Six Breakthrough Sustainability Startups Join MIF’s Scale-Up Program in 2024

In 2024, Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF) took bold steps in expanding our no-equity accelerator program, Scale-Up, to embrace startups tackling some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. This year’s cohort brought together six remarkable sustainability startups, each pioneering solutions across diverse sectors – from waste management to clean energy.

Meet the Innovators: Six Sustainability Startups Building a Greener Future

The urgency of addressing fugitive air pollutants in urban environments found a champion in Praan, which is leading the development of filter-less air purification technologies. Their flagship product, MK-II, uses advanced ionisation to remove dust and particulate matter from the surrounding area at a high purification rate of 1,300 cubic feet per minute, and demonstrates the kind of breakthrough thinking we need in clean technology.

Brisil Technologies employs a patented chemical process to transform rice husk ash into valuable bio-based silica for the manufacturing sector. Calcium carbonate is also produced as a byproduct, which Brisil Technologies customises for paint, paper, and dental care industries. Each tonne of silica produced saves over 10 tonnes of carbon emissions and diverts two tonnes of ash from landfills. Brisil’s process exemplifies the circular economy principles that lie at the heart of MIF’s mission.

Ashaya tackles one of India’s most challenging waste streams – multi-layer plastic packaging. It uses a proprietary technology to extract Advanced Materials from hard-to-recycle Multi-layer Plastic (MLP) waste like packets of chips. It then creates products such as the world’s first recycled sunglasses, showing how innovation can transform waste into high-value consumer products.

In the realm of agricultural waste management, we welcomed Craste, which is pioneering advanced technologies to transform abundant, low-value crop waste into sustainable solutions. Their innovations turn rice straw and mustard stubble into biodegradable pulp sheets, sustainable packaging, and India’s first formaldehyde-free green particle boards, reducing CO₂ emissions, conserving resources, and generating additional income from farmers. 

Goenvi Technologies transforms end-of-life plastics and biomass waste into valuable alternate fuels such as biofuel using low-temperature pyrolysis machines. Their innovative approach not only addresses waste management but also creates sustainable energy solutions, demonstrating the potential of waste-to-value technologies in India’s circular economy.

Rounding out our cohort is Takachar. Its cheap, small-scale, portable technology that converts crop residue into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertilisers, and specialty chemicals. This innovation not only provides additional income streams for farmers but also helps prevent crop burning, addressing one of North India’s most pressing environmental challenges.

What makes this year’s cohort particularly special is how each startup approached environmental challenges through different lenses – from air quality to waste management and agricultural innovation. This diversity in problem-solving approaches reflects MIF’s commitment to fostering comprehensive solutions for a sustainable future.

Over the next few years at Scale-Up, these startups will receive bespoke strategic and functional mentorship while on their INR 1-100 crore annual revenue growth journey. Through our proven mentorship model and deep industry networks, MIF remains dedicated to accelerating breakthrough innovations that can transform India’s sustainability landscape.