Community: Where does the world look for innovation?
We're scrappy, we're 'jugaadu', we're 1/8th of the world's population- so perhaps it is time the world looks to India for sustainable innovation.
300+ attendees across the climate entrepreneurship ecosystem, including 100+ startups, 50+ investors, 20+ corporates, 30+ ecosystems partners, and a bunch of aspiring founders made it to the inaugural edition of SusCrunch 2024 by The Sustainability Mafia!
A couple of weeks ago, my daughter’s school reopened.
I’ll be honest upfront and tell you that somehow, the idea of going back to school tends to induce a certain sleepiness in me. But as ironies go, this particular school system hugely values community (and follows its own homegrown curriculum), so at the beginning of the year, trundle we must, to spend a good 3-4 hours understanding what the school will be working with kids on.
I cannot say that the sleepiness was absent, but I did make two very interesting observations:
Children as young as 10 are not just working on sustainable solutions, but considering serious careers and life paths in this domain. Plus, schools are evolving to support them.
Communities- for a few years during the pandemic, they were seen as the most important growth channels, with more than one product company attempting to quickly build a collective out of thin air, forgetting usually that behind every group of people coming together meaningfully is a purpose.
That elusive thing that every brand and marketing specialist tries so very hard to build and nurture…I should know. Turns out, there’s a framework for community-building, and the launching of said community is step four. Four.
The first is going out there and identifying the actual problem. The second and third, respectively, involve understanding different viewpoints with empathy, and building solutions that account for diversity
In other words, people want to be part of something when they feel like they belong.
In sustainability, belongingness and community are pivotal drivers of innovation. A unique energy of the non-sleepy kind comes from being part of a collective mission, a feeling that was palpable at the SusCrunch 2024 event in Bangalore.
Despite being heralded as the most environmentally conscientious generation, Gen Z faces a significant skills gap in climate-related careers.
According to LinkedIn research, only one in 20 Gen Zers possess the necessary "green skills" to tackle the climate crisis (Fortune.com), and the headline rather ominously proclaims: Gen Z are desperate to be eco-friendly but LinkedIn says they’re so underskilled they actually pose a ‘risk’ to climate progress.
Seema Singh, in her evocative reporting for The Ken, highlighted the vibrant community spirit of The Sustainability Mafia at SusCrunch 2024. She writes, and I quote,
As 16 startups at different stages in their life cycle made their pitches to The Mafia on Saturday, it felt as if it were cool once again to start a venture, not just for money or valuation but for the sake of “saving us”.
One of our community's ambitious goals is to route 1 million young people into climate careers and if you’d gathered on a particular Saturday to be part of the event, you’d have seen what I saw- for a space with a purpose and direction, a million isn’t just achievable, it is even likely.
So where does that conviction come from?
Because we’re the country, after all, that made LED bulbs a habit (what a brilliant panel with Mr. Saurabh Kumar who helped establish the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in India!).
We’re the people who became the backbone of the software boom and made being in SaaS cool. Come to Bangalore on a weekday and eat at any of its few hundred cafes. I am certain you won’t step out without hearing at least one new startup idea being born.
At SusCrunch, the wildest idea I heard was using bacterial DNA as the next frontier in data storage. Oh, and this company expects their POC to be ready in six months, proving yet again that we know how to walk the talk.
So join that revolution, and join it here.
As Mr. Kuldeep Jain at CleanMax Solar said at the event, we’re currently “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” and the sustainability side of things could use a lot more help.
So, are you in? www.susmafia.org
We are a Section 8 not-for-profit with 80G, 120A & CSR registrations. If you would like to donate and help us multiply our impact and make sustainability the default choice, here is the link you can use to contribute: Donate to SusMafia
(Select the "Green Warrior" option to donate. Every bit counts.)
Major Highlights from SusCrunch 2024
BioCompute (Building bio-based DNA storage to reduce the energy cost of Data Centres) by Anagha Rajesh and Shreyas Keskar won the Susventures x BITS Big Pi Grant of 31.4 lakhs
Mr Chandrashekhar from Watsan offered an additional 5 lakhs to BioCompute for their moonshot project
2 startups from SusVentures (Jouless and Agrivolt) were offered an additional grant, seed investments, and pilot opportunities on the spot
Other remaining startups got invaluable introductions to key places for business, pilots, and labs to further accelerate their mission
Planet Electric led by Gagan Agarwal used SusCrunch to do a soft launch of their 70% lightweight 4W last-mile EV vehicle slated for launch on 28th June, in Delhi.
Startups that Pitched At SusCrunch
Arthro Biotech: Dr. Praveen K. Sappa explores the potential of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) protein feed as a sustainable alternative for the aquaculture industry, as well as opportunities in crop protection and nutrition.
FluxGen Technologies: Led by Ganesh Shankar, FluxGen Foundation develops smart solutions aimed at promoting water conservation and security across various sectors, including utilities and industries.
Planet Electric, Inc: Gagan Agrawal is preparing to launch an electric light commercial vehicle (LCV) in June 2024, utilizing innovative materials.
PhyFarm: Mithul Etta introduces PhyHub and PhySense, smart irrigation and agriculture solutions that monitor plant and soil health.
Medius Earth: Pradyot Porwal presents an end-to-end platform for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), encompassing origination, design, development, execution, and management.
SuperHumanRace: Aalok A. Deshmukh highlights the advanced AI ESG platform used by nearly 600,000 users across 31 countries, achieving close to 95% accuracy in Scope 3 emissions.
Gati Drives: Suyash Mishra discusses innovative motor and drive technology designed for the consumer appliances sector.
BacAlt: Shruti Kutmutia showcases a circular economy solution that uses precision fermentation and green chemistry to convert organic waste into functional green feedstocks, starting with the cosmetics industry.
Terra Bioware: Shruti Singh presents an innovative circular economy approach to producing climate-positive methanol at scale without requiring pre-treatment or sterilization.
The Ecosystem That Made It All Possible
GigaTon Sponsors
Theia Ventures: Early-stage venture fund investing in climate tech companies focused on decarbonization.
BITS Pilani + PIEDS: Leading Education institution driving the change toward sustainability
MegaTon Sponsor
GPS Renewables: Full Stack Clean Fuels Technology & Engineering company, specializing in RNG/CBG, 2G Ethanol, and Green Hydrogen
KiloTon Sponsors
Dexler Energy: Developing innovative, sustainable, and affordable clean energy and energy efficiency solutions to save the plant in the energy space
Lucro Plastecycle: An integrated waste management, recycling, and product manufacturing company
Our Gifting Partners who made the event more memorable:
Uravu: Making Water from Air
PadCare: Menstrual Hygiene management system that creates harmless recyclable outputs out of used pads
GudGum: Plastic-free all-natural chewing gum
Cosmix: Making superfoods for health! Plant-based supplements
Bonomi Coffee: Ready-to-drink coffee making people happy
Cupable: Making drinkware from agri-waste
Our Ecosystem Partners: Invest India, Terra.do, NSRCEL, ClimateXCapital, i-Venture @ ISB, Tech4Good Community, FundEnable, Chapac & Razorpay Rize.
I have discussed with Bio-compute to look into more investments to fill the gap...