Startups can drive hardware innovation and seize the big opportunity

The biggest lesson we all learnt during the peak of covid-19 was self-reliance. The EP will grow to be a hub with 20 spoke centres aimed to promote innovation and create unicorns in ESDM by offering access to a holistic ecosystem to accelerate the government’s flagship schemes like Startup India and Make in India. Such support programmes are also replicated at the AIC T-Hub Foundation in Hyderabad, the Maker Village in Trivandrum, and similar programmes in Bhubaneshwar and Chennai, which include mentorship from idea refinement to business development, help to create a fully thriving Make-in-India design ecosystem, with support on ESDM technical recruitment, establishing processes, sourcing, test infrastructure and help in product commercialization. For hardware, we need testing, prototyping facilities, plastic moulding facilities, cabinetry, and the ability to make the highest quality product at the lowest price and design for manufacture, quality, sustainability, and repairable products that can also be recycled or upcycled. The Defence India Start-up Challenge has been launched in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission and is aimed at supporting startups in the area of defence innovation.