First startup by a Lucknow University (LU) student has been registered and approved by the Uttar Pradesh government. The University of Lucknow (LU), which has started a flagship scheme under which the it's incubation centre to promote and nurture entrepreneurship skills, is now supporting a food and grocery delivery startup set up by Aman Sharma, 21, a student of B Com second year at the university.

Aman established it in May 2020 when he was in class 12. After 18 months, Aman realised that restaurant and hotel owners faced problem in procuring raw material. He then launched B2B business model to provide material to hotel. He will set up a warehouse near Gorakhpur.

“I am hoping to get ₹7.5 lakh for marketing and office expenses from LU. I will arrange around ₹20 lakh from family and other sources,” said Aman. He thanked vice chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai and director, incubation cell, Prof Amritanshu Shukla for all the support.

“My company is set up on innovative food delivery model as a B2B (Business to Business) platform where it will provide raw material and other business requirements to restaurants and retail stores. The team members include Vishal Sharma, NC Thomas, Shailesh Gupta,” he said.

Director, incubation cell, Prof Amritanshu Shukla said by Capsico E-Commerce Private Limited, a company started and founded by Sharma, has been registered as a startup company by government of UP and is being incubated by LU. Prof Shukla further said the university was extending all possible support to develop the ecosystem for such startups and few more incubatees may be registered soon.

“To promote innovations, incubation, entrepreneurship and start-ups ecosystem in the region, the LU has already established a full-fledged innovation and technology transfer enterprise, Navankur Foundation, as a section-8 company,” Prof Shukla said.

The mission of the university incubation cell is to offer linkages and act as an effective interface with the industry to foster, promote and sustain commercialisation of research work done by university stake holders for societal benefits.

University incubation cell through Navankur Foundation would also support the government departments and agencies in solving multiple techno-socio- economic challenges faced by the citizens of the region.