[Funding alert] VC fund Alfa Ventures invests in Noida-based Skilancer Solar
The funding will help the Noida-based startup to invest in design and technology upgrade, geographical expansion, team building, and to develop a competitive edge.
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Noida-based startup Skilancer Solar has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from angel investor and serial entrepreneur Dhianu Das’s Venture Capital fund, Alfa Ventures.
Started in 2017 by IIT Jodhpur alumni Neeraj Kumar, who has three years of work experience in the solar industry, and Manish Kumar Das, an instrumentation engineer with 10 years of experience, Skilancer Solar provides an artificial intelligence (AI) powered autonomous robot for cleaning of solar panels, scale up operations, and market presence. The startup is IIM Lucknow incubated, and is mentored by Prof. M Akbar and Rounaq Mustafa.
Neeraj Kumar, Co-Founder, Skilancer Solar, said this investment will allow the startup to invest in design and technology upgrade, geographical expansion, team building, and to develop a competitive edge.
The company aims to tap India's solar energy market, as it has witnessed a sharp rise in interest and awareness about alternative energy usage. The increase in interest in solar energy has led to a growth in the number of solar plant installations across the country.
But in order to optimise solar power production efficiency, the panels need regular cleaning. As traditional manual cleaning is not the most effective, Skilancer Solar has come up with an autonomous robotic solution to address the problem, the company said in a statement.
Speaking about the investment, Dhianu Das said,
“For a population of over 1.3 billion, it is essential to look for alternative means of energy. I am absolutely bullish on India’s solar energy story. New installations in 2019 will reach nearly 14 gigawatts, which is about 50 percent more than the capacity added last year. This is where I see potential for business like Skilancer Solar.”
Dhianu Das’s investment portfolio includes about 15 other businesses such as Go Mechanic, ClearDekho, Civil Cops, and Cleansecar among others.