"They Laughed at Our Robot" | Divanshu, Co-founder, Solinas Integrity
Episode Summary
Welcome to the very first episode of the "Best Place to Build" podcast, where we spotlight extraordinary builders whose journeys began at IIT Madras. For our debut episode, host Amrutash Misra (Amrut) sits down with Divanshu Kumar, a 27-year-old innovator who exemplifies what it means to build with purpose.
At an age when most are still finding their path, Divanshu has already built two successful startups, secured a deal on Shark Tank India, received recognition from the Prime Minister, and emerged stronger from a life-altering near-death experience. His story perfectly captures why IIT Madras has earned its reputation as "The Best Place to Build."
Divanshu's entrepreneurial journey began during his second year at IIT Madras, sparked by healthy competition when his best friend launched a startup. "If he can do it, why can't I?" This simple thought catalyzed his first venture, Involve—an innovative education platform now reaching an impressive 60,000+ students through peer-led learning models.
But for Divanshu, solving one problem wasn't enough. While still navigating college life, he embraced an even greater challenge: eliminating manual scavenging in India. When his professor mentioned that students had been attempting to build septic tank-cleaning robots for years without success, Divanshu saw opportunity where others saw impossibility.
His initial prototype received unexpected feedback—actual manual scavengers laughed at his creation. Rather than retreating, Divanshu channeled this response into determination. Today, his company Solinas deploys robots across numerous Indian cities, working to end manual scavenging while improving water and sanitation infrastructure nationwide.
From reducing a pilot project's cost by 90% to navigating government meetings as a 24-year-old entrepreneur, Divanshu's remarkable journey from Gaya to building two ventures addressing critical societal challenges exemplifies the spirit of building this podcast aims to celebrate.
Join us for this inspiring conversation with Divanshu Kumar, as we launch the Best Place to Build podcast and explore how the unique ecosystem at IIT Madras transforms ambitious students into impactful builders.
Amrut’s Comment
Meet Divanshu from IIT Madras—founder of two startups, Shark Tank India dealmaker, and Prime Minister awardee. From revolutionizing education with Involve to tackling manual scavenging with Solinas, his journey embodies the BUILD spirit of IIT Madras.
Key Highlights
[00:01:19] First Impressions: Amrut’s first thoughts about Divanshu
[00:02:36] The Birth of Solinas: The problem statement, challenges in innovating in the waste management sector, understanding the difference between a septic tank and a sewer line and the first encounter with customers - manual scavengers
[00:11:14] Design Thinking: Bridging the gap between problem statements and real understanding
[00:17:00] The Solinas Product Line: Reactive and preventive products and the challenges facing predictive products
[00:21:15] Industry Bottlenecks: Financial constraints, information mismatch, and budget issues
[00:25:08] Investment in Solinas: Appearing on Shark Tank India, Divanshu’s motivation and how he approaches potential investors
[00:29:40] Long-term vision: Why solving the Manual Scavenging problem will take decades
[00:32:20] Origin Story: Founding “Involve” as a second-year student at IIT Madras
[00:39:18] First Business Lesson: How he reduced his pilot project cost by 90%
[00:44:20] The Path of Chance: Landing at IIT Madras and how the journey started
[00:50:20] Award-Winning Journey: A highlight in his startup journey
[00:53:40] Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Graduates: The road less taken for IITians
[00:57:30] Downtime for Divanshu: Does he get any time to chill?
[01:00:53] Life Perspective: How a near death experience taught prioritising family time
[01:03:45] Working with the government: Navigating state and central government tender meetings as a 24-year-old and what he did to be taken seriously
[01:09:45] From Gaya to Government meetings: Amrut sums up Divanshu’s journey till now
Institutions mentioned
[00:33:35] IIT Madras - The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras where Divanshu studied and the origin point of both his startups. Its ecosystem and opportunities played a significant role in his entrepreneurial journey.
[00:34:20] Avanti Fellows - An organization focused on providing IIT JEE training to underprivileged students, where Divanshu was a mentor and manager of the Pondicherry branch
[00:34:53] Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
[00:39:00] Singapore National Foundation
People mentioned
[00:07:01] Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal - Divanshu’s Co-Founder, Guide and Faculty in charge of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
[00:32:35] Vaibhav - Divanshu’s best friend in IIT Madras who motivated him to begin a Startup
[00:35:27] Vedant Somani - Divanshu’s colleague at the Avanti Fellows group
[00:39:05] Samyak Jain - Divanshu’s Co-Founder at Involve
[00:58:55] Indra Nooyi - Divanshu talks about watching her video on juggling things
Companies mentioned
[00:02:36] Solinas Integrity: Devanshu's tech startup focused on robotics and software solutions for urban and asset management, particularly in water and wastewater.
[00:15:48] Divanshu talks about the Super Sucker from Super Products which is used for septic tank cleaning in the US
[00:32:20] Involve: Devanshu's education company working with a large number of students across several states using a peer-learning model.
Concepts & Models
[00:31:55] AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) Cities - scheme by the Government - Ministry for Urban Affairs. The Ministry is focusing on 500 cities in the country under this scheme.
[00:32:20] Personalised Learning through Peer Group Learning Model - Divanshu set this up as a teaching cum learning model for students to educate younger students. This was the inspiration for Involve.
Additional Links
[00:25:08] Solinas Pitch at Shark Tank India
Meet Divanshu from IIT Madras—founder of two startups, Shark Tank India dealmaker, and Prime Minister awardee. From revolutionizing education with Involve to tackling manual scavenging with Solinas, his journey embodies the BUILD spirit of IIT Madras.
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