File picture: Green ammonia molecular structure: central nitrogen atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms.
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Social Alpha has launched ‘Techtonic: Innovations in Clean Energy’, an acceleration programme designed to identify science-led start-ups building solutions to address India’s evolving energy needs.Through the initiative, selected start-ups will receive grant support along with access to Social Alpha’s venture development platform, pilot opportunities, market linkages and post-challenge seed investment opportunities subject to due diligence.Applications for Techtonic will close on August 21. The final cohort of selected start-ups will be announced in September.The 12-month acceleration programme is open to start-ups across different stages of maturity. Early-stage ventures at the R&D stage will receive incubation support of ₹10 lakh, while growth-stage ventures at the scale-up stage can get ₹60 lakh to accelerate deployment.Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha said building science-led ventures requires more than capital as entrepreneurs need access to infrastructure and market linkages to navigate the journey from lab validation to adoption.Techtonic will bring these elements together to help founders accelerate the development and deployment of solutions that can contribute meaningfully to India’s energy future, he said.Proposed partners in the initiative include Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Selco Foundation and Tata Power, Jakson Green, and Sagacity.Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog said the clean energy transition is an opportunity to strengthen energy security, drive economic growth and establish India’s leadership in the technologies of the future.The solutions that will shape this future may emerge from start-ups, laboratory or young entrepreneurs with the courage to challenge convention, he added.Harish Hande, founder, Selco Foundation, said the true value of decentralised renewable energy lies not in the units of electricity it generates, but in the livelihoods, incomes and opportunities it enables.The challenge can bring more innovators into the sector and help convert promising ideas into affordable, reliable solutions that can be piloted, deployed and scaled for under-served communities, he said.Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power said innovation is essential to make India’s energy transition reliable, sustainable and affordable.Techtonic will enable entrepreneurs to pilot and validate their solutions in a real-world operational environment, accelerating homegrown innovations that power India’s clean energy transition, he added.Published on July 27, 2026
