In a first for India’s B2B manufacturing sector, SIG Tattva, the Corporate Venture Capital and Innovation arm of Somany Impresa Group, partnered with AGI Greenpac Limited and Pontaq Ventures to organize India’s first Manufacturing-Tech Founder Workshop. The two-day programme, held on June 24-25, 2026, brought startup founders directly onto the factory floor to co-create solutions for real manufacturing challenges.
The initiative, called ‘Floor to Future’, aimed to bridge the gap between startups and the manufacturing industry by allowing founders to work closely with operational teams instead of participating in traditional pitch-based sessions.
A total of eight deep-tech startups, selected from a pool of more than 20 applicants from Pontaq Ventures’ portfolio of around 180 startups, participated in the immersive workshop.
Unlike conventional startup showcases, founders toured AGI Greenpac’s manufacturing facility, observed live operations, interacted with department heads, identified operational bottlenecks, and developed practical solutions. They later presented their ideas to the leadership teams of AGI Greenpac and SIG Tattva, followed by detailed evaluation sessions.
At the conclusion of the programme, five deep-tech startups secured Proof of Concept (PoC) pilot engagements worth a combined Rs 75 lakh, based on the feasibility, readiness, and commercial potential of their proposed solutions.
The participating startups represented a wide range of manufacturing technologies, including artificial intelligence, industrial automation, robotics, predictive maintenance, emissions control, supply chain transparency, and cybersecurity.
The eight startups included:
- Novorbis Itus, founded by Harsh Neekhra, developing patented industrial emission control solutions.
- Kredily, led by Devendra Khandegar, offering an AI-powered HRMS platform.
- Cairovision, founded by Vedpal Singh (VP Singh), focused on AI and computer vision-based industrial video analytics.
- mSense AI, co-founded by Surekha Gupta and Shiv Shankar Maurya, providing AI-driven quality inspection solutions using computer vision and acoustic intelligence.
- Maxbyte Technologies, led by Ramshankar C.S., specializing in Industry 4.0, industrial automation, robotics, and decarbonisation.
- Presage Insights, co-founded by Atul Sharma, offering AI and IoT-powered predictive maintenance solutions.
- Goat Robotics, co-founded by Muthu Vangaliappan and Mugesh S, building Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for industrial operations.
- Borlaug Web Services, founded by Ayon Hazra, developing blockchain-based supply chain transparency and sustainability solutions.
The pilot engagements awarded during the workshop covered technologies including autonomous mobile robots, predictive maintenance, logistics, computer vision, and industrial emission control.
Speaking about the initiative, Shashvat Somany, Founder of SIG Tattva, said the goal is to democratize startup access to manufacturing facilities, allowing founders to solve problems where they actually exist.
He added that ‘Floor to Future’ is designed to become a structured platform where startups, operators, and business leaders collaborate to create solutions that can quickly move from pilot projects to commercial deployment.
Sriharsha Bandaluppi, Head of SIG Tattva, said the programme demonstrates how corporate-startup collaboration can move beyond presentations to focus on real implementation and measurable outcomes.
Rajesh Khosla, CEO of AGI Greenpac Limited, said operational excellence and innovation remain central to the company’s strategy, and the workshop offered an opportunity to explore emerging technologies capable of solving real manufacturing challenges.
Prem Barthasarathy, Founder and Managing Partner of Pontaq VC, said startups often take between 8 and 18 months to secure pilot opportunities with large enterprises. Through initiatives like ‘Floor to Future’, founders gain direct access to manufacturing operations, significantly reducing the time required to move from discussion to implementation.
AGI Greenpac and SIG Tattva plan to make the programme an ongoing open innovation platform and intend to collaborate with additional venture capital firms in future editions.
About AGI Greenpac
AGI Greenpac Limited is India’s largest manufacturer of container glass and also produces PET bottles and anti-counterfeiting security closures. The company operates seven manufacturing plants across India and serves more than 500 institutional clients globally.
About SIG Tattva
SIG Tattva is the Corporate Venture Capital arm of Somany Impresa Group, supporting early-stage startups working across deep-tech manufacturing, enterprise SaaS, clean technologies, next-generation e-commerce, and product innovation by providing capital, strategic guidance, and industrial access.
About Pontaq
Founded in 2015, Pontaq is the first India-UK venture capital fund. The firm has made over 190 investments across 23 Indian states and two UK regions, supported startups with nearly 100 patents, helped create more than 3,000 jobs, and has around 30% women-led startups in its portfolio.
-By Shivani Solanki
