC KL Startups Foundation supported by AIM and NIITI Aayog, the university facilitates various support systems to enhance Community innovators, Grassroot Innovators, & student entrepreneurial journeys. The ACIC KL Startups Foundation had selected a second batch for the Community Innovator Fellowship Program recently.

The Community Innovator Fellowship program, an initiative by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with UNDP India, aims to facilitate knowledge building and provide infrastructure support to aspiring community innovators. This one-year intensive fellowship program is open to applicants regardless of their socio-economic background. Fellows will gain SDG awareness, entrepreneurial skills, and life skills while working on their ideas.

Batch 1 has three fellows including Ms. P. Vyshali from Suswan Farms Private Limited ( Lee Bazar), who works with community women on secondary products to sorrel leaf; Naga Munesh, who developed a sugarcane harvesting machine; and Ch. Prabhu Dev, who created Rhea, an IoT device for water distribution system alerts and notifications. Batch 2 includes five fellows; C. Mouninka, who focuses on healthy mushrooms; J. Naresh Kumar, who developed a piezoelectric bike; Ravali, who founded Swadist; Jayavarden, who produces organic soaps; and Maheswar, who works on converting agro waste to wealth.

Dr G Pardha Saradhi Varma, Vice-Chancellor of KL Deemed to be University, said, “Our university is at the forefront of empowering innovators and entrepreneurs to address societal challenges and uplift their communities through impactful and sustainable solutions. Through our ACIC KL Startups Foundation, we offer unique and incentivized solutions that encourage students, researchers, and individuals to ideate and design novel innovative solutions for communities.”

The Foundation is currently inviting applications for summer internship programs, including Social Internship Programs and Technical Internship Programs, each lasting 45 days. In the Social Internship Program, interns will participate in hands-on activities, workshops, and projects designed to develop innovative solutions to social challenges. The Technical Internship Program combines workshops, mentorship, and project-based learning, allowing interns to gain valuable insights into the key stages of the innovation lifecycle, from ideation to market launch.

Talking about the initiatives, Raman Kanth Vallabhaneni, CEO ACIC KL said, “We enable students to achieve their dreams through various initiatives. Our pre-incubation program assists aspiring entrepreneurs in developing their business ideas. The incubation program provides startups with mentorship, workspace, and resources to grow their businesses. The acceleration program helps startups scale their businesses and prepare for investment. There are currently 21 incubated startups and 28 pre-incubated startups. ACIC KL Startups Foundation has 'Startup India Seed Fund' and is in the process of obtaining funds from other Government initiatives.