Tarutium (formerly Taru), Ennovent, and IRC forged a partnership alliance to develop a Sanitation Innovation Accelerator, a unique nationwide initiative, and search for inclusive and sustainable solutions in the rural sanitation ecosystem in India. The Sanitation Innovation Accelerator brought together international and national technical expertise on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene on one hand and expertise on accelerating innovations for sustainability in low-income markets in developing countries on the other. Through this platform, innovative and effective sanitation solutions were recognized and rewarded.

50+ business innovations for sanitation were sourced through the Accelerator, and six were provided investment readiness assistance by 25 mentors to prepare for a final jury round. As part of the culmination of the first batch of the Sanitation Innovation Accelerator, Tarutium, IRC, and Ennovent held a Final Showcase event and roundtable discussion. Each cohort member got an opportunity to present their pitches to investors. Based on their business pitch, the winners were announced:

• 1st Place: GARV TOILETS
• 2nd Place: WATSAN ENVIROTECH PRIVATE LIMITED
• 3rd Place: BDWC (Bharathi Women Development Centre) and YOUTHAID.IN

The roundtable discussions also focused on four broad themes and other insights from the program and launched the SIA Report titled “Enabling Rural Sanitation- Understanding the Business Perspective.”