Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath-led WTFund has selected nine startups for its second cohort. The grant fund will look to support the growth of innovative startups coming forth from various parts of the country.
In a statement, the fund said that the selected startups under the second cohort will receive a grant funding of up to INR 20 Lakh.
Targeting young Indian founders under the age of 25 years, WTFund claims to provide participating startups with "no-strings attached' grants, access to insights, mentorship and strategic partnership opportunities, and sales and marketing support. It will also help the selected founders figure out product-market fit (PMF) and build their go-to-market strategy with real time feedback.
Additionally, startups under the second cohort will also get an opportunity to present their businesses to high-profile investors.
"More than just capital, founders need a launchpad-access to mentorship, networks, and the freedom to execute big ideas. With Cohort 2, we're backing founders who aren't just dreaming of change but are actually building it,"said Kamath.
After sifting through applications received from startups across more than 50 cities, the fund shortlisted nine names. Complying with UN's sustainable development goals, the selected startups are from sectors such as agritech, D2C, cleantech, among others.
As usual, artificial intelligence (AI) is an underlying thread that runs through most of the startups selected as part of the second cohort. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the startups that made the cut .
This is not a ranking of any kind and the startups have been listed in an alphabetical order.
Ai.gnosis
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Raksheet Jain and Divyansh Mangal
Headquarter: Jaipur
Kids who suffer from autism can receive therapies and support if the development disorder is detected at an early stage. While parents in metro cities have access to resources for personalised therapies and support strategies, the same infrastructure may not be available beyond India's biggest cities.
To address this, Raksheet Jain and Divyansh Mangal founded Jaipur-based Ai.gnosis in 2024. The startup leverages its proprietary AI-powered tech stack to provide screening tools for early autism detection.
Armatrix
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Vishrant Dave, Prateesh Awasthi, and Ayush Ranjan
Headquarter: Mumbai
Indian enterprises are embracing automation in a big way. Looking to further fuel this is Armatrix, which has developed flexible industrial robotic arms that can perform complex operations for heavy industries such as aviation, oil and gas, and shipbuilding.
It enables companies deploy robotic solutions instead of human labour in hazardous environments. The startup is backed by the likes of Emergent Ventures, GradCapital and The Foundation for IoT and IoE.
Bytes
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Aayush Kumar and Prakhar
Headquarter: Bengaluru
Road safety is a big issue in India as lakhs of people die in road accidents every year. Bytes is looking to solve this problem by building an AI-powered advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) for two-wheelers. Its AI-powered safety systems, using cameras, improve vehicle safety by predicting and preventing accidents before they happen.
Drnk
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Raj Thakkar and Aryan Gandhi
Headquarter: Mumbai
Drnk is a D2C brand that sells affordable beverages for the young generation. It aims to provide healthier and sustainable products to its customers.
InnerGize
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Shalmali Kadu, Sidharth Bhargava, and Mitansh
Headquarter: Mumbai
InnerGize sells a wearable device that reduces chronic stress and anxiety using non-invasive technology.
Backed by AC Ventures, Aman Gupta of boAt, and OYO's Ritesh Agarwal, the startup leverages Neuroacoustic Vagal Modulation technique, which gently stimulates the vagus nerve, known as the body's natural relaxation switch.
Nasadya (H2ive)
Founded In: 2018
Founders:Chaitanya Gulati, Subhechchha Paul, and Suhani Mohan
Headquarter: Palo Alto
The globe today is transitioning towards clean energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. To facilitate this switch, Nasadya offers solid-state hydrogen storage solutions for safer, affordable, and efficient industrial energy use.
Neoperk
Founded In: 2019
Founders:Satyendra Gupta
Headquarter: Mumbai
Indian agriculture, considered the backbone of the Indian economy, continues to be plagued by issues such as primitive tools, lower yields and over-dependence on monsoons. Looking to ease the woes of Indian tillers is Neoperk, which provides AI-driven soil testing solutions that can help farmers improve yields by up to 20%.
ReferRush
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Vikram Pai and Rohan Verma
Headquarter: Bengaluru
Businesses are always on the look out for new avenues and technologies to increase their reach and expand customer base. To solve this problem, ReferRush leverages its AI-powered tech stack to help ecommerce merchants build their own omnichannel and fully automated customer referral programmes.
Modus AI
Founded In: 2024
Founders:Sunit Gautam and Somesh Lund
Headquarter: Bengaluru
Still in stealth mode, Modus AI is building an AI-driven fraud detection system for financial institutions to ensure secure online transactions and reduced financial risks.