New Delhi [India], April 24: Cisco, in partnership with Nasscom Foundation, felicitated ten winning student-led start-ups from the 7th cohort of its CSR initiative, thingQbator, at the Neovation 2025 event. Chosen from over 1,367 submissions through a rigorous shortlisting process, these promising teams have turned their innovative ideas into working prototypes and scalable ventures. The event also brought together a distinguished panel of corporates, thought leaders, academia, and industry experts to felicitate innovations aimed at addressing critical societal challenges in areas like healthcare, waste management, transportation, household IoT, and public infrastructure.
- An initiative designed to spark innovation and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among students through relevant technologies
- The program, now in its 7th cohort, had a participation of 3734 young students, with the top 10 teams receiving INR 5 lakh each in seed funding at the felicitation event
Designed to empower young innovators, thingQbator provides a platform where college students across the country, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities are mentored to turn their ideas into prototypes and viable businesses. This virtual maker space program, held at various partner universities, offers students hands-on experience with digital technologies. It enables them to transform their ideas into working prototypes and devise localized solutions to community problems.
A total of 3,734 students participated in cohort 7 across India, showcasing a strong spirit of innovation. All 1,367 ideas progressed to the ideation stage, reflecting the creative depth across campuses. From these, 125 teams comprising 343 students advanced to the prototyping stage, receiving dedicated mentorship. With 1,233 mentoring hours delivered, students refined their ideas into impactful, tech-driven solutions addressing real-world challenges.
Harish Krishnan, Managing Director and Chief Policy Officer, Cisco India and SAARC, said, “India’s innovation landscape is at an inflexion point, driven by the convergence of technology and purpose. The future of social innovation here holds immense promise—and at Cisco, our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all is deeply aligned with this vision.. We take immense pride in supporting this transformation through initiatives like thingQbator, which provides students with the tools, mentorship, and platform to turn bold ideas into scalable solutions. Through programs like this, we aim to nurture ideas by empowering young innovators. I am very proud of the innovations showcased by the winning teams today and extremely excited at the prospect of their success as they step forward to solve real-world problems using technology and purpose.”
Jyoti Sharma, CEO, Nasscom Foundation, commented, “India is witnessing a remarkable surge in innovation, driven by the passion and creativity of the young minds. Through our continued partnership with Cisco, initiatives like thingQbator are not just nurturing ideas but shaping future entrepreneurs who are committed to building impactful solutions for real-world challenges. It is truly inspiring to see how student-led innovations are translating into scalable ventures, reinforcing the belief that with the right guidance and opportunities, our youth can lead the charge in shaping a better, more inclusive future.”
The top 10 teams with the best solutions felicitated at the Neovation 2025 include:
- Ad Aqua (Surendranath College, Kolkata): Aimed at making water accessible for all by integrating advertisements on packaging while addressing SDGs like Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6) and Responsible Consumption (SDG 12).
- Riverant (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetam, Coimbatore): Focused on cleaning polluted rivers using IoT-integrated robotics, aligning with SDGs like Climate Action (SDG 13) and Life Below Water (SDG 14).
- FindFake (Vivekanand Education Society’s Institute of Technology, Mumbai): Developed a deepfake detection platform to combat misinformation, supporting SDGs like Peace and Justice (SDG 16).
- Demcare (JNU, Delhi): Created a dementia-tracking device to improve healthcare outcomes, addressing Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3).
- IntelliFlow Vital Tracker (REVA University, Bangalore): Designed a real-time patient monitoring system to enhance healthcare delivery in resource-constrained settings.
- Novel Air Quality Sensing (Vivekanand Education Society’s Institute of Technology, Mumbai): Developed an optical particle counting device using IoT-enabled CMOS camera microchips to measure particulate matter levels. The solution aligns with SDGs 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, offering a cost-effective way to monitor air pollution.
- Tranquil (VIT, Vellore): An AI-powered mental health support platform offering instant therapy and coping strategies to address mental health struggles. This project aligns with SDGs 3, 5, 8, 10, and 17.
- Water Your Plant from Anywhere (University of Lucknow): A smart irrigation system using IoT and cloud computing to enable remote watering of plants, contributing to SDGs 9, 11, 12, and 13.
- Where is My Bus (MLRIT, Hyderabad): A real-time bus tracking system designed for college transit networks in India, improving accessibility and efficiency using HTML, CSS, JS, and Leaflet technology.
- Plant Microbial Fuel Cell-KIT (Kalaignar Karunanidhi Institute of Technology, Coimbatore): A sustainable energy solution leveraging plant-microbe electrochemical interactions to provide decentralized, eco-friendly electricity. This project aligns with SDGs 7, 12, 13, and 15.
Through its inception in 2018, the Cisco thingQbator initiative has trained over 10262 students, aiming to shift their mindset to innovators. Over the years, with 5351 hours of mentoring, the program has led to the development of 409 prototypes, with 63 teams already registered or incubated at start-up accelerators. At its core, the initiative empowers students to craft innovative solutions for real-world challenges, fostering design thinking, community problem-solving, and essential go-to-market skills.
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Divya Agarwal
