VMPL

New Delhi [India], September 25: How Kotak BizLabs, a CSR initiative of Kotak Mahindra Bank, is helping early-revenue startups turn promising technology into solutions with real-world applications at FITT, IIT Delhi. 

Some startup ideas begin with a problem that is easy to see. A train that needs to be safer. A farmer who needs to use less water. A hospital that needs better tools to plan cancer treatment. A textile process that consumes too much water. A woman who needs safer mobility. A security system that needs to respond faster.

The harder part is taking a solution that can make a difference and giving it the support, resources and access it needs to reach more people.

That is where right acceleration can play a huge role.

The second cohort of the Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme brought together 15 startups working across healthcare, agritech, sustainability, deeptech, enterprise technology, mobility, fintech etc. Supported by Kotak Mahindra Bank through its CSR initiative and implemented by the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, the programme worked with early-revenue startups through structured acceleration, mentorship, funding support, investor interactions, market access and ecosystem engagements.

From the applications received by FITT, 15 startups were eventually selected to be part of the second cohort. What followed was a six-month journey that went beyond capital: founders participated in bootcamps, expert sessions, investor connects, market and strategy workshops, governance and compliance sessions, and interactions with industry and institutional stakeholders.

And some of the clearest signs of what that support can unlock are found not in a single number, but in what happened next.

When acceleration starts showing up in the numbers

For some founders, progress meant moving a technology into a real operating environment.Pradivya Software is working on AI-, IoT- and 5G-based predictive maintenance and safety systems for moving trains-technology aimed at helping make railway operations safer and more reliable. During the programme, the startup completed its Katra site and handed it over to Indian Railways. Its order pipeline has since crossed 8 crore, while the company also took its technology into international conversations, including a German ministerial roundtable in 2026.

Easiofy Solutions is approaching another deeply human problem: improving the way cancer treatment is planned. Its AI platform works on tumour and organ segmentation and radiation therapy planning, with the startup continuing to expand its healthcare applications and hospital engagement. It also received recognition including a TiE50 global award at TiEcon Silicon Valley 2026 and a Top 5 position at the Impact Global AI Pitchfest.

Then there is Open Spectrum AI, bringing AI and IoT into everyday agricultural decisions around soil, irrigation and crop health. In a pomegranate deployment in Himmatnagar, its technology recorded 60 lakh litres of water saved, alongside reported improvements in yield and fertiliser uptake and a reduction in fertiliser consumption. Its devices have been tested across 15+ horticultural crops.

At Indigotex, the question is how a centuries-old textile process can use significantly fewer resources. The startup is developing waterless wool-processing and indigo-dyeing technology, with its reported milestone of a waterless, zero-wastewater indigo wool dyeing process. It also raised 4.9 crore, while receiving recognition through Bharat Innovates and the ReNew Climate Awards.

For Fery Rides, the problem is closer to everyday life: making mobility safer while creating livelihoods for women. The women-led EV ride-hailing platform secured a major seed round led by Indian Angel Network and tripled its active commercial cab fleet in six months.

And in defence technology, Bravecore is developing AI-powered surveillance and autonomous systems designed for security and defence applications. Its progress includes delivery of autonomous swarm drone systems to the Indian Army, development of Tube Launch Drone technology for the Indian Navy, and deployment of its SmartCop AI robotic surveillance system at the Delhi Metro.

Across the cohort, founders were not simply adding another line to a pitch deck. They were filing patents, entering new markets, pursuing institutional deployments, raising capital, expanding their operating capacity and putting their technologies in front of investors and industry stakeholders.

Three founders from the cohort- Bravecore, Pradivya and Febi.ai showcased their technologies to the Vice Minister of the Republic of Korea.

It is a combination of the right capital, the right questions, the right connections and the right opportunities at the right point in a founder's journey.When the founder's story reaches a larger audienceSome of these journeys have now travelled well beyond the startup ecosystem.Two founders from the FITT cohort Pradivya Software and Easiofy Solutions were featured in the second season of Hausla Empowered, Kotak Mahindra Bank's founder-focused docuseries.

It is a fitting extension of the journeys themselves.

Because behind every patent, funding round or deployment is a founder who started with a problem, built a solution and then had to figure out how to take it further.

The second cohort of Kotak BizLabs offers six very different examples of that journey-and 15 stories in all.The next cohort 

Kotak BizLabs Season 3 is now accepting applications.

The programme is looking for DPIIT-recognised, revenue-generating startups with market-ready products and existing customers, across areas including AgriTech, ClimateTech, DeepTech, FinTech, HealthTech, Sustainability, Electric Mobility, Waste Management, Sustainable Manufacturing and other innovation-led sectors.

The next breakthrough may not come from where the ecosystem is already looking.

It may already be being built somewhere else-by a founder who has moved beyond the idea and is ready for the next stage.

Applications for Kotak BizLabs Season 3 are now open.

Application Link: https://kotakbizlabs.accubate.app/ext/form/24005/1/apply

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