Over 100 Makers from across India participated in the 9th edition of Maker Mela, Asia’s Largest Platform for Makers

riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar rewarded the best innovation as Maker of the Year with prizes worth INR 1 Lakh.

The 9th edition of Maker Mela, powered by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, concluded successfully on Wednesday, 14th February 2024. As a premier event for grassroots innovators worldwide, the 3-day event attracted the participation of over 100 innovative minds from across the globe. The event, an initiative of Somaiya Trust and Somaiya Vidyavihar University, organized by riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar (Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory) accelerates the maker movement in India, aligning with the New Education Policy and supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.

A pitching session was conducted wherein shortlisted makers received an opportunity to present their ground-breaking innovations in front of a panel of renowned entrepreneurs, government dignitaries and investors including Dharmil Sheth, Co-Founder, PharmEasy ; Siddharth Somaiya, Angel Investor & Co-Chairman, Startups & Innovation Committee, IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry ; Shardul, Scientist-C, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India ; Mayank Potlapalli, Investment Analyst, JSW Ventures and several others.

The 10 shortlisted makers included:

1.⁠ ⁠ImmverseAI (https://immverse.ai/)

2.⁠ ⁠⁠Tusk (https://mytusk.in/)

3.⁠ ⁠WatchOut Wearables (https://www.watchoutwearables.com/)

4.⁠ ⁠⁠Creto (https://creto.co.in/)

5.⁠ ⁠GenZDealZ.ai (https://genzdealz.ai/)

6.⁠ ⁠⁠Fuselage (https://fuselage.co.in/)

7.⁠ ⁠⁠Alfaues Tech (https://alfaleus.in/)

8.⁠ ⁠⁠Skitii (https://www.skitii.com/)

9.⁠ ⁠⁠Avinya Infinity Solution (https://avinyainfinitysolutions.com/)

10. Stemtech Medical Devices (https://evascalpcooling.co.in/)

On the basis of jury evaluation and feedback, WatchOut Wearables by Abhishek Baheti and Noopur Baheti is rewarded as Maker of the Year at Maker Mela with prizes worth INR 1 Lakh. 

Few of the other innovators from the shortlisted 10 included ImmverseAI, makers Anay & Abeer Ramakrishnan (aged 9 year) developed digital interactive avatars using GenAI, while another maker Raghuveer Surupa has developed Stemtech Medical Devices that is Asia’s First Scalp Cooling device to reduce hair loss problems during chemotherapy. They’ve recently secured an investment deal on Shark Tank India Season 3.

One of our collaborators, Paper Shaper, showcased eco-friendly cardboard creations such as cardboard furniture, idols of Gandhiji, and several others, highlighting maker culture through corrugated board solutions during the 3-day event.

ReDesign, the circular economy club at riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar commits to skill people in the Somaiya Vidyavihar campus with Upcycling workshops using diverse materials. In this 9th edition of Maker Mela, ReDesign collaborated with The Denim Project to upcycle denim into beautiful products. The enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the participants was infectious. The ReDesign team also created a beautiful cart to showcase various sustainability projects on campus.

Shri Samir Somaiya, Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University, emphasizes the power of collaboration and vision in creating innovative spaces. “From campus partnerships to government alliances and community engagement, our journey towards excellence is fueled by collective efforts. With a new 50 thousand square feet place of excellence on the horizon, we’re dreaming to shape tomorrow’s leaders and innovators, fostering creativity and collaboration every step of the way.”

Mr. Gaurang Shetty, Chief Innovation Catalyst at riidl Somaiya Vidyavihar, said, “The 9 years has been a journey of learning, sharing, and innovating. This Movement of makers is coming into its own. Yet, we have just begun to unlock the full potential of our collective creativity and impact.”

Over the past 8 editions, Maker Mela has welcomed projects from over 850 makers across 25 countries. Notably, 350 makers have been featured on the Maker Mela community platform makermela.com, attracting an impressive viewership of around 104,000 from over 105 countries, including 1000+ cities globally.