Latest news with #NxtWave
Time of India
25-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ET X Tracxn to unveil Andhra Pradesh-Telangana's next-gen startups and strategic sectors at Soonicorns Sundowner Hyderabad
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills P0 sectors – Denoting mature industries with a high number of unique active investors, indicating strong validation and stability. P1 sectors – Sectors that are still nascent but attracting high-conviction funding despite a smaller investor base, pointing to deep belief in future growth. Startup formation rates Capital flow trends and investor activity Exit pathways and acquisition dynamics Sectoral maturity vs momentum across AP and Telangana Venture-backed disruptors: NxtWave (EdTech): $232M valuation on $35.8M raised—an early signal of national reach and sector relevance. DhruvaSpace (NewSpace): Valued over $104M—reflecting long-term investor faith in capital-heavy DeepTech. Revenue-first engines: Hesa (Rural FinTech): $126M in reported revenue—proof of scale with deep Bharat roots. Next Education: $73M in capital raised across multiple rounds, signalling product-market fit and monetisation success. Which sectors are peaking vs. bubbling Where the next unicorns may emerge And how India's innovation geography is rapidly shifting On July 31, 2025, The Economic Times, in collaboration with leading data intelligence platform Tracxn, will unveil the much-anticipated 'ET Top Soonicorns and Minicorns X Top Sectors AP-Telangana 2025' report at the inaugural ET Soonicorns Sundowner in Hyderabad. Startups valued between $100 million and $500 million—popularly dubbed minicorns—may no longer be flying under the radar. In a strategic shift from focusing solely on unicorn-bound startups, the report brings to light the surge of minicorns, dominating the startup-innovation economy in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana across sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), NewSpace, EdTech, and direct-to-consumer (D2C). This report promises to be a turning point in how South India's innovation corridors are mapped, measured, and be formally launched by Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, the report signals the start of a new city-focused spin-off from India's largest congregation of soonicorns—the ET Soonicorns Summit. Now in its fourth year, the Summit is extending its geographic lens to spotlight India's undercelebrated but high-performance innovation corridors, with Hyderabad taking centre localised unveiling not only sets the tone for regional spotlighting but kicks off a new chapter in decoding India's startup heatmap with sharper granularity and sectoral report's findings are based on startup activity from January 1, 2020 to May 20, 2025, tracked via Tracxn's proprietary data. The report uses Tracxn's classification model to segment sectors into:Unlike previous editions that largely tracked soonicorns—startups nearing the $1B valuation mark—the latest report expands its scope to highlight both soonicorns and minicorns, offering insights into sectoral hotspots, capital flows, and business models poised to scale. The methodology anchors itself in a multi-dimensional ecosystem-first framework powered by Tracxn's proprietary data engine. It analyses:Against this dual-lens framework, the report identifies not just where money is flowing, but why. What emerges is a story of emerging sectoral champions, city-wise momentum, and next-gen minicorns that are becoming the backbone of India's future innovation centrepiece of this analysis is a curated list of 28 minicorns, primarily concentrated in Hyderabad. These aren't just valuation winners—they're category creators and deep-domain disruptors across EdTech, EVs, NewSpace, HRTech, and Digital unicorns that often emerge from later-stage funding and global market playbooks, these minicorns are tackling foundational Indian challenges—from digitising rural commerce to democratising access to education and space these minicorns follow two clear paths:This duality reflects the maturity of Hyderabad's startup base, where both high-burn tech bets and revenue-generating models are thriving side by report's P0 and P1 sectors reflect Hyderabad's strategic shift from being an outsourcing IT centre to a multi-sector innovation capital. Sectors such as Electric Vehicles, K-12 EdTech, and NewSpace are not only represented in the minicorns list but are also leading in active investor interest (P0) and deep funding concentration (P1).This convergence of capital, capability, and conviction marks Telangana's emergence as a minicorn breeding ET Soonicorns X Tracxn AP-Telangana report is not just a city ranking—it's a mirror to India's next growth wave. By moving beyond Bengaluru and Mumbai, the report underscores how cities such as Hyderabad are becoming critical to India's $1T digital economy also provides investors, policymakers, and founders with sharp insights into:The Hyderabad Sundowner is the first in a new regional spin-off of the flagship ET Soonicorns Summit, which returns to Bengaluru in August launching the city-focused data series at these intimate networking evenings, The Economic Times aims to build a year-round pulse on India's startup landscape, unlocking high-value insights from the ground July 31, the city's top founders, investors, policymakers, and operators will gather at the Sundowner for the exclusive unveiling, where the data meets the deal flow.360 One is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.
