Mumbai: Zypp Electric, a tech-enabled EV-as-a-Service platform, recently completed its EVolve Challenge season 2 aimed to support innovation-driven startups in the EV industry with minds working to shape a sustainable future. The winners, AddUp Network and NikolEV will receive a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and orders worth up to Rs 2 crore from Zypp Electric along with incubation & funding support.
This year's challenge attracted an impressive array of startups, all passionate about creating a sustainable future and revolutionizing the EV industry. After a rigorous evaluation, two exceptional startups, AddUp Network and NikolEV, were declared winners.
AddUp Network is a SaaS-based logistics startup that aims to democratize the supply chain for SMBs and enable their growth through technology-driven logistics excellence and innovation.
AddUpNetwork director and founder Abhishek Prabhuda said, “Participating in the evolving challenge was a thought-provoking activity, with an experienced jury asking us intriguing questions. It made us rethink several aspects of our business model like the target market, and the ability to price and collect, which have now become the key pillars for AddUp Networks. The journey for AddUp so far has been an exhilarating roller coaster. We have been able to serve some of the big clients as well as the SMEs, and we continue to learn as well as evolve with them.
Our growth vision with Zypp Electric remains extremely exciting with the combination of a SaaS-based tech stack combined with the EVaaS operating model. It brings synergies like hyperlocal and e-commerce deliveries as well as new delivery methods like same-day and slotted delivery to the fore.” he added.
The second winner, NIKOL EV, is building India’s largest operational EV charging infrastructure with their self-developed and designed chargers. They have set up EV charging stations that provide uptime of 98 per cent against an industry average of 60 per cent.
NikolEV director and founder Arjun D Pawar said, "We are very happy to receive this accolade in the EVolve Innovation Challenge Season 2. We have been working tirelessly for the last 2.5 years towards shaping a sustainable future in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure landscape.
We are excited about the possibilities ahead between Nikol EV and Zypp Electric in shaping the future of clean mobility in India. Thanks to the whole Zypp team for providing a platform that propels the vision of startups like us."
Zypp Electric co-founder & CEO Akash Gupta said, “With Evolve Innovation Challenge Season 2, we are reaffirming our commitment to foster innovation in the Indian EV industry. The first season of the EVolve Innovation Challenge, which was launched last year, saw participation from over 100 startups. Out of these, 4 i.e. Mechanify, Flo, TSAW & Mastiebikes were selected for funding and mentorship. This year, the challenge aimed to support even more participants and help them bring their innovative solutions to the market. We have our winners for this year, and I congratulate them for their efforts in working on innovative solutions to drive the adoption of electric vehicles and supply chains in the country. They are working diligently and we’re their growth partners to achieve their mission.”
The success of the previous season's winners, including Flo Mobility, TSAW Drones, Mechanify, and Mastiebikes, highlights the tremendous impact of the EVolve Innovation Challenge. TSAW Drones, which specializes in drone deliveries for logistics, agriculture, and surveillance, praised the program's support and mentorship.
