Ahmedabad, July 23, 2020: While most of the news dominating today’s headlines are those of the rising count of victims that the SARS-CoV-2 Virus has claimed, various innovators are burning the midnight oil to come up with solutions to reduce the spread and bring down the number of infections. In one such endeavour, Gujarat University Startup & Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC), in partnership with the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), launched the Breakthrough Accelerator in April 2020, a special program for incubating startups directly associated with minimising the effects of the pandemic. These included startups linked with healthcare equipment, access control, effective communications, logistics & coordination, detecting & tracking protocol violations, and microbial-proof material & sanitization.
Of the total 445 applications received, 27 ideas were onboarded, with 157 applications still awaiting scrutiny. One of these 27 ideas was Ultraloop, spearheaded by Aditya Bhatt & his co-founder Yash Bansal. Ultraloop is a germicidal lamp that reduces surface-to-human transmission of the virus using UV-C light to disinfect personal belongings and PPE kits, and is the first disinfecting solution that completely eliminates the use of chemicals. It can be used at all public premises, and can be used to sterilise all sorts of medical equipment and PPE, making it safe for reuse, thus reducing the pressure on the PPE inventory. Ultraloop’s domestic counterpart, Ultraloop Oven, disinfects a large variety of items, ranging from vegetables & groceries to electronic equipment & utensils, disinfecting items in just 45 seconds.
Congratulating the startup on their feat, Laxmi Bhawani, Chief, UNICEF Gujarat, said “It is heartening to see that the young people in Gujarat have taken up the lead not only in COVID relief and response work but are also trying to find solutions to various issues arising due to this pandemic. We are committed to provide a platform to young people which gives them the required opportunity for development and growth of their skills and knowledge. I am sure the achievement of young people in Breakthrough Accelerator would also inspire others.”
Aditya & Yash got Ultraloop incubated at GUSEC in April, through the Breakthrough Accelerator, while still in the idea stage, but managed to develop the prototype in just two-and-a-half weeks. “It was a record time for ourselves, for any company, I would say, to have developed a prototype in such a short time; that too, at a time when the lockdown was the most severe” Aditya remarks. Ultraloop has been running pilots to test the device for more than two months now and got their ISO, CSIR-CSIO & CE certifications approved this week.
Dr. Himanshu Pandya, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat University, taking note of Ultraloop’s innovative venture, says, “GUSEC is proud to be home to innovation and startups like Ultraloop that are easing people’s way of living, even during the pandemic when the entire world is at a standstill. Our vision of turning students into innovators is taking shape.”
Aditya saw through the loopholes in the sanitisation techniques, most of which consisted of alcohol-based disinfection, while he was returning to India from the US. He also realised that the pandemic wasn’t going away anytime soon and would create more avenues of infection once the restrictions of the lockdown were eased.
Aditya & Yash did detailed research about possible solutions, going through many established research papers in the process, when they came to know about the high efficacy of UV-C light in controlling the SARS virus that had disastrously impacted the world in 2003 and was also being used in China to deter the spread of the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.
Rahul Bhagchandani, CEO, GUSEC, observes the rise of opportunity amidst the pandemic and says, “We need more innovators and entrepreneurs like Aditya & Yash in the years to come. We, at GUSEC, always welcome innovation, that is undoubtedly going to herald a change in today’s world that witnesses the birth of new problems every day.”
Ultraloop plans on expanding their products in both, the B2B & the B2C industry, with the Ultraloop conveyor belt for public places like hospitals, malls, airports, etc., while Ultraloop Oven, the consumer version, to be introduced in the market via an upcoming crowd-funding campaign in the coming weeks. Aditya credits GUSEC for getting them recognition amongst other businesses and enabling them in making B2B connections, while also providing encouraging support throughout the entire operation.
Ultraloop shall prove to be instrumental in preventing the spread of infections especially in this time with the re-commencement of travel, in sanitising people’s belongings and baggage at airport check-ins, metro trains and railways. It may also be utilized to sanitize items delivered by e-commerce websites, among other things.
Of the total 445 applications received, 27 ideas were onboarded, with 157 applications still awaiting scrutiny. One of these 27 ideas was Ultraloop, spearheaded by Aditya Bhatt & his co-founder Yash Bansal. Ultraloop is a germicidal lamp that reduces surface-to-human transmission of the virus using UV-C light to disinfect personal belongings and PPE kits, and is the first disinfecting solution that completely eliminates the use of chemicals. It can be used at all public premises, and can be used to sterilise all sorts of medical equipment and PPE, making it safe for reuse, thus reducing the pressure on the PPE inventory. Ultraloop’s domestic counterpart, Ultraloop Oven, disinfects a large variety of items, ranging from vegetables & groceries to electronic equipment & utensils, disinfecting items in just 45 seconds.
Congratulating the startup on their feat, Laxmi Bhawani, Chief, UNICEF Gujarat, said “It is heartening to see that the young people in Gujarat have taken up the lead not only in COVID relief and response work but are also trying to find solutions to various issues arising due to this pandemic. We are committed to provide a platform to young people which gives them the required opportunity for development and growth of their skills and knowledge. I am sure the achievement of young people in Breakthrough Accelerator would also inspire others.”
Aditya & Yash got Ultraloop incubated at GUSEC in April, through the Breakthrough Accelerator, while still in the idea stage, but managed to develop the prototype in just two-and-a-half weeks. “It was a record time for ourselves, for any company, I would say, to have developed a prototype in such a short time; that too, at a time when the lockdown was the most severe” Aditya remarks. Ultraloop has been running pilots to test the device for more than two months now and got their ISO, CSIR-CSIO & CE certifications approved this week.
Dr. Himanshu Pandya, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat University, taking note of Ultraloop’s innovative venture, says, “GUSEC is proud to be home to innovation and startups like Ultraloop that are easing people’s way of living, even during the pandemic when the entire world is at a standstill. Our vision of turning students into innovators is taking shape.”
Aditya saw through the loopholes in the sanitisation techniques, most of which consisted of alcohol-based disinfection, while he was returning to India from the US. He also realised that the pandemic wasn’t going away anytime soon and would create more avenues of infection once the restrictions of the lockdown were eased.
Aditya & Yash did detailed research about possible solutions, going through many established research papers in the process, when they came to know about the high efficacy of UV-C light in controlling the SARS virus that had disastrously impacted the world in 2003 and was also being used in China to deter the spread of the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.
Rahul Bhagchandani, CEO, GUSEC, observes the rise of opportunity amidst the pandemic and says, “We need more innovators and entrepreneurs like Aditya & Yash in the years to come. We, at GUSEC, always welcome innovation, that is undoubtedly going to herald a change in today’s world that witnesses the birth of new problems every day.”
Ultraloop plans on expanding their products in both, the B2B & the B2C industry, with the Ultraloop conveyor belt for public places like hospitals, malls, airports, etc., while Ultraloop Oven, the consumer version, to be introduced in the market via an upcoming crowd-funding campaign in the coming weeks. Aditya credits GUSEC for getting them recognition amongst other businesses and enabling them in making B2B connections, while also providing encouraging support throughout the entire operation.
Ultraloop shall prove to be instrumental in preventing the spread of infections especially in this time with the re-commencement of travel, in sanitising people’s belongings and baggage at airport check-ins, metro trains and railways. It may also be utilized to sanitize items delivered by e-commerce websites, among other things.