Business Upturn
05-06-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
OpenAI Academy & NxtWave (NIAT) Launch India's Largest GenAI Innovation Challenge for Students
New Delhi, Delhi, India: OpenAI Academy and NxtWave (NIAT) have come together to launch the OpenAI Academy X NxtWave Buildathon , the largest GenAI innovation challenge aimed at empowering students from Tier 1, 2, and 3 STEM colleges across India. This landmark initiative invites the country's brightest student innovators to develop AI-powered solutions addressing pressing issues across key sectors, including healthcare, education, BFSI, retail, sustainability, and agriculture, and more under the themes 'AI for Everyday India, AI for Bharat's Businesses, and AI for Societal Good.' A Hybrid Challenge Driving Real-World AI Innovation The Buildathon will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining online workshops and activities with regional offline finals, culminating in a grand finale where the best teams pitch live to expert judges from OpenAI India. The participants will first complete a 6-hour online workshop focused on GenAI fundamentals, intro to building agents, OpenAI API usage training, and responsible AI development best practices. This foundational sprint ensures all participants are well-prepared to develop innovative and impactful AI solutions using OpenAI's cutting-edge technologies. The Buildathon unfolds over three competitive stages: Stage 1: Screening Round — Post-workshop, teams submit problem statements, project ideas, and execution plans online. A panel of mentors reviews submissions to shortlist the most promising entries. Stage 2: Regional Finals — Shortlisted teams participate in an intensive 48-hour offline Buildathon held across 25–30 STEM colleges, with hands-on mentor support. Regional winners are announced following this stage. Stage 3: Grand Finale — The top 10–15 teams from regional finals compete in the Grand Finale, pitching their solutions live to expert judges. Build with the Best Tools in AI Participants will have access to the latest in AI innovation, including GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, GPT-4o Audio, and GPT-4o Realtime models, supporting multimodal inputs like text, image, and audio. Additionally, tools like LangChain, vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate), MCPs, and the OpenAI Agents SDK. These tools will empower students to build high-impact, multimodal, action-oriented GenAI applications. Hands-on mentorship and structured support will guide participants throughout the process. Widespread Reach, Diverse Participation The Buildathon aims to empower 25,000+ students across seven states — Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Delhi NCR. The Grand Finale will be hosted in Hyderabad or Delhi. With coverage across all major zones of India, the event ensures nationwide representation and diversity. Evaluation Criteria Across All Stages The participants will be evaluated in three stages. In the Screening Round, mentors will assess submissions based on problem relevance, idea feasibility, and the proposed use of OpenAI APIs. During the Regional Finals, on-ground judges will evaluate the prototypes for innovation, depth of OpenAI API integration, societal impact, and business viability. Finally, in the Grand Finale, an expert panel will judge the top teams using the same criteria, with greater weightage given to execution quality and the effectiveness of live pitching. Exciting Rewards & Career-Boosting Opportunities Participants in the Buildathon will gain access to a wide range of exclusive benefits designed to boost their skills, visibility, and career prospects. All selected teams will receive hands-on training along with mentorship from leading AI experts across the country. Top-performing teams will earn certificates, GPT+ credits for prototyping, and national-level recognition. They'll also gain a rare opportunity to pitch directly to the OpenAI Academy's India team during the Grand Finale. Winners will receive prize money worth ₹10,00,000 in total along with Career opportunities in the OpenAI ecosystem. A National Movement for GenAI Talent Driven by NxtWave (NIAT), the Buildathon aligns with India's mission to skill its youth in future technologies. With OpenAI Academy bringing in expert guidance, branding, and cutting-edge tools, this initiative is poised to become a defining moment in India's AI journey along with offering students across the country a real chance to build and shine on a national stage. This landmark initiative aims to position OpenAI Academy at the forefront of India's AI talent development, activating over 25,000 students across 500+ campuses and generating more than 2,000 AI projects tackling real-world challenges. Through collaborative efforts, OpenAI Academy and NxtWave seek to foster a vibrant community of AI builders ready to drive innovation and impact across India. By enabling thousands of OpenAI-powered projects, the OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon sets the stage for a new wave of AI builders ready to innovate for India and beyond. NIAT website – Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Hans India
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hans India
Shaping future-ready engineers: AI-focused B.Tech programme
As artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science reshape industries worldwide, India faces a critical challenge: bridging the growing gap between academic training and industry demands. In an exclusive interview with Young Hans, Rahul Attuluri, Co-Founder & CEO of NxtWave, discusses the motivations, innovations, and vision behind a new program aimed at transforming tech education through a deep focus on AI, hands-on learning, and real-world application. Reimagining engineering education for the AI era The idea behind launching this new program stemmed from a pressing need to modernize engineering education in India. As per the Economic Survey 2023–24, nearly 65% of India's population is under 35, yet only about half are considered employable. The education system, while vast, is often outpaced by rapid technological advances. "The demand for AI and ML talent is soaring—over 50% year-on-year," says Rahul. "Yet, only 26% of tech graduates have the industry-relevant skills needed today." Unlike traditional computer science degrees that treat AI and data science as optional or peripheral, this program integrates them at the core of its curriculum. Rather than teaching outdated methods like classical machine learning alone, it emphasizes deep learning, generative AI, and even the emerging field of Physical AI—technologies that are driving innovation in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and intelligent systems. From day one: Learning by building Hands-on learning is central to the program's philosophy. Students dive into real-world AI, robotics, and IoT projects starting in their very first year. With access to cutting-edge labs, physical AI kits, and industry-grade platforms, students develop more than 50 projects by graduation. Industry experts from top tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft regularly lead masterclasses, ensuring that students stay connected to current trends and technologies. An advanced, AI-powered learning platform further personalizes assignments and feedback, enabling growth at an individual level. This experiential approach yields impressive outcomes. For instance, first-year students recently built and demonstrated a self-driving car that caught the attention of Shinpei Kato, a global leader in autonomous mobility. Other standout innovations include **Questify**, a gamified productivity tool built using generative AI, and **Innfill**, a tech-enabled car wash startup launched by a student and already gaining paying users. Future-proofing careers in an AI-driven world Looking ahead, Rahul emphasizes that AI, ML, and data science will be the bedrock of innovation across all sectors—from healthcare and education to agriculture and finance. Conclusion As industries rapidly transform, this innovative program is setting a new benchmark for engineering education in India. By focusing on emerging technologies, real-world skills, and continuous learning, it's empowering a new generation of engineers to thrive in an AI-first world. Rahul Attuluri, Co-Founder & CEO, NxtWave and NIAT
