Start-up graduates from the StartupTN - Villgro Accelerator Cohort showcased their products and services at StartupTN's 'TamilNadu Start-up Thiruvizha 2023'. This was the first annual event of the Government of Tamil Nadu's nodal agency for Start-ups and Innovation.
The two-day event celebrated start-ups and entrepreneurship at Coimbatore's CODISSIA Trade Fair on August 19 and 20, 2023. It showcased over 450 stalls, predominantly by start-ups and ecosystem enablers, with 60 speakers, attracting more than 15,000 participants and delegates.
Villgro honoured and showcased 22 start-ups from the 'StartupTN - Villgro Accelerator Cohort'. The start-ups included pioneering ventures such as DbyT Dynamics Mobility Solutions, Ariviya Deep Tech, Freshrooms Lifesciences, Keerai Kadai Ventures, Transity, Samudhyoga Waste Chakra, Paraclete Image Labs, Infinite Inland Farmers, Green Delight Innovations, Arola, Yaadhum, Raatai, D2D Angaadi, Thiruvalluvar Tailoring Centre, and EETA.
They received more than 40 mentoring sessions, 15 diagnostic panels and ten investor meetings.
StartupTN introduced TANSEED 3.0, the 3rd edition of Tamil Nadu Start-up Seed Grant Fund—their flagship grant program last year, to support early-stage financing requirements of Start-ups to fill the gap in fund requirements for research and innovations with a grant of Rs 10 lakhs each. StartupTN collaborated with Villgro, a social enterprise incubator, to identify and nurture emerging businesses in the Agriculture, Climate Action, and Livelihood sectors through this accelerator program.
After nine start-ups got Rs 10 lakh each in funding through TANSEED 3.0, Villgro provided additional funding of Rs 96L to two start-ups, while two other start-ups raised Rs 1.44 crore of follow-on funding.
Villgro provided mentoring, industry networking and partnerships support to the start-ups through boot camps, 1-on-1 mentoring sessions and pan-India networking events. Villgro also gave start-ups valuable support, encompassing comprehensive portfolio management, expert mentorship, and hands-on assistance in critical areas such as product design, validation, testing, and establishing go-to-market partnerships.
On successfully completing the accelerator programme, the start-ups were presented at the Tamil Nadu Start-up Thiruvizha 2023, a high-impact platform to showcase their ideas to investors and mentors and network with potential investors.
"We were delighted to witness the resounding success of the Tamil Nadu Start-up Fest, which served as a testament to our dedicated efforts in fostering innovation. The collaboration between StartupTN and Villgro greatly enriched the start-up ecosystem, evident through the impactful output of the StartupTN - Villgro Accelerator program. The start-ups funded through the program are working diligently on innovating, developing, or enhancing products and processes with the potential to generate employment, create social impact, and foster wealth," said Sivarajah Ramanathan, StartupTN's mission director and CEO.
Srinivas Ramanujam, CEO of Villgro, added that they were honoured to have collaborated with the Tamil Nadu Government through StartupTN, which exemplifies our shared dedication to nurturing social innovation and start-up growth. "Tamil Nadu Start-up Thiruvizha provided an invaluable platform to connect Start-ups with potential investors and stakeholders. This collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering a thriving ecosystem that empowers start-ups to drive positive change and economic progress," he added.