AkzoNobel India Extends Support to Two India Startup Challenge Winners

Two winning startups of AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future India startup challenge HyperReality Technologies and Fluid AI. Having signed the letters of intent, the two winners now join AkzoNobel’s accelerator program.

“Over the next six months, the goal is clear– to work together with our winners and develop a digital value proposition.The startups will have access to our global network of experts and resources leading up to ‘Demo Day’. That’s when they’ll showcase the results that will shape the future of their collaboration with us. By bringing Paint the Future to the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, AkzoNobel is transforming the paints industry in India,” says Oscar Wezenbeek, managing director, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, south-east south Asia and chairman, AkzoNobel India Limited.

“Innovation is key to AkzoNobel’s approach to sustainable business,and we see a lot of potential in these winning solutions,” said Rajiv Rajgopal, managing director, AkzoNobel India Limited.

“From the depth of the expert sessions to the sheer amount of industry knowledge we’ve gained, this bootcamp has been a collaborative experience unlike any other,” said Sobin Thombra, CEO, HyperReality Technologies

“We’re stoked about our win! AkzoNobel’s astute understanding of our artificial intelligence solution is a gateway to bringing new consumer-centric disruptions in the paints sector,” said Abhinav Aggarwal and Raghav Aggarwal, co-founders, Fluid AI

The India startup challenge is the third regional edition of AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future, and the first such challenge for the paints and coatings industry in India. Run in partnership with NASSCOM Industry Partnership Program (NIPP), the challenge on enhancing “Digital Consumer Experience” for Dulux paints in India attracted 207 submissions from 33 cities across India. Nine finalists were invited to the two-day bootcamp program, where customized sessions with AkzoNobel experts helped them further refine their solution, before making their final pitch to Paint the Future jury.