Nagpur: An agriculture products startup by two youths from Akola is among the 12 chosen for funding from across the country in the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue (YCNID) 2022-23 held at New Delhi.
Akshay Wairale and Akshay Kawale’s AgrowSure manufactures implements which reduce or eliminate manual labour in farms, especially for women workers.
Youth Co:Lab was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation in 2017, but introduced in India in 2019, in partnership with NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission.
Wairale and Kawale, both 30 years old, started AgrowSure three years ago in Akola with Rs6 lakh of their own funds. Wairale said, “We manufacture farm tool implements which help in weeding, cultivating etc. We have a variety of implements which can be used as a standalone product or attached to tractors etc.”
Their innovation which caught everyone’s attention was something which proved to be a boon for female farm labourers. “While weeding, workers needed to carry heavy machinery on their back. So we built a self-propelled machine with wheels on which the weeder and even sprayer can be piled up, thus saving unnecessary labour in fields,” said Wairale.
While YCNID awards its winners with $5,000 (around Rs4 lakh), which is not a big amount considering AgrowSure already clocks in a revenue of Rs80 lakh annually, it still provides a global reach for the startups.
Wairale said, “We have already reached break-even point and this year we are set to cross Rs1 crore revenue target. Our manufacturing unit is based in Akola itself,” Their company received Rs10 lakh funding from IIT-Kanpur last year.
Both co-founders are engineering graduates with Wairale also completing his MBA before starting AgrowSure. “We plan to remain in Akola and expand our micro manufacturing unit here. Our aim is to provide jobs to people in Vidarbha while providing relief to farm workers,” said Wairale.
Shoko Noda, resident representative, UNDP India, said, “With 254 million young people aged between 15 and 24 years, India has a unique opportunity to lead innovation and social entrepreneurship and make the voices of young people count.”
Almost 400 applications were received by YCNID, of which 47 were short-listed. These startups received one-on-one mentoring and capacity-building sessions from experts for two months through the Youth Co:Lab Springboard Programme, a startup support platform for SDG innovators. These startups then presented their ideas to an esteemed jury in May 2023, from which the 12 winners were selected.
Akshay Wairale and Akshay Kawale’s AgrowSure manufactures implements which reduce or eliminate manual labour in farms, especially for women workers.
Youth Co:Lab was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation in 2017, but introduced in India in 2019, in partnership with NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission.
Wairale and Kawale, both 30 years old, started AgrowSure three years ago in Akola with Rs6 lakh of their own funds. Wairale said, “We manufacture farm tool implements which help in weeding, cultivating etc. We have a variety of implements which can be used as a standalone product or attached to tractors etc.”
Their innovation which caught everyone’s attention was something which proved to be a boon for female farm labourers. “While weeding, workers needed to carry heavy machinery on their back. So we built a self-propelled machine with wheels on which the weeder and even sprayer can be piled up, thus saving unnecessary labour in fields,” said Wairale.
While YCNID awards its winners with $5,000 (around Rs4 lakh), which is not a big amount considering AgrowSure already clocks in a revenue of Rs80 lakh annually, it still provides a global reach for the startups.
Wairale said, “We have already reached break-even point and this year we are set to cross Rs1 crore revenue target. Our manufacturing unit is based in Akola itself,” Their company received Rs10 lakh funding from IIT-Kanpur last year.
Both co-founders are engineering graduates with Wairale also completing his MBA before starting AgrowSure. “We plan to remain in Akola and expand our micro manufacturing unit here. Our aim is to provide jobs to people in Vidarbha while providing relief to farm workers,” said Wairale.
Shoko Noda, resident representative, UNDP India, said, “With 254 million young people aged between 15 and 24 years, India has a unique opportunity to lead innovation and social entrepreneurship and make the voices of young people count.”
Almost 400 applications were received by YCNID, of which 47 were short-listed. These startups received one-on-one mentoring and capacity-building sessions from experts for two months through the Youth Co:Lab Springboard Programme, a startup support platform for SDG innovators. These startups then presented their ideas to an esteemed jury in May 2023, from which the 12 winners were selected.
