Aakri App Makes it to Top 100 of Forbes List

KOCHI:
Leading American business magazine Forbes has featured pioneering waste management platform Aakri App on its list of ‘Top 100 Promising Startups’ , earning a significant milestone for the Kerala firm that provides one-stop solution for waste disposal.

Incubated under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), six-year-old Aakri has emerged as a key player in addressing the state’s waste crisis and has successfully processed over 10,000 tonnes of waste. The app was earlier selected under IDFC First Bank’s ‘Leap to Unicorn’ project, reinforcing its credibility in the sustainable waste management sector.

Operational in Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, Aakri is aiming for expansion in all the 87 municipalities and six corporations across Kerala. The platform is spearheading efforts in scientific sanitary waste disposal, an area that has long been neglected, according to its founder C. Chandrasekhar.

Aakri has received numerous accolades for its contributions to sustainability and waste management. It won the JCI Social Impact Award 2023, K. 2023 Best Startup Award, Yuva Prathibha Vivekananda Award 2023, Lulu Sustainability Digex Award, Kairali Innotech Award, and the Kerala Social Impactor Award 2024. Further, Aakri was selected at the NEXUS (U.S. Embassy) Campus for the US Market Fit by USA Select Startup 2024, making it one of the top 10 startups from India in the program.

Aakri is now tackling one of Kerala’s biggest waste management challenges: severe shortage of biomedical incineration plants. At present, biomedical waste from Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram has to be transported to Kochi, the only location with a functioning scientific disposal unit. This logistical strain is further compounded by frequent shutdowns and operational disruptions at the facility.

To resolve this, Aakri is planning two major biomedical treatment facilities in strategic locations across Kerala. These new plants will significantly reduce the state’s dependence on a single disposal unit, ensuring efficient, uninterrupted waste collection and treatment. The Kerala government is actively supporting this initiative to fast-track its execution.

The 2006-established KSUM, under the Kerala government, works for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.