New Delhi: Michelin, a world chief in tyre expertise, has teamed up with the Division for Promotion of Business and Inside Commerce (DPIIT) below the Ministry of Commerce and Business to launch the sector’s first AI Startup Problem. The initiative seeks to advertise innovation and entrepreneurship inside India’s AI panorama. The problem, introduced within the presence of varied DPIIT officers, goals to pick, mentor, and collaborate with main AI startups in India over a 12-week interval, providing mentorship, paid pilot tasks, and potential long-term international contracts with Michelin.The launch occasion featured Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary DPIIT, and Shri Sumeet Kumar Jarangal, Director DPIIT, and was hosted by Dr Ambica Rajagopal, Michelin Group Chief Information and AI Officer, and Shri Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director, Michelin India. A recorded tackle was additionally given by Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary DPIIT.
The AI Startup Problem, hosted on the Startup India portal, invitations AI startups to display their capabilities. Chosen startups will obtain mentorship, with the highest eight pitching their concepts at a demo day in Delhi in September 2024. The highest three startups will undertake paid pilot tasks from Michelin, with funding of as much as INR 5 lakh per undertaking, and the opportunity of long-term international contracts and incubation help from Michelin’s management. The problem will encourage Indian startups to develop options in manufacturing, provide chain, working software program, and infrastructure.
Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT, inspired participation by saying, “Michelin and Startup India, by the AI Problem, invite Indian startups to co-build technical options utilizing massive language fashions for enterprise use circumstances. The Michelin AI Startup Problem provides alternatives to develop options in manufacturing, provide chain, working software program, and infrastructure, leveraging AI and robotics to boost manufacturing processes, enhance product high quality, increase security, and scale back defects. This initiative goals to create sustainable merchandise and expose Indian expertise to international contexts and purchasers. I encourage all DPIIT-recognized startups to use for this system and want them the very best.”Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, emphasised the significance of public-private partnerships and highlighted Michelin’s essential function in elevating India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He asserted the Division’s dedication to empowering startups to scale their improvements globally.
Shri Sumeet Kumar Jarangal, Director, DPIIT, careworn the importance of AI and the federal government’s concentrate on superior manufacturing and automation. He congratulated Michelin for aligning this system with the nation’s imaginative and prescient.
Dr Ambica Rajagopal, Michelin Group Chief Information and AI Officer at Michelin India, expressed enthusiasm concerning the partnership, stating, “There has by no means been a extra thrilling time for startups within the AI world, and we’re delighted to contribute considerably to advancing India’s expertise sector. It’s a proud second for us to strengthen our dedication to the AI {industry} in collaboration with the federal government’s visionary Startup India initiative.”
Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director, Michelin India, commented, “At Michelin, we’re dedicated to a greener future the place sustainability and innovation are on the forefront of our efforts. We eagerly anticipate the participation of Indian startups within the AI problem as we co-build international options collectively.”
The initiative shall be performed in a number of levels, beginning with outreach and functions in July 2024, adopted by shortlisting and mentorship till September 2024. The grand finale will see shortlisted startups presenting their options to a panel of judges from Startup India and Michelin India.
DPIIT has been proactive in mobilizing startups within the manufacturing sector, offering early-stage help important for his or her development. The Division is constructing initiatives to bridge the hole between {industry} and startups by supporting the institution of incubators and industry-led incubation applications. These initiatives intention to empower manufacturing startups with revolutionary applied sciences and sustainable practices, positioning them as leaders within the international market by industry-supported incubation.
This AI problem is a part of Michelin’s broader innovation program in India, geared toward fostering collaboration with native startups in areas equivalent to digitalization, commercialization, mobility, superior supplies, and sustainability.
The collaboration between DPIIT and Michelin India is a major catalyst, offering manufacturing startups a platform to pilot and refine their applied sciences, thereby encouraging bigger participation within the manufacturing ecosystem. This partnership additionally goals to additional set up India as a producing hub by sturdy public-private sector collaboration.
