COVID-19 Indian Innovators: Meet the 30 startups under C-CAMP battling the pandemic the #Aatmanirbhar way

With over five million cases, and 346,000 casualties across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic is leaving a trail of destruction of lives, livelihoods, and economies in its wake.

Even as experts across the globe race to come up with a cure or vaccine, our best bet currently is to explore solutions designed for quick on-ground implementation. 

However, this is not the time to sit around and wait for others to build these solutions for us. After all, India’s story is one of resilience.

Download the COVID-19 Indian Startup Innovators report here.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, he directed young Indian innovators and entrepreneurs to build solutions that embody the Indian spirit without depending upon international companies for ventilators, PPE kits, and more.

Over the last decade, Indian entrepreneurs have shown their resilience and deeper understanding of India’s on-ground problems that can be best understood through the lens of our own cultural perspective.

And when it comes to COVID-19, the situation is no different. With this in mind, the Centre for Cellular And Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) launched a COVID-19 Innovations Deployment Accelerator or C-CIDA in late March 2020, to identify and fast-track innovations that can be immediately deployed across India to support hospitals and governments in their fight against coronavirus.

The aim was to help near deployment-ready innovations with unmet needs so that they can overcome last-mile gaps and launch as quickly as possible. C-CAMP was soon joined in this endeavour by Social Alpha, United Nations Health Innovation Exchange or UNHIE, MedTechConnect, Xynteo India2022, AIC-CCMB, CCMB, India Health Fund, PATH, Action Covid-19 Team (ACT), and 91Springboard. 

Download the COVID-19 Indian Startup Innovators report here.

Within a month, C-CIDA received over 1,100 applications, out of which 30 innovations in critical categories across diagnostic kits, ventilators, remote monitoring, preventive technologies, etc., were selected. 

The 30 startups or “Stars For Impact” have a common goal – build low-cost, portable, simple yet innovative, and accessible solutions for India, and by India. These startups are embodying the true spirit of the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to fight the pandemic.

At YourStory, we have been following the progress of C-CIDA keenly, tracking each chosen startup, its solution, and understanding its implementation in the market. From Bengaluru-based Eyestem to Noida-based DNA Xperts, and Hyderabad-based Huwel Lifesciences, and more, these startups have understood the challenges India faces when it comes to COVID-19.

C-CIDA has now evolved from Phase I of Innovations Harvesting to Phase II of Deployment, concentrating on other upcoming innovative technologies for deployment and scale. 

To showcase these #Aatmanirbhar heroes of India, YourStory, in association with C-CAMP, launched a comprehensive report on the innovators of C-CIDA helping India battle COVID-19.

Download the COVID-19 Indian Startup Innovators report here.