Here's a showcase of how SAP's program for intrapreneurs is helping the community!
Electronic waste (e-waste) in India is an emerging public health and environmental concern as the country becomes the fifth top e-waste producing nation after the U.S., China, Japan, and Germany. Along with the tremendous growth in the IT and communication sectors in the country is the exponential growth of e-waste coming from consumers’ electronic and electrical equipment upgrades.
Recycletronics, one of the new ventures to join the SAP.iO Venture Studio, has zeroed in on tackling e-waste in India by leveraging data and technology. Founded by Kiruthika S., Ajit Chandran, Rima Yadav, and Amit Sharma, Recycletronics was selected for funding from the partnership between SAP.iO program and SAP One Billion Lives, SAP’s intrapreneurship program focused on sustainable ventures.
Kiruthika S., Product Development lead of Recycletronics, said:
“The intrapreneurship program has let us develop our idea into a reality. We’ve been able to meet with fellow innovators, mentors, motivators, and coaches that have acted as catalysts to bring Recycletronics to life.”
As part of New Ventures and Technologies, SAP.iO Venture Studio’s intrapreneurship program acts as an accelerator of employee-led innovations that have the potential to future-proof SAP and its customers. Entrepreneurial employees that qualify for the program get an opportunity to work with real end-users and SAP experts as they build out, validate, and, eventually, accelerate their idea into a venture with proven market demand.
Addressing E-Waste in India
To better understand and get first-hand information about electronics recycling vis-à-vis managing e-waste in India, the Recycletronics collaborated with the Chief Business Officer of Cerebra Green, an Indian recyler company that created the country’s largest, most sophisticated end-to-end e-waste recycling facility.
The Recycletronics team aims to build a marketplace for Indian electronics manufacturers and e-waste recyclers with the ultimate goal of remarkably contributing to e-waste management in India. Aside from propagating the knowledge of e-waste handling, the new venture is also advocating sustainability by creating a network for manufacturers and recyclers. When manufacturers and recyclers collaborate, the reduction of waste generation becomes more viable.
Kiruthika said:
“By creating a marketplace, Recycletronics isn’t just reducing e-waste. It will also increase the value derived from e-waste for companies and also aim at improving circular economy by bringing secondary raw materials back into the market.”
Furthermore, the new venture’s solution addresses India’s public health issue on e-waste. Chandran, General Manager and Business Development lead of Recycletronics stressed that hazardous materials of e-waste can cause serious illnesses.
“Recycletronics will help prevent these illnesses and help take e-waste to a better place,” Chandran highlighted.
Together with Recycletronics, SAP.iO Venture Studio also welcomed SavingsNow!, another new venture that focuses on sourcing-as-a-service automation. Both ventures have received €1-2 million in funding from SAP through the company’s grassroots Scouting & Acceleration program.
Ram Jambunathan, Head of SAP.iO Venture Studio, said:
“Entrepreneurs at SAP are in a unique position to shape the future of enterprise software. SAP’s distinctive understanding of business processes enables ventures like Recycletronics and Savings Now! to leverage data and technology to explore, experiment, and transform how business is done.”
