Myplan8, a green-tech start up, has been announced as one of the winners at the highly anticipated 5th Edition of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue. This prestigious event, co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation, aims to empower and invest in youth to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Youth Co: Lab was first launched in India in 2019 in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog. Since its inception, the initiative has served as a platform for youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship, attracting the participation of visionary young minds from all corners of the country.
Among the twelve outstanding start-ups recognized at the Youth Co: Lab National Innovation Dialogue 2022, Myplan8 stood out as a winner in the category of “Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance.” Myplan8 has developed a ground-breaking lifestyle scoring system called Green Score, which evaluates individuals’ lifestyles based on various parameters and provides alternative choices that can create a positive impact. The start-up is dedicated to reducing individual carbon emissions and aims to achieve a 50% reduction in consumer-based emissions in India in the coming years. By leveraging finance as a tool, Myplan8 enables a people’s movement for a greener planet through the Green Score initiative.
Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), expressed his enthusiasm for the impact of social startups, stating, “Social start-ups are not just businesses; they are catalysts for social change. They address pressing social and environmental challenges, stimulate economic growth, inspire other businesses, leverage technology, and promote collaboration. Their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit drives us towards a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future.”
The twelve winning start-ups, including Myplan8, will receive seed funding of up to $5,000 to scale up their innovations, enabling them to create a more significant impact and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.
Rajat Vishwakarma, Co-founder of Myplan8 expressed that “Myplan8’s victory at the Youth Co: Lab National Innovation Dialogue is a testament to the transformative potential of green-tech solutions and the dedication of Indian start-ups towards building a sustainable and inclusive future. With the technology and intelligence on which we have built this unique scoring system, this has the capability to create the biggest individual-based climate action movement.”
The 2022-23 edition of the Youth Co: Lab National Innovation Dialogue received an overwhelming response with 378 applications from 28 states across the country. After undergoing a rigorous selection process, the top 47 short-listed start-ups had the opportunity to participate in the Youth Co:Lab Springboard Programme. This program provided them with invaluable one-on-one mentoring and capacity-building sessions conducted by experts over a two-month period. Equipped with new knowledge and insights, these start-ups then presented their innovative ideas to an esteemed jury in May 2023, leading to the selection of the final twelve winners.