Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has announced the launch of the ‘Emerge’ cohort under its BPCL Ankur Fund, aimed at supporting startups in the fields of energy efficiency and city gas distribution (CGD).
The initiative is part of BPCL’s ongoing efforts to encourage innovation and sustainability within the oil and gas sector.
Since the launch of its startup initiative, Ankur, in 2016, BPCL has supported 30 startups with grants totaling approximately ₹28 crores. The introduction of the ‘Emerge’ cohort marks an expansion of this initiative, seeking to invest in startups that have developed a proof of concept (PoC), prototype, minimum viable product (MVP), or fully implemented solutions.
These startups should be either operating within the oil and gas sector or ready to expand into it.
Applications for the Emerge cohort are open for startups under two primary themes: energy efficiency and CGD. In the energy efficiency category, BPCL is looking for solutions that optimize energy consumption, enhance sustainability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Examples include AI-powered energy management, predictive maintenance of equipment, heat transfer optimization, and waste heat recovery.
For the CGD theme, the focus is on technologies that improve customer experience, operational efficiency, safety, and project execution. These may include smart metering, pipeline monitoring and leak detection, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven project execution tools.
Selected startups may receive investments of up to ₹5 crores through equity or Compulsory Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS), with BPCL taking a maximum stake of 20%.
