A combination of differentiation and innovation: Here’s a look at the 11 startups participating in JioGenNext

With expertise across retail, supply chain, enterprise and digital tools, healthtech and agritech, 11 startups have been selected for the 13th batch of JioGenNext Basecamp - one of the longest running accelerator programmes in the country. 

“This batch comes with a combination of deep differentiation and also science-based innovation,” says Amey Mashelkar, Head, JioGenNext. On one hand there are startups that provide commercial benefits to customers, while on the other there are startups that are also focused on public good. 

For example, Linear Squared, with its forecasting as a service for online retailers, is bringing affordability and efficiency in inventory management. Then there’s RightBot that is building affordable robots for autonomous warehouse operations. Another example is that of 30M Genomics that is working on ultra rapid and affordable genetic diagnostics, while Enhance is empowering people suffering from facial disfigurement to live a life of dignity with its 3D printed prosthetics.

JioGenNext is one of the only “customer-as-a-mentor” programmes in the country currently for startups, where founders interact with real customers to receive advice, direction and commercial opportunities. JioGenNext enables proof of concepts (PoCs) with the larger Jio ecosystem wherever there is a fit. A key highlight of this batch is that there is a potential opportunity for collaboration within RIL/Jio for all startups and with discussions for PoCs already underway for many of them.

JioGenNext has been a key accelerator for Indian startups and has mentored and nurtured 148+, some of which have grown to disrupt markets. Its alumni include startups such as LogiNext, IntelloLabs, Lavelle Networks, Flytbase and Jini. 

With its 13th batch, the accelerator continues to further its efforts to support and nurture young exceptional startups.

Here’s a look at the 11 startups of the batch

30M Genomics: This niche healthtech is developing a platform for rapid gene testing and is also enabling low-cost rapid DNA extraction from micro-volumes of blood. Currently, this analysis is laborious and expensive with a high turn-around-time that restricts its adoption. 30M Genomics technology for pharmacogenetic analysis can be used by the treating clinician without the need for a sophisticated laboratory thereby eliminating the traditional barriers to pharmacogenetic analysis.

 Aikenist Technologies: The healthcare technology company is designing products to enhance end-to-end patient experience and optimise the utilisation of medical equipment. AIkenist integrates AI tools to ensure faster scanning, supreme image quality and better patient experience. It has two key products - Quickscan and Quickdiag. While Quickscan reduces scanning time by four times, Quickdiag is an AI analysis of X-rays for detection of COVID-19 and tumor and,segmentation for scans of the brain, liver and pancreas. AIken products are designed such that they are easy to connect and deploy in existing facilities.

Dubverse: This startup is building a product which automatically translates video content to multiple Indian languages and hence decreases the cost and time it usually takes in making a video. The product is a video-in, video-out use case, where the solution takes the processed video in one language and delivers the ready video in another language.

Embright Infotech: The startup delivers high quality virtual reality /augmented reality/mixed reality experiences, technology consultation and reliable IoT services for businesses. The startup has developed Auticare - a XR-AI assistive technology platform for Autism Spectrum Disorder patients and for those diagnosed with learning disabilities. It helps users improve socio-cognitive and self-care skills, and facilitates special education through virtual reality therapy under the supervision of therapists.

Enhance Head Neck Rehabilitation: This organisation works in areas of patient care, education and research in multidisciplinary settings and aims to make comprehensive and holistic patient care more accessible and affordable. It has designed a solution for remote design processing and prostheses 3D printing for rehabilitation of face defects. 

 HiPER: The startup is working towards reducing global automobile emissions and accelerating the electrification of vehicles. Its first product, UNO, is a smart add-on device that customises the performance of the vehicle’s engine and provides analytics for fuel efficiency, driving style, etc. Using its patent-pending innovation, UNO personalises the engine according to the driver’s style to deliver smoother torque and power, thereby aiming at reducing diesel consumption by 10 percent. 

 Krishitantra: With its affordable soil testing solution, Krishitantra is bringing deep insights and advanced knowledge about soil health to farmers. Krishi Rasraa is an automated soil analysis system that has been designed to provide results of soil nutrients with customised agronomy on the go. The startup improves efficiency while lowering the cost by 8x. It also provides a soil test report and fertiliser recommendation within 30 minutes. 

Linear Squared: The startup offers two key solutions for demand forecasting in retail / online commerce. Forecast Squared is a multivariate forecasting solution that generates highly accurate demand forecasts leading to an optimal inventory management strategy. Capacity Squared is an automated planning platform that assists apparel planners in generating real-time, optimal and attainable sewing schedules that leads to enhanced plant capacity.

Rekord: Rekord is a business chat and keyboard with context-based suggestions for messaging and chat-based apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Slack. The app provides easy access to saved messages, helps create and share Zoom meetings and communicate faster with suppliers and team members. It also helps in managing orders, payments and receiving critical business insights.

Rightbot: The startup is developing multi-configuration robotic systems for retail warehouses for autonomous put-away, picking, replenishment, auditing, and inventory management as well as optimization. The robots can navigate autonomously 24x7 and the customer wouldn’t have to make any changes in the existing infrastructure. Interestingly, it also delivers customer returns to the right slots in the warehouse and updates the inventory data to ensure accurate auditing.

 ZedBlox Logitech: The startup has developed ActiPod- a portable, smart cold storage device for last-mile cold chain for vaccines and other temperature-sensitive health and medical products. ActiPod has smart device monitoring making it less prone to errors and maintaining active temperature control without compromising the efficacy and safety of the vaccines and medications. The IoT integrations offer a self-diagnostics feature that sends alerts and proactive service request triggers to the user.