HYDERABAD: Innovation — whether it is primitive hands rubbing two stones together to create fire or modern ones sending a couple of satellites into space — takes entire civilisation forward. Hyderabad has been a powerhouse of innovation in the last few years, birthing innumerable startups and tech developments across industries.
Sujit Jagirdar, the CEO of Hyderabad’s premier innovation space T-Hub, Joginder Tanikella, the CEO of India’s largest prototyping centre T-Works, and Dr N Kalyani, professor of CSE and dean of Incubation & Innovation at G Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science (GNITS), decode the three most buoyant industries in 2024.
Electric vehicles (EVs)
SUJIT JAGIRDAR
Telangana has been forward-looking in terms of EV policies. In 2020, the Telangana Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy set the tone for the EV industry in the state. On November 18, 2024, new incentives were introduced, including a 100% exemption on road tax and registration fees for electric vehicles, to further boost the sector. Today’s developments are a culmination of years of progress. Recently, Gravton Motors, an alumnus of T-Hub, successfully launched its smart e-bike, Quanta, which features advanced connectivity and LMFP batteries, offering a range of up to 130 km on a single charge.
Gayam Motor Works, a Hyderabad-based EV manufacturing company, developed the world’s first electric autorickshaw with a Li-Ion battery. As part of an international collaboration, we are working with ecosystem partners in Telangana and across borders on a breakthrough initiative to redefine the charging mechanism with the ‘charging on the go’ concept.
There are currently around 195 charging station points across Hyderabad. The ambition is to have 2,000 charging stations across Telangana in the next couple of years, for which the government is working with both public and private sector companies. EVs offer the potential to reduce emissions and serve as a good alternative for a healthier and more sustainable future.
Deep Tech
DR N KALYANI
Deep tech is a vast ocean — you have AI, robotics, blockchain, biotech, and quantum computing. The ecosystem has matured well due to government initiatives and committed collaboration of academic institutions, global tech companies, and startups. Hyderabad is now recognised as one of India’s leading hubs for deep tech innovation.
The past year has seen a rising wave of women-led deep tech startups in the city, and government and private incubation centres are fostering a healthy environment for them. The GNITS Innovation & Incubation Centre is a pioneering academic incubator focusing on such startups, especially through its Atal Incubation Centre - GNITS.
This has been a great platform for startups like Augsidius, an AI-based healthcare startup co-founded by Dr Akhila Kosuru earlier this year to revolutionise clinical decision-making. Nishtha Rohatgi’s AI.HYR, which offers an AI interview platform that swiftly identifies top talent, streamlines hiring, and saves resources, completed 500+ AI interviews.
What really makes me proud is how much women are doing in this field; we’ve really come a long way. We need more access to finance, especially after the prototyping stage, and a more simplified approval process at different levels when it comes to commercialisation. At the end of the day, deep tech is transformative because it leverages advanced, disruptive technologies to solve complex, real-world problems that traditional solutions cannot address.
MedTech
JOGINDER TANIKELLA
Covid threw some challenges in the way of the budding medtech industry but today, medtech is back on track, thanks to some great innovations and government encouragement through institutions such as the Medical Devices Park in Hyderabad. One of the most important innovations is non-invasive diagnostic testing; many startups in the city have been making progress over the past year and T-Works will be organising a MedTech Accelerator for them — no equity and no fees.
The main idea is to help startups get regulatory compliance, clients, and funding. Recently, T-works launched a Medical Device Accelerator for startups developing assistive technology for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). We support startups like PlebC, which is working to increase accessibility and inclusivity for ultrasound diagnostics in remote geographies.
Personally, I am developing a photoplethysmography technology which, just by scanning your face, can predict your BP and pulse rate. The biggest benefit of medtech is how it simplifies triage, decreasing our dependence on personnel for the first step of emergency treatment. However, devices need to be more portable and easy-to-use, and technology needs to be customised for the Indian phenotype. That being said, Hyderabad is making rapid strides in medtech and the future looks bright.