Winners of Avinya'25 and Vasudha Startup Challenges Announced at Energize India Conclave

New Delhi, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri today announced the winners of two prestigious startup challenges – Avinya'25 and Vasudha – during a special ceremony held at the ONGC headquarters. The announcement was made at the conclusion of ‘Energize India: Catalyzing Growth Through Startup Innovation,’ a high-level conference attended by industry leaders, investors, and innovators from the energy sector.

The winner of Avinya'25, India’s leading energy startup competition, was Urjanovasi Private Limited. The runners-up were Breath ESG Private Limited, Agrivijay, Apero Energy, and Ugreen Technology. The winner of the Vasudha Global Startup Challenge in the upstream oil and gas sector was Latin Energy Partners Inc., Paraguay, and the runner-up was Ultrasound Process Consulting LLC, USA.

A total of 173 applications were received for Avinya'25, while Vasudha attracted global participation, focusing on key areas such as seismic data interpretation, AI applications, and carbon capture technologies. Additionally, the winners of the hackathon were also announced, with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad as the winner and IIT-Guwahati as the runner-up.

In his address, Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the crucial role played by public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in promoting innovation through a startup fund of ₹547.35 crore, supporting 303 startups with ₹286.36 crore, thereby advancing India’s vibrant unicorn ecosystem of over 110 startups.

Discussing the diversification of energy supply sources, Shri Puri mentioned that India has already expanded its energy imports from 27 countries to 39, with discussions ongoing with additional countries. He emphasized that diversification provides strategic benefits by ensuring a broader geographical reach.

Regarding the 20% ethanol blending target, Shri Puri shared that India has already reached 19% and expressed confidence in surpassing the target ahead of schedule, with discussions underway to plan beyond the 20% blend.

The day-long ‘Energize India’ conclave featured thought-provoking panel discussions on identifying opportunities in the energy sector, leveraging emerging technologies, and accessing capital for energy startups. Industry leaders discussed how startups can contribute to India’s energy transition by balancing safety, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability.

During the panel discussion, Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, urged the talented workforce to develop solutions for hydrocarbon exploration using seismic data. Shri SCL Das, Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, spoke about developing a system to assess the maturity levels of various startups to meet their needs related to regulatory compliance or access to capital.

The winning startups will be prominently featured at India Energy Week 2025, where they will showcase their innovations to over 70,000 energy professionals from 120 countries. They will join 14 public sector undertaking (PSU) startups at a special startup pavilion at the event, which will take place from February 11-14, 2025, in New Delhi. The event is expected to be grander than previous editions held in Bangalore and Goa, with over 700 exhibitors, 500 speakers, and more than 6,000 delegates.