Uber is revving up its commitment to a greener future. It has launched ‘Uber Sustainovate,’ a Startup Challenge that is aimed at sparking sustainable mobility innovations in India. It has collaborated with Startup India and nasscom AI for the purpose. This competition seeks visionary startups ready to transform their ideas into actionable solutions that will fast track India’s journey towards sustainable transportation.
The winning startup will grab a grant of $120,000 (about Rs 1 crore) and the top three entries will score valuable mentorship sessions with Uber’s tech leadership in the country. This will sharpen their skills and expertise.
Uber, as a leading ridesharing company, has set its sights on achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 and has been working on it to reduce carbon emissions. Uber Sustainovate is the launchpad for startups eager to be part of this sustainability mission.
Manikandan Thangarathnam, Senior Director of Engineering and Site Lead for Bangalore at Uber, said that they have always believed that the transition to green mobility requires collaboration between industry and technology. Startups having tech capacity can offer groundbreaking solutions. Uber Sustainovate is our way of catalyzing these possibilities as they collectively strive to create sustainable mobility solutions for India and beyond.
Participating startups in the ‘Uber Sustainovate’ Startup Challenge have the option to choose from four distinct tracks to focus their innovative ideas. These tracks include developing smart infrastructure and charging solutions, streamlining the discovery of charging infrastructure and improving interoperability, enhancing the economic viability for drivers and commercial fleet owners and maximizing asset utilization. This diverse range of focus areas reflects Uber’s commitment to addressing various aspects of sustainable mobility in India.
The startup challenge is currently open for submissions until October 18, 2023. The selection process will be thorough and multi-faceted, involving the evaluation of overarching concepts, the viability of proof of concept, the functionality of working prototypes and most importantly, alignment with Uber’s sustainability vision and values. The winner of this challenge will be unveiled in January 2024.
