SOLUS AI is among the three winners at Clarion Call 2021, a startup contest by IIM Calcutta
The top three start-ups at the fourth edition of the start-up contest hosted by the IIM Calcutta Alumni Association, Mumbai Chapter (IIMCAA-M), bagged prizes worth Rs 10 lakh and a chance to be mentored at some of the country’s top institutes.
Clarion Call 4.0 was managed, hosted and conducted by IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP).
IIM Calcutta Innovation Park has committed investments worth Rs 1.5 crore towards three identified start-ups from among the top 20. Additionally, this year, the top three start-ups won prizes worth Rs 10 lakh and a chance to be mentored at some of the top institutes of the country.
More than 1,000 start-ups applied to participate in Clarion Call 4.0 and about 550 met the eligibility criteria.
The top 20 start-ups also have access to the Clarion Call 4.0 accelerator/incubator partners – IIMCIP, IIT Bombay SINE, India Accelerator, Huddle, Sparklehood, Zone Startups of BSE, Airtel Startup Accelerator, HTIC IIT Madras.
“These partners would offer incubation support to the start-ups that include business mentoring, access to market and funding,” said Subhrangshu Sanyal, CEO, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park.
Clarion Call brought together the largest group start-ups, investors, incubators onto a single platform and unearthed many promising and deserving start-ups and connected them to investors and accelerators.
IIMCAA onboarded the largest group of investors (venture funds, angel networks) for single event. There are about half-a-dozen active investment conversations from this.
Eight of the top 20 start-ups competed in a grand virtual live event on May 1 and a special jury of five picked the top three start-ups. The winner was Homepecked eMarketplace Services (https://www.homepecked.in), followed by first runner-up StoryMirror Infotech (https://storymirror.com/) and second runner-up Solus AI (https://www.solus.ai). They won cash prizes of Rs 10 lakh.
To make the selection process best in town, IIMCAA tied up with PwC as a process and knowledge partner to evaluate and score the entries and bring them down to top 50 finalists.
The top 50 were evaluated via multiple rounds of pitching sessions by a 25-member jury that consisted of entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and the top 20 finalists were identified.