SeriGreen Technologies

IIT Madras + Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram

SeriGreen Technologies, a participant in the DST-GDC I-NCUBATE Cohort 01, has developed an AI-powered tool called Seri Shield aimed at early disease prediction in silkworm-rearing sheds. Rooted deeply in a family tradition of sericulture and silk saree weaving, the founders brought firsthand understanding of the ecosystem, which guided the identification of critical challenges such as disease outbreaks and climate fluctuations affecting silk farmers. Initially, the team validated their problem hypothesis through customer surveys, focusing on confirming the disease-related challenges faced by sericulture farmers across multiple states in India.

However, it was through the GDC I-NCUBATE program that SeriGreen’s journey took a significant leap. The structured customer discovery process helped the team uncover a crucial insight: while diseases did cause losses, chemical contamination was a more urgent and widespread issue affecting both cluster and non-cluster sericulture farming areas. This discovery, validated by field officers and the Central Silk Board’s research funding, shifted the startup’s focus and deepened their understanding of farmers’ actual pain points.

The program’s mentorship encouraged SeriGreen to set aside initial assumptions and engage more deeply with the diverse needs and priorities of their customers. They realized that urgency and pain points varied significantly among different farmer segments and that effective customer segmentation was essential for targeting early adopters. This clarity allowed SeriGreen to refine their product and business strategy to better address the most pressing problems, such as contamination and actionable disease management solutions.

SeriGreen’s participation in GDC’s I-NCUBATE program has been instrumental in transforming their approach from a solution-focused mindset to a customer-centric one, enabling them to identify viable opportunities and chart a clear path forward in product development and business modelling. With plans to validate solutions, develop their product, and build strategic partnerships, SeriGreen is poised to make a meaningful impact on the sericulture industry by empowering farmers with timely, actionable insights.

This journey underscores the critical role of the GDC I-NCUBATE program in equipping deep-tech startups with the tools, mentorship, and market understanding necessary to transition from promising ideas to scalable, market-ready solutions that address real-world challenges.