U.S.-South India Renewable Energy Innovation Challenge

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The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai proposes to fund a Renewable Energy Innovation Contest for young South Indian entrepreneurs and innovators. The proposed project will bring together young South Indian entrepreneurs, U.S. renewable energy innovators, and South Indian renewable energy experts, business leaders, and investors. The project goal is to raise awareness of and increase interest in opportunities for innovation in the renewable energy field among young South Indian entrepreneurs and innovators from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and the Andaman Islands. The contest will consist of two rounds: a preliminary round executed virtually through video submissions, and a final round held in Chennai in the format of a “Demo Day” competition. Finalists selected by a local panel from the preliminary round will be matched with U.S. mentors, who will virtually help to flesh out their mentees renewable energy idea over a designated period of time. Finalists and U.S. mentors will travel to Chennai one week before the Demo Day competition for final work on their ideas. The project will culminate in a day-long Demo Day competition during which each finalist will pitch and demonstrate his/her idea before a panel of judges, consisting of South Indian renewable energy experts, business leaders, and investors, and a live audience.

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