Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE) was inaugurated in December 2018 with hardly any incubatees. Six months on they can boast of having at least 30 start-ups with great potential in the future.
FiiRE is a technology business incubator established with the support of Rs 10 crore from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India under the National Initiative to Develop and Harness Innovation. FiiRE is hosted at the Don Bosco College of Engineering Fatorda, promoted by The Fatorda Salesian Society which is part of the world wide society of Don Bosco having branches in over hundred countries.
During its inauguration in December the chairman of the Goa Public Service Commission and Goa State Innovation Council, Jose Manuel Noronha had said, “This is the first private college which received the funding from the Central government to set up this incubation center. I now am confident that Goa can become a start-up hub in the country. We have the talent but what we need now is to scale up.”
It is gradually scaling up as FiiRE supports early stage technology ventures with a scalable business model. It offers incubation support, co-working space, testing laboratory, training halls and other facilities to its incubatees and entrepreneurs. Start-ups are gaining credibility as change agents and are even acknowledged by the government for their potential to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
D S Prashant, CEO of FiiRE said, “FiiRE is dedicated towards moving start-ups from garage to laboratory through structured incubation. The methodology implemented by FiiRE during the last six months, has helped start-ups define and raise funds. It is our real test and we are fully geared with our novel approach. We have an investor meet coming up in June this year and this will give fillip to many start-ups who are preparing to scale up.”
Herald spoke to companies who could make a difference in this space.
Ajay Naik, CEO of Letcetra Agritech is into Hydroponic Farming. Hydroponics is a soilless farming technique by which we can grow pesticide-free food, with 80 per cent less water and land requirement compared to traditional farming. Apart from soilless farming, Letcetra also provides consultation services to provide opportunities for food and hospitality professionals to use their spaces and vacant areas to grow food as per the demands of their customers and clients.
“We are also working on building a digital solution to make modern agriculture technologies accessible to everyone and increase the adaption of technology in farming. Goa is ideal for technology businesses. The environment here is best suited to drive creative minds to put their soul and focus together into building revolutionary solutions. A Techie’s day can be stressful at times and Goa being away from the chaos of Metro cities, is a great place to be relaxed after a tough day at work. It’s this fine balance that works in favour of having a base in Goa.” said Naik.
Internship Station is a platform that aims to improve the student quality and provide industries tailor made personnel through a unique assessment system that interconnects students, industries and colleges. Instruments such as internships, projects, etc are being used to achieve this goal.
Mechgiri Autocare is a team of auto experts and auto spare-part dealers that manage and deliver top level services and merchandise to car owners, with a motto ‘We Care’. They are India’s pioneering online solutions provider in auto service industry, driven by technology with unique idea in forming a bond between auto technician and car owner.
Mechgiri works together with their network of partners to create a smarter, more connected global business community. They form strong and lasting partnerships with like-minded enterprises to create solutions and to take them to market.
“Working together, we help our joint customers to meet their auto service challenges. With access to the broadest portfolio of auto technician and spare-part dealer in the industry, our partners are control points that deliver quality and timely expertise,” said Vassant Salgaonkar and Gaurish Salgaonkar, both directors of Mechgiri.
Founder of Asier Solutions, Sunaya Shirodkar believes in ‘experiencing technology through fun way of learning’. “We conduct workshops, training and developmental programmes for schools, colleges and corporates. We provide educational kits in schools, colleges and Atal Thinkering Labs. We wanted to bridge the gap between the educational organisation and the industry in Goa. We want to give a student the exposure to the practical aspects of science and technology and develop numerous skills including problem solving, logical reasoning, creativity, communication and self-confidence. This exposure at this crucial age will help them to know their passion and hence achieve their career heights, said Shirodkar.
“Opting for Goa as a place to start a business was because I see there is growing potential currently. Also, I have some contacts who I expect to help me make progress in my business. The business/start-up environment is still at a very young stage in Goa but I see that there will be more entrepreneurs in Goa. Starting a concept in a place where not much of technology growth is taking place is also a benefit as there will be people willing to try out new products/technology. FiiRE has provided us a great business environment. The fact being there are a lot of people visiting from or outside Goa who have already established themselves in their respective areas. There is a transfer of information and technology to a great extent. For a start-up like us, it is very important when experts share their knowledge and ideas as they have a lot of experience. FiiRE has provided us the platform by helping us grow in our ideas,” said the spokesperson of Innovent.
Innovent is a start-up which deals with product and architectural designs. Currently they provide 3D views and walkthroughs to clients to assist them in understanding their buildings better. In the field of products, they are designing a convertible wheelchair for the medically disabled patients.
Suwarna Surlakar, founder and CEO, Codewell Computers said, “Our aim is to provide affordable and inclusive technology education to children above 7 years. In the next 4-5 years we want to see our company being the essential part of technology education providers with the most interactive learning towards building future inventors and innovators. We were born in Goa and I am looking forward to make our today’s generation ready for the future digital job market, make Goa the hub of innovation and invention.”
FiiRE is dedicated towards helping start-ups through a structured incubation process, to make the start-ups investable and leverage the strengths of the ecosystem to help them grow faster. FiiRE aspires to be the ‘Go To’ Technology Business Incubator in the country with an aim to support 100 start-ups by 2023.
