
IIT-K, SBI Foundation launch startup innovations initiative
Kanpur: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur's Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), in partnership with SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of the State Bank of India, launched the 'Startup Innovations for Social Good' initiative under SBIF Innovators for Bharat on Thursday.
The initiative is also supported by SBI DFHI Limited and SBI Ventures. The programme was announced on Thursday at an event held at the IIT-K Outreach Centre, Noida.
The initiative will nurture 30 impact-driven startups—24 of which will be early-stage and 6 will be growth-stage—in domains such as AgriTech, Healthcare, and CleanTech. Spanning 18 months, the program will offer a structured incubation program with continuous mentoring, domain-specific support, and performance monitoring to ensure effective, socially impactful outcomes.
The launch event was attended by Amey Karkare, dean of resources and alumni, IIT-K; Deepu Philip, professor incharge, Innovation & Incubation, FIRST; Sanjay Prakash, MD & CEO, SBI Foundation; Ambika Prasad Bhuyan, vice president (head marketing and strategies), SBI DFHI Ltd; Kapil Kaul, CEO, IIT-Kanpur development foundation; Kumar Alok IAS (Retd.), former Chief Secretary Tripura and Prof of Practice, IIT-K; Aman Bhaiya, vice president and head (Strategy) SBI Foundation; and Piyush Mishra, COO, FIRST SIIC Kanpur, among other dignitaries.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
3 hours ago
- News18
IIT Guwahati Researchers Use Clay-Based Method To 'Sculpt' Affordable Covid Testing Process
Last Updated: The IIT Guwahati team meticulously investigated how bentonite clay interacts specifically with SARS-CoV-2 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed an innovative and cost-effective method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19. This novel technique uses a combination of bentonite clay and saltwater, offering a simpler and more affordable alternative to conventional diagnostic tools such as PCR and antigen tests. Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Clay Science, have the potential to revolutionise virus detection, particularly in resource-constrained settings and for future pandemic preparedness. This groundbreaking method hinges on the principle of sedimentation. Bentonite clay is renowned for its exceptional absorbent properties and its capacity to bind with various substances, including heavy metals and pollutants. Building on previous research suggesting that clay particles could interact with viruses, the IIT Guwahati team meticulously investigated how bentonite clay interacts specifically with SARS-CoV-2. Their research revealed that when the virus is present in a neutral pH saltwater solution at room temperature, it binds effectively with the clay particles. This binding accelerates sedimentation, with virus-laden clay particles settling more rapidly. By observing and measuring this accelerated sedimentation, researchers can accurately determine both the presence and concentration of the virus in a sample. The implications of this discovery are substantial, say some experts. While PCR tests are highly accurate, they are costly, require specialised equipment and trained personnel, and often depend on significant infrastructure, limiting their accessibility in remote or under-resourced areas. Antigen tests, while faster, can be less sensitive than PCR. In contrast, the IIT Guwahati method requires minimal equipment, is inherently affordable, and offers a potentially rapid diagnostic solution suitable for widespread deployment. First Published: June 07, 2025, 04:03 IST


India.com
11 hours ago
- India.com
Meet Ashok Elluswamy engineer, brain behind Elon Musk's Tesla's AI success, not from IIT, IIM; earned Bachelor's degree from..
Meet Ashok Elluswamy engineer, brain behind Elon Musk's Tesla's AI success, not from IIT, IIM; earned Bachelor's degree from.. Tesla head Elon Musk needs no introduction. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2025, Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. His total net worth is $335 B. An old post by Elon Musk about Ashok Elluswamy, the head of Tesla AI, has recently gone viral. On June 2, 2025, Musk went back to that time by re-posting his 2015 tweet with the message, 'Ramping up the Autopilot software team at Tesla to achieve generalized full autonomy. If interested, contact autopilot@ In the post, Musk shared that Elluswamy was the very first person he interviewed when hiring for Tesla. Talking about the Indian-origin engineer Ashok Elluswamy, who was the first recruit of Tesla's Autopilot team, Musk said, 'This tweet 9 years ago was how I started the Autopilot, now AI, team at Tesla. Ashok, who now leads the team, was the first person I interviewed. Milan, who leads Optimus, also joined very early. Many of the key people in Tesla AI have been there from the beginning.' Ashok Elluswamy is a San Francisco resident who serves as Vice President of AI at Tesla and directs the company's Autopilot software. Originally, he came to Tesla in 2014 and became the first engineer of the Autopilot/AI team. He has been leading AI software since 2019, guiding Tesla's initiatives in autonomous driving, neural networks, and real-time decision-making systems. This tweet 9 years ago was how I started the Autopilot, now AI, team at Tesla. Ashok, who now leads the team, was the first person I interviewed. Milan, who leads Optimus, also joined very early. Many of the key people in Tesla AI have been there from the beginning. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2025 'Robotics engineer with broad experience from computer vision and perception through planning and control. Inspired to solve meaningful and challenging real-world problems using state-of-the-art technology! Eager to work hard and learn continuously,' reads his LinkedIn profile. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ashok pursued Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Communication from the College of Engineering Guindy, Chennai between 2005 to 2009. Later, he pursued Master of Science-MS, Robotic Systems Development from Carnegie Mellon University. Before Tesla, he worked as a Software Engineer at WABCO Vehicle Control Systems. He worked as a research intern at Volkswagen Electronic Research.


The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
K-Homes remains a non-starter despite being in demand
Avinash Nair, a private company employee in Ahmedabad, has been anxiously waiting for the roll-out of the K-Homes project announced in the last Budget by the State government. A native of Malayalapuzha, he has an unoccupied property near the Malayalapuzha Devi temple in Pathanamthitta, a district home to many famed temples. K-Homes envisages renting out unoccupied houses in tourist destinations in Kerala to tourists as holiday homes. The project seeks to develop basic tourism infrastructure by maximising the utility of unoccupied homes. In the initial phase, it was planned to be implemented within 10 km of tourism destinations such as Fort Kochi, Kumarakom, Kovalam, and Munnar. 11.89 lakh vacant houses However, around six months after the project was announced, not a single house has been rented out. Kerala has around 11.89 lakh vacant houses as per the 2011 Census data (an estimated 15 lakh-odd houses now). As per the initial proposal, the project offers revenue to the house owners and ensures the maintenance and safety of such houses. Pathanamthitta has the highest concentration of premium unoccupied houses and villas in the State. 'My property has been lying vacant for the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, as my parents shifted to the my sister's house in Kochi. I was not interested in renting out the property, considering the risks involved. Hence I decided to make the property available for holidaymakers,' said Mr. Nair. Kerala Tourism sources told The Hindu said a meeting was convened by the department recently as part of drafting the project guidelines. Soon, another round of meeting will be convened inviting suggestions from stakeholders. The Budget had earmarked ₹5 crore for the initial project expenses. Dearth of quality rooms Though Kerala has the highest number of star hotels in the country, it has a dearth of quality rooms to meet the needs of budget and luxury class tourists. The prime requirement for attracting foreign tourists is the availability of quality hotel rooms. Although the project had irked a section of the hospitality sector, especially homestay owners, who were against providing budgetary support to unoccupied houses since most such dwellings are owned by wealthy non-resident Indians, the tourism sector as a whole was in favour of the project, considering the high number of unoccupied houses in the State.