IIT Madras, in partnership with Thales, has announced the top six teams from CZC 4.0, a nationwide contest aimed at promoting eco-friendly technology innovation.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), in collaboration with Thales, has revealed the top six teams from the fourth cohort of the Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC 4.0), a nationwide competition aimed at fostering innovation in eco-friendly technology. As part of its CSR and solidarity initiatives in India, Thales has supported this transformative challenge to promote eco-innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC) seeks to accelerate innovative solutions for climate change and sustainability. The third edition, supported by Thales and Aquamap (Centre for Water Management and Policy at IIT Madras), engaged over 1,600 students and researchers from 600 universities and 270 start-ups across India. Aligned with Thales’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, the company continued its support for the fourth edition, demonstrating its commitment to fostering a safer, greener, and more inclusive future.
The top six teams will each receive start-up seed funding of up to INR 10 lakh, while an additional team has been awarded a ‘special mention’ for its outstanding achievements. The teams recognized for their contributions to sustainable technology are:
- Gudlyf Mobility Pvt Ltd – H2ARWASTE: Developing hydrogen storage cylinders using agricultural waste.
- EESAN – CBG for Sustainability: Enabling cleaner bio-methane for homes and small businesses.
- Electropulse Innovations – Wastewater Treatment: Using high-voltage pulse generators for efficient wastewater management.
- Thaal Chemy Innovations Pvt Ltd – Sustainable Packaging: Producing nano-cellulose from agricultural residues.
- ReWinT – End-of-Life Turbine Blades: Transforming wind turbine blades using eco-friendly chemical and thermal processes.
- Chrissron Biomass Solutions – Plant-Based Resin: Manufacturing sustainable resin from plant waste.
The final teams were selected from 25 initial teams announced in April 2024. Over six months, they developed sustainable prototypes in sectors like energy, materials, agriculture, air, and water, with business mentorship from Sustainability Mafia, a leading climate entrepreneurship community. The CZC initiative promotes deep-tech and circular economy solutions to tackle environmental challenges, having supported around 100 prototypes to date.
“Thales is proud to have supported IIT Madras’ Carbon Zero Challenge, an initiative that not only stimulates transformative eco-innovation but also resonates closely with our vision of advancing sustainable solutions for the future. Our collaboration on CZC with IIT Madras has been to empower young innovators across India to address critical environmental challenges and pave the way for development of impactful, resource-efficient technologies, in line with our long-term commitment towards nurturing a cleaner, greener world.”, said Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.
Prof. Indumathi Nambi, Coordinator, Carbon Zero Challenge Coordinator, IIT Madras, said “With a focus on fostering eco-startups addressing global challenges like climate change, pollution, and food security, CZC 4.0 attracted over 2,000 participants from 775 universities and 430 startups across India. Thirty startups have emerged from CZC’s previous cohorts, with another 35 advancing toward commercialisation. Participating teams received up to INR 500K in funding and mentorship to develop their prototypes.”
Article Credit: shiksha