Capsula.Studio at Tel Aviv University Partners With Pinnacle Industries, India to Establish Pinnacle Capsula.Studio Startup Accelerator in Pune

PUNE, India, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Capsula.Studio at Tel Aviv University will enter into a strategic partnership with Mr. Sudhir Mehta, CMD, Pinnacle Industries Ltd (largest commercial vehicles seating and interiors company in India) to establish a one-of-its-kind startup accelerator, Pinnacle Capsula.Studio in Pune. The partnership aims to accelerate innovative entrepreneurs to market through Capsula's proven Mentored Customer Validation program and knowledge centre, which connect entrepreneurs with global value network players and the research community.

Pinnacle Capsula.Studio in Pune is conceived as a not-for-profit entity, which will allow novel ideas to rapidly gain market traction with through Mentored Customer Validation under the able guidance of mentors. The facility will be located at The BHAU Institute, which is a part of the College of Engineering, Pune and home of an innovation incubator. The Studio will also act as a bridge between Indian and Israeli entrepreneurs.

Speaking about this new initiative, Mr. Sudhir Mehta, CMD, Pinnacle Industries Ltd, highlighted, "Incubators and accelerators continue to play an important role in the growth of the Indian start-up ecosystem. Pinnacle Capsula will mentor and foster such talent and ideas focused on IP creation and provide them with the right guidance, opportunities and approach."

Pinnacle Industries will provide the initial funding and endeavour to develop sustainable partnerships with prospective investors and value network firms. The initial focus of Pinnacle Capsula.Studio, Pune is Smart Mobility, with additional domains to be added in the future, including agriculture and food, health and medicine, education and other sectors, which can bring in major economic and societal benefits to India and the world.

Ariel Sella, Managing Director of Capsula.Studio @TAU, remarked, "Pervasive data, computing and communication allow innovative entrepreneurs worldwide to deliver immense economic and societal gains. We are so excited to commence our first global partnership with Mr. Sudhir Mehta to combine Israel's technology and start-up strengths with the immense potential of Indian entrepreneurs in the Indian market and beyond."

Prof. Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University, welcomed this initiative as a 'fitting way to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic ties and the decade anniversary of the acclaimed India-Israel Forum, TAU created with CII and Ananata Aspen'. He said, "The focus of our bi-national Forum has been to move ties beyond defence and diamonds. Technology in general and mobility in particular seem very fitting. We thank Pinnacle for its endorsement of TAU and our capabilities. We look forward to a strong and successful partnership."

Pinnacle Capsula.Studio, Pune will commence its first studio term in 2018, offering residency to select Smart Mobility start-ups with technology and/or business model innovations, which are looking to make mobility at once more desirable, efficient and sustainable. With product-customer fit being the primary risk for today's start-ups, Pinnacle Capsula.Studio, Pune focuses on intensive Mentored Customer Validation. Practiced diligently, this approach allows start-ups to gain early traction with products that customers need and want at reduced capital and time to market.

About the institutes and promoters: 

Capsula.Studio @TAU, supported by Tel Aviv University and the Fuel Choices and Smart Mobility Initiative at Israel's Prime Minister's Office, aims to leverage research and entrepreneurial strengths to accelerate the next wave of intellectual property and high impact start-ups in the Smart Mobility domain with a collaborative program linking top researchers and entrepreneurs with global value network leaders. Alumni of Capsula.Studio @TAU include automotive cyber security start-up GuardKnox, VayaVision developer of advanced cognition for autonomous vehicles, RFISee developing a radar-based imaging sensor for autonomous vehicles and drones, Guardian Optical Technologies with next-generation cabin occupancy sensors and WayCare delivering predictive insights to smart cities.

Tel Aviv University (TAU), located at the heart of Israel's high-tech and business centre, represents Israel at its best - dynamic, innovative and forward-looking. TAU was established in 1956 and, at 60, has evolved into Israel's largest and most diversified university. It has 30,000 students in 128 schools and departments across the spectrum of sciences, humanities and arts. TAU excels in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation; it ranks among the top 10 schools in the world - and the only one outside the United States - for producing successful, VC-backed start-up founders. TAU's Coller School of Management ranks among the top 30 business schools in the world, and its MBA program takes the #1 spot outside of Europe and the USA. Other recognized centres of excellence are brain studies, nanoscience, renewable energy, cyber security, Big Data, archaeology and film, among others. TAU's cutting-edge scientific advances are reinforced through ties with the world's leading research institutions, ranging from the NIH, NASA and Harvard to Tsinghua University, CERN and LBS. The University also puts tremendous emphasis on globalizing its campus, offering 14 international degree programs in English that attract over 1,200 students from 60 countries annually.

About BHAU Institute of Entrepreneurship and Leadership :

Being an inclusive institute for start-up India, BHAU Institute provides infrastructure, programs, and services to students, entrepreneurs, and the industry to enable start-up formation, incubation, acceleration, and funding. To provide maximum value to the community, the institute pro-actively seeks to support and promote start-up companies that focus on convergence and thematic bundling.

To increase the successful creation of start-up companies, a strong network of successful entrepreneurs, mentors, co-founders, and investors has been developed. Also, the close collaboration with College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) has significantly increased the infrastructure and intellectual network.

About the Promotors:

Mr. Sudhir Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, Pinnacle Industries Ltd., India, is a serial entrepreneur and on the Board of many companies, including Force Motors. In 2016-17, he was the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries, Western Region. He is also director of Rivulis Irrigation, which is one of world's leading drip irrigation companies headquartered in Israel. He is also involved in several Indo-Israel start-ups.

Mr. Ariel Sella, Managing Director of Capsula.Studios is a University of California, Berkeley, educated entrepreneur who brings nearly four decades of entrepreneurial experience in semiconductors, Internet, energy and mobility to guide and help entrepreneurs like himself with innovative ideas to quickly get to market.

Pinnacle Industries Ltd., established in 1996 at Pithampur near Indore, is the largest commercial vehicles seating and interiors company in India.

Media contact:
Jayant Phatak
Pinnacle Industries Ltd.
[email protected]
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+91-98811-23883