cie iiith logo

04 Apr Three Years of Transformative Impact: AIC-IIITH and EPAM India’s Social Tech Partnership

Posted at 11:09h in Blog by

Over the past three years, AIC-IIITH and EPAM India’s collaboration has driven meaningful impact by supporting the Social Tech startups. The full impact of the partnership, which cannot be captured in numbers, has helped many Social and Climate tech Startups working to help India achieve UN SDGs, in both tangible and intangible manner.   

As part of EPAM India’s CSR initiatives, this partnership has provided vital support to early-stage entrepreneurs through the one cohort of RAFTAAR Covid Acceleration Program and two cohorts of EPAM Social Impact Innovation Program (ESIIP). Together, these initiatives have supported 21 social tech startups across three cohorts—4 startups under the RAFTAAR Covid Acceleration Program and 17 startups under ESIIP.  

Empowering Startups Through Strategic Support 

Since its inception, the partnership has played a pivotal role in enabling startups to scale, secure funding, and create lasting social and environmental impact. The outcomes have been transformative: 

  • 140+ jobs created by the supported ventures. 
  • 20 out of 21 startups continue to grow post-program [a ratio much higher than industry standard]. 
  • Cumulative revenue of INR 15.40 Cr for all program startups, with some startups scaling their revenues over 15 times as compared to when their revenues at the start of the program. 
  • Enable these Startups to raise INR 2.80 Cr in equity funding and INR 1.61 Cr in grants raised cumulatively. 

As against the CSR budget of INR 1.068 Cr, the direct gains made by the Startup beneficiaries is INR 19.81 Cr [Total Startup Revenue (INR 15.40 Cr) + Equity Funding (INR 2.80 Cr) + Grants Raised (INR 1.61 Cr)]. The program design allocates 90% of the CSR support from EPAM to be given to startups as grant, which in turn helped them in various ways (operational, product development, etc.). This helps them grow their revenues and raise funds. This program design enables a highly impactful and efficient allocation of resources and succeeds in fostering sustainable and scalable business models for social innovation. 

However, these non-tangible variables are what show on reflection, how transformative this partnership is in the real world.  

Diversity of Impact. 

The program supports startups from diverse sectors like Waste Management, Carbon Capture, Sustainable Manufacturing, Green Data, Circular Economy, Green Energy etc. This helps us cover multiple UN SDGs including Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal 9- Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Goal 13 Climate Action among others. This in turn is supported by multiple tech innovation including from filed of emerging tech like AI/ML, IoT etc.  

  

Driving Climate Action and Sustainability 

Beyond economic gains, the partnership has led to measurable environmental benefits. Some of the measurable impacts are: 

  • 7,000+ tons of pre-consumer textile waste recycled and 23600 Tonnes Carbon emission savings achieved. (MuddleArt). 
  • 200+ tons of waste recycled, reducing 1,000 tons of CO2 emissions (Angirus). 
  • 10+ Million of plastic replaced by Bioreform  
  • Service support to 1,500+ PWDs and elderly individuals daily (myUdaan).   

These efforts align with global climate goals, demonstrating how startup-led innovation can drive large-scale environmental impact. 

Beyond Financial Support: A Holistic Growth Experience 

The AIC-IIITH & EPAM India partnership was more than just a financial support; it was a comprehensive support system for startups. The program included critical business coaching and expert-led sessions covering finance, pitching, sales, and leadership key areas often overlooked in early-stage ventures. Startups appreciated that AIC-IIITH curated these sessions based on their needs. In their feedback they consistently highlighted this aspect set the program apart from other incubators and accelerators that they have been part of. The leadership-focused sessions were particularly impactful, as they helped founders develop a long-term vision and focus on personal development and well-being, an aspect often neglected in the high-pressure startup environment. 

EPAMs Strategic Engagement 

EPAM’s engagement went far beyond funding, offering hands-on industry exposure and strategic mentorship to the startups. Some of the examples are: 

  • Expert support and mentorship: Startups benefited from deep interactions with EPAM professionals, such as product management sessions led by EPAM’s industry experts, which provided startups with rare insights into global best practices. EPAM staff were also part of various mentor cafés organised for Startups providing them an avenue to connect with expert mentors.  
  • Facilitated experiential learning — Zodhya, for instance, gained a crucial understanding of large commercial space management when they visited EPAM’s LEED-certified Hyderabad office, learning firsthand about energy efficiency innovations. 
  • Expert Consulting: EPAM employee and client connects also played a pivotal role in helping ProZero develop an MVP for their AI-powered carbon accounting tool, providing guidance on building a SaaS-based net-zero insights platform that leverages data to drive actionable sustainability solutions. 

Case Studies: Driving Real Impact 

myUDAAN: Surviving the Pandemic and Scaling Impact 

A standout success story is myUDAAN, which was part of the RAFTAAR Covid Acceleration Program. Designed to empower Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly, myUDAAN faced significant challenges during the pandemic. However, with the program’s support, the startup stabilized operations, expanded its user base, and grew revenue from INR 1 Lakh per month to INR 16-17 Lakhs per month as of January 2025. Today, myUDAAN serves 1,500+ PWDs and elderly individuals daily, making urban mobility more inclusive. The startup has raised grants totalling INR 48L, reinforcing its sustainability. 

CERO: Advancing Circular Economy Solutions 

CERO, another beneficiary of the partnership, has made strides in the circular economy. With sales of INR 45-50L YTD (up from INR 33L last year) and an EBITA of 10%, CERO is successfully reducing waste while growing its profitability. With INR 25L in previous investments, the startup is poised for further scale-up, driving both revenue growth and environmental benefits. 

Achievements Awards and Recognition: Some of the achievement and recognition of the program startups include:  

  • Panjurli Labs: Their sustainable air purifiers are have been installed in the New Indian Parliament annexure building 
  • Ambiator – featured among the 30 most promising startups in YourStory‘s TechSparks – 2024  and also featured in The Breakfast Podcast of CNN-News18 were they discuss the climate impact their innovative cooling technology. 

Looking Ahead: Strengthening the Social Tech Ecosystem 

The past three years have laid a strong foundation for supporting impact-driven startups. As AIC-IIITH and EPAM India continue this collaboration, the focus will be on expanding support mechanisms, fostering deeper mentorship, and enabling access to larger funding pools. With India’s startup ecosystem evolving rapidly, initiatives like these are essential in ensuring that social and GreenTech startups thrive while creating positive societal and environmental change. Continuing our efforts towards the same, 3rd Cohort of ESIIP has been launched in March 2025 and applications are invited from Greentech Startups. We are looking forward to supporting startups in working towards making the planet more sustainable. Interested Startup can apply here.

 

Edited by Ravi Sarkunan. 

This blog is a first draft generated with ChatGPT, based on a report created by Ravisankar S of AIC-IIITH. 



Greentech startups in Circular Economy, Energy, and Green Data, join ESIIP and get Incubation support and INR 5 Lakh Equity-Free Grant!

Apply Now
X