Odia entrepreneur Anup Paikaray bagged the winner’s title, a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a fully sponsored trip to Boston at the finals of SmartIDEAthon 2023 — an annual pan-India mega pitch-fest organised by GITAM (Deemed to be University).
Presenting to an eminent jury of experts in Hyderabad, Paikray, a student of the Odisha University of Technology and Research, made a winning pitch for his startup Newrup Tech Solutions, which develops heat-powered air blowers to harness excess heat from Chulas or Tandoors, converting it into rotational energy for an internal fan, at just Rs 500.
The innovation, named Chuliv, has the potential to redefine energy efficiency and impact the lives of over two billion women still cooking on traditional chulhas/mud stoves worldwide.
Speaking about this remarkable victory, Paikaray said, “This small and affordable device can be attached to a stove, increasing its efficiency by 30%, reducing the chances of inhaling toxic fumes and the time of cooking, and creating an overall benefit to rural women. With support from stakeholders such as CTTC, ICICI Foundation, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and AIC Nalanda, we are sure to make a positive impact.”
SmartIDEAthon is organized by Venture Development Centre, GITAM (Deemed to be University) in collaboration with StartupIndia, Northeastern University Center for Emerging Markets, Boston and Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE), Boston.
