Seen as a stupendous achievement, over a dozen of tech startup ideas envisioned by the engineering students and alumni of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus (BPDC) have been selected to feature at Expo 2020 by the Innovation Hub-India Pavilion and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). Unleashing their inner techie& entrepreneurial capabilities, BPDC students are set to showcase their innovations over a period of 6 months at India Pavilion. Focusing on offering cost effective solutions to problems at many scales, the students have worked on startup ideas ranging from public health, sustainability, drones, sports tech to mobility as well as retail. The shortlisted startups are being featured under different themes such as Urban and Rural development, Travel & Connectivity, Health & Wellness, Food, Agriculture & Livelihood etc.

In collaboration with Innovation Hub in India Pavilion, FICCI is offering these students a platform wherein in they can give wings to their startup ideas by pitching for investments from potential global investors. They will be able to connect with change makers, have fireside business conversations, enhance their capabilities and potentially take their tech ideas beyond the walls of BPDC.

Prof. Srinivasan Madapusi, Director BPDC, commented, “Among the 12 startups shortlisted, 9 are by students who are aspiring to be future tech ninjas and business leaders and 3 are by alumni of BITS Pilani who have already started their careers as entrepreneurs in Dubai. BITS Pilani Dubai Campus is committed to supporting students to use their creativity, innovation and scientific breakthroughs to come up with tech driven solutions that will positively impact societies in the future. The students have designed these innovations with the ultimate objective of giving back to the society and making world a better place”.

Beaming with excitement after showcasing their innovation ‘SIEUR’ at India Pavilion-Expo 2020 ,Ritik Jain and JyotiChowdhery said, “SIEUR which means a Knight in old French is a safety device that safeguards people from dangerous situations. Displaying under the theme of Tolerance and Inclusive week helped us springboard our project as the technology used aptly helps the society at large. The device sends signal to the smartphones of family members whenever someone is in danger, panic or a perplexed situation.  Through this platform we have got required credibility and opportunity to display our innovation on this world stage. We have also learnt about the latest trends and best business practices that will sharpen our business skills.”

Sharing their experience, YashaswiGalhotra, SeeratParvaiz and Aashi Goyal from Team Shopvite, said, “Expos across years have been showcasing path breaking innovations. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity that Dubai Expo 2020 has given us. It was an unbelievable experience to display our project that focuses on smart shopping system to make entire experience effortless. We aim to avoid long queues and physical exchange of currency. We are confident that this technology will be widely useful in the current situation.”

Thanking Expo 2020 Dubai, Dr. AmanPuri, Consul General of India, Dubai said, “Coming out of the shadows of COVID 19, Indian Government has set up ambitious plans to garner massive investments in Indian economy by showcasing unlimited business opportunities, innovations and tech startups at India Pavilion-Expo 2020 allowing investors to be part of India’s growth story. I am extremely pleased with the innovations being showcased by young minds from BITS Pilani Dubai Campus proving that India’s huge market and abundance of young talent makes it an ideal Business partner”.

Apart from SIEUR and SHOPVITE, more interesting startup ideas are lined up by BPDC along with the Innovation Hub and FICCI in coming months. Scheduled to be featured soon, project SMART DUSTBINfocuses on segregating the waste such as metal, plastic, wood in the appropriate bins. Integrated with an SMS service, the solar powered bin will notify the user whenever it is full. Catching on to the trend of Drone tech startups, DJI RYZE TELLO Drone is launched for covid-19 protocol surveillance. This project proposes a real time surveillance system designed with face and mask detection features to enhance public safety.

Aptly included under the theme Travel and Connectivity are 2 projects CHEM E CAR and TAPP.  With CHEM E CAR students aim to build a car which is powered by hydrogen, a sustainable energy source for the future of transportation, and potentially reduces CO2 emissions.TAPP is a simple mobile application that converts your smartphone in to a PCOS/ card reading machine. The user can send or receive money by just tapping the credit/debit card at the back of the smartphone, thereby easing the process and bypassing the additional charges.

While the world is grappling with food wastage and food scarcity at the same time, project VIM PULVERIS under the theme Food, Agriculture & Livelihoods is a ray of hope for many underprivileged families. Leftover restaurant food will be collected and converted in a powdered form. The food can be reconstituted to its original form by adding hot water. The packets are vacuum-sealed and have a shelf life of one year.

Also, projects such as MEDPAL, loLetics and FANTASY AKHADAare lined up.Medpal offers streamlined process for healthcare such as medical appointments, records, information storage and follow-ups.Fantasy Akhada is a Sports tech startup covering Fantasy Cricket and Fantasy Football, where you can come, play, and win exciting contests and wear the pride of beating the best in the country.