The ninth edition of the Maker Mela initiative this year by Mumbai-based Somaiya Vidyavihar University saw over 100 innovations from India and other countries. The programme, which showcases projects from makers and grassroot innovators, has hosted over 850 makers from 25 countries over the past eight editions. Organised by the Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory Foundation (RiiDL) at the university, the programme enables makers, innovators, and creators to showcase their projects and connect with like-minded individuals.
For the uninitiated, maker culture is a contemporary social phenomenon involving do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, hands-on tinkering, and innovation in various fields such as technology, art, and crafts. It generally encompasses inventors, designers, artists, engineers, and hobbyists who are passionate about tinkering and creating things by themselves through readily available technologies and materials.
For instance, products ranging from environmentally friendly products to cancer care devices and handmade paper cutting were showcased by makers at the Maker Mela.
“We help these innovators connect with mentors, government stakeholders, and industry experts and support them with incubation as well as pitching to the investors. This year, 10 makers were shortlisted for pitching to investors. With respect to incubation, it depends on the type of company and the stage of business it is. For instance, software companies need 1 year of incubation while hardware and biotech companies need two and three years respectively,” said Gaurang Shetty, CEO, RiiDL.
Among other benefits offered to participating startups in Maker Mela are access to government grants of up to Rs 10 lakh, seed funding of up to Rs 1 crore and labs for testing and developing software applications, biotech products, manufacturing etc.
Speaking on the initiative, Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, the Vice Chancellor of the university said there’s a call to support such endeavours now more than ever.
“We recognize the need for specialized training, particularly in mechanical skills tailored to their (startups) specific products. That’s why we’re providing orientation sessions, guiding them not just in product evaluation but also in strategies for growth,” he said.
The university offers a dedicated course on launching a startup and entrepreneurship for students. “It’s wonderful that even 11th and 12th-standard students are given six weeks of training to learn how to start a startup. It’s a fantastic way to prepare young minds for the future. It’s also impressive to hear that some of the students come up with brilliant solutions,” said Pillai.
Maker Mela is a part of a larger global community of makers organising events for innovators across the world such as Maker Faire in the US.
Among the startups part of the programme were Stemtech, which appeared on Shark Tank, offering scalp cooling devices for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to avoid hair loss.
“Maker Mela was very good for us as we got to interact with the government’s Department of Science & Technology and also to get the word out there to showcase our innovation to the world. As of today, we are at about Rs 69 lakh in revenue and the projected revenue by the end of this year is about Rs 1-1.1 crore. Next year, we should hopefully touch about Rs 8-9 crore revenue,” said a spokesperson from Stemtech.
Stemtech’s rapid prototyping was done during its incubation at RiiDL.
WatchOut Wearables was another startup from the Maker Mela initiative that makes smartwatches with GPS tracker and audio and video call feature for kids and senior citizens.
“Our new launch is for Gen Z generation, hence Maker Mela provided us the perfect platform to interact with Gen Z. Our current revenue is Rs 5 crore and we expect to do Rs 10 crore revenue next year,” said WatchOut Wearables spokesperson.
Out of the total count of innovators incubated, the survival rate of the businesses is 30-40 per cent who scale up to connect further with investors and build sustainable companies, said Shetty.
“What we have observed is that only 30-40 per cent of companies survive. In terms of employment, startups incubated with us have generated more than 800 jobs so far since 2016,” he added.