Chatur Ideas announces Aquakraft’s SWACHHAGRAHA

by Shrutee K/DNS

#BeAChatur Contest was launched on June 1, 2017 with an aim to foster competition amongst business ideas for start ups in line with Honble Prime Minster’s vision of Start Up India & Stand Up India.  #BeAChatur Contest, a 4-month intensive B-plan competition, was open for everyone with an idea and/or startup, which saw participation from over 5400 entrepreneurs, and startups. In the first phase Top-50 amongst the all the applicants were chosen and were given an opportunity for mentor-mentee interaction on August 19th, 2017 of which, Top-10 was declared on 7th september, 2017. Chatur Ideas has an investor network of over 1500 investors and till today advised more than 650 startups in various facets of mentoring, fund-raising, legal services, technological assistance, go-to market strategy & digital marketing. The main objective of this contest was to aggregate best ideas, which can then be led to innovation, IP, commercialization and value creation in a structured and scientific manner. This was the first one and calendar of such contests addressing opportunities & challenges is being planned, creating a focused and effective set of entrepreneurs and enterprises. Chatur Ideas is by far one of the only structured platforms, which is silently enabling the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Start Up India & Stand Up India.

Devesh Chawla, Founder and CEO of Chatur Ideas, spoke on the success of the contest, “We are pleased to announce that ideas by Sunil Vasyani from Surat, Ashutosh Srivastava from Delhi & SWACHHAGRAHA Business plan by “SwachhShree” Subramanya Kusnur, Chairman & CEO Aquakraft Projects Pvt Ltd Mumbai have made it to the Top 3 of “Be a Chatur” Contest. The Contest was aimed to provide a platform to startups to get mentored by the eminent names from the industry and a chance to raise capital for themselves. The response received was overwhelming and much more than we anticipated, which goes to show how much India needs platforms like Chatur Ideas to get a chance to showcase their potentials. After this thumping success, we are now poised to address opportunities and challenges facing India to create sustained entrepreneurship opportuntities and job creation.”  

“It was a great experience to see the amount of talent across spectrums that is available in young minds and how they are all rearing to go with their conviction and passion. This contest was notably significant as the jury got see an unconventional model of a start up addressing a very complex issue like drinking water and sanitation by SWACHHAGRAHA specifically focused on the rural area. This has beaten the conventional urban home filtration & sanitaryware business opportunity hands down as an attractive investment option and proven much more attractive, as while making money and delivering ROI, it also creates a strong Social Capital & empowers the youth by creating livelihood opportunities by powering them vocationally.” Said Jury Member KRISHNA KUMAR, Founder of mpower

“SWACHHAGRAHA Business Plan of Aquakraft was specifically chosen by the jury as it has proven to be a next generation social initiative which makes profit and delivers investor value by addressing the critical issue of Clean Drinking Water & Sanitation especially in the rural areas. This is a unique business plan which was never planned but evolved with a clear focus and stabilized addressing every challenge that came along which has made it very bankable & robust fundamentally.” Added another jury member VARUN SHETH, Founder of Ketto

“Subramanya has demonstrated a true sense of entrepreneurship leaving the cushy comforts of a Corporate Career and travelling over 400 villages, relentlessly advocating Green Technologies for water filtration & sanitation which are environment friendly and not budging to the temptation of using popularly corrosive technologies to make a fast buck. While doing so he has faced many a challenges, encountered rigid decision makers & incompatible investors, but still stuck to his objective with a razor sharp focus which has evolved to the innovation of unique socio economic models, aquatm – Water ATM & aquato – Bio Toilet which are an integral part of SWACHHAGRAHA. This to us is a true sense of entrepreneurship, which we are making as a case study for emulation by our ecosystem.” Commented Devesh

“We are very humbled to learn that SWACHHAGRAHA has made it to the Top 3 of the “Be a Chatur” Contest. SWACHHAGRAHA is a unique social franchising model enabled by inclusive participation of the Youth, is a movement for Clean, Green, Healthy and New INDIA. SWACHH is an acronym for Sanitation & Water for Community Health & Hygiene. AGRAHA is an invitation to all stakeholders across Volunteers, Donors, Non Profits, NGOs, Social Financial Institutions, Corporates, Multilateral Agencies, Elected representatives such as Corporators /MLAs / MPs /Govt., & Institutional Stakeholders, Academia to join a MOVEMENT FOR CLEAN & GREEN INDIA. The aim of SWACHHAGRAHA is to initiate a movement that pervades one and all, making the basic amenities of life such as water, sanitation, hygiene accessible and available, with the motto to provide a better standard of living in the long run. Each of the initiatives to be undertaken under SWACHHAGRAHA endorses one or more of the schemes and programmes launched by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, in order to collectively realize the dream of a NEW INDIA within a span of 5 years, in 2022, marking 75 years of our independence and also independence from the perils of contaminated water and lack of sanitation leading to better health & hygiene. SWACHHAGRAHA will create a whole new cadre of SWACHH BANDHU’s, SWACHH BHAGINI’s & SWACHHePRENEURS who will relentlessly implement the SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAAN across the length and breadth of INDIA. We are even happier with this announcement as it coincides with GANDHI JAYANTI on October 2, 2017 where we are launching a nationwide SWACHHAGRAHA march.” Said “SwachhShree” Subramanya Kusnur – Chairman & CEO Aquakraft Projects Pvt Ltd

 “We can go on an on about the uniqueness of this plan, but one of the most significant feature is that is empowers the local youth by creating livelihood opportunities and addresses the last mile connectivity to the community which is largely missing today. This is certainly an excellent investment opportunity for Impact Investors and particularly large pan India conglomerates / MNCs wanting to demonstrate their Social Commitment and create Social Brand Equity in a sustained manner. ” Added VARUN

“We heartily congratulate Chatur Ideas on creating such a focused and effective platform connecting one and all in the Start Up Ecosystem. We at SWACHHAGRAHA have come so far but still do not have answers to all the questions. In this regard we are launching a SWACHH CHATUR CONTEST on GANDHI JAYANTI to assimilate and aggregate fresh thoughts, ideas and solutions to endemic problems plaguing across technology, innovation & operations in the area of Clean Drinking Water, Sanitation, Public Health & Waste Management.” Concluded Subramanya

The other Jury members of “Be A Chatur” contest were Anurag Batra - Editor Business World, Alpana Parida - MD DY Works , Jitendra Gupta-Founder PayU Money & Sanjay Kumath - Sr Vice President www.housing.com.