Media Release
Mangaluru, Aug 14: Nitte (Deemed to be University) and AIC Nitte Incubation Centre jointly organized a felicitation ceremony at The Ocean Pearl, Mangaluru, to honor three innovators incubated at AIC Nitte Incubation Centre who were selected among 26 grassroots innovators nationwide under Grassroots Innovator Recognition 2026 by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog. The honourees were Anusha Acharya, Founder & CEO, MaVedas Foods and Cereals Pvt Ltd, Ratnakar Naik, Founder & CEO, WWR Innovations Pvt Ltd and Akshay Mashelkar, Founder & CEO, Experimind Labs Pvt Ltd.
The three innovators had earlier presented their innovations and interacted with the Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on July 31, 2026, where they were felicitated in her presence.
Puneeth Rai, CEO, AIC Nitte Incubation Centre, welcomed the gathering and expressed pride in the achievement. He highlighted its significance for AIC Nitte Incubation Centre and its vision of nurturing entrepreneurs, supporting innovation and enabling startups to develop and scale.
The ceremonial lighting of the lamp was performed by Vishal Hegde, Chancellor, Nitte University, Neel Kumar, Innovation Lead, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India, Prof Dr B Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, Vice President (ISR & CRL), Nitte University, Dr M S Moodithaya, Vice Chancellor, Nitte University, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission and Puneeth Rai, CEO, AIC Nitte Incubation Centre.
Neel Kumar highlighted Atal Innovation Mission's efforts to strengthen India's innovation ecosystem through more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and over 50 incubation centres. Sanjeev Kumar Gupta spoke about the significance of the three ventures receiving national recognition and the growing startup ecosystem of Coastal Karnataka.
The three innovators were felicitated by Capt Brijesh Chowta, Member of Parliament, Dakshina Kannada with Vishal Hegde, Dr M S Moodithaya, Neel Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta and Puneeth Rai also present on stage.
The innovators shared their journeys. Anusha Acharya spoke about her grandmother's traditional recipes and preserving Tulu Nadu's culinary heritage. Ratnakar Naik spoke about affordable solutions for farmers and households based on water management challenges. Akshay Mashelkar reflected on his childhood curiosity and his journey combining academics with entrepreneurship.
MP, Capt Brijesh Chowta emphasized family support and encouraged more entrepreneurs to emerge from Mangaluru. Vedavyas Kamath, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Mangaluru (South), pledged support to innovators in connecting with institutions and industry partners and scaling their ventures.
In his concluding address, Vishal Hegde noted that AIC Nitte Incubation Centre, established in 2020, has incubated over 130 startups. He urged innovators to become job-creating entrepreneurs who contribute to their native region.
For more information on AIC Nitte Incubation Centre, please visit aicnitte.com.