An Indian startup has earned laurels for the country as it won a cash prize of USD42,000 in the prestigious MassChallenge Israel contest for developing a modular greenhouse that gives farmers a continuous and dependable income.
The Hyderabad-based startup, christened Kheyti, has developed a unique ‘greenhouse-in-a-box’ that, as per claims, uses 90 per cent less water, grows seven times more food and gives farmers a steady dependable income.
While making the presentation, the team said, “We design, adapt and implement low-cost farming solutions that help small farmers increase yield and predictability of produce. We combine these technologies with end-to-end support to give these farmers a seamless path towards income increase,” the team said in its presentation.”
The startup was chosen among the ten finalists in the prestigious competition which saw participation of 500 companies from 40 different countries.
Another Indian startup ‘Sukriti’ was also selected among the top 10 finalists which has developed a smart toilet cabin employing hygiene maintenance systems to enhance user experience in sanitation.
The cash prize winners, along with the ten finalists, will take part in the first MassChallenge Israel US Trek, a curated business trip and introduction to the innovation ecosystems in Boston and New York in November.
Kheyti shared the top honour with Israeli startup, RenewSenses, which creates novel eyes-free perceptual experience for the visually impaired.
Lauding the two Indian startups, Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to Isreal said, “I am very happy that two Indian startups made it to the top ten for Masschalenge awards and one of them, Kheyti, bagged the honours.”
He added, “This should motivate and encourage more Indian startups, especially in the social sector, and lead to further collaboration between India and Israel on this front too.”
