GridBots to open 85 retail franchise stores by this fiscal-end

"We are looking to open another 85 retail franchise stores pan-India, besides the existing 15 such outlets to showcase our entire range of Robots," Founder Grid Bots Pulkit Gaur told PTI.

"The concept of Robot retail stores is new in India and is fast drawing attention from people, as we are ushering into a technology driven era," Gaur said, who founded the company in 2007, with the assistance of Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at Indian Institute of Management, Ahemdabad(IIM-A) here.

"The response at our existing outlets, including cities like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Rajkot has been very encouraging, as people coming there get a chance to understand everything they ever wanted to know about robots," Gaur said.

"Amongst the start up companies incubated in CIIE at IIM-A, Grid Bots is instrumental in setting up Robotic laboratories in schools and engineering colleges," Joint CEO CIIE Pranay Gupta said, adding that the company has been doing well since there business model is very knew to India.

The company manufactures Robots for educational purposes, besides those providing working solutions for small and medium enterprises and petty household chores.

"We have leads for setting up 25 robotic laboratories in schools and engineering institutes across India," Gaur said.

"The company can also offer course material for starting robotics in schools or colleges," Pranay Gupta said.

"Robots manufactured by them are capable of cleaning large tanks of industrial units, they can scrub the tank floors," Pranay Gupta said adding that they have recently launched a robot, which is customised for performing jobs in hospitality industry.
"The robot is capable of acting as a waiter in any hotel," Gupta claimed.

"In the education sector they are manufacturing robots, which even a 6-7 year-old child can programme to perform certain tasks like for operating personal computer, follow a line," he said.

CIIE at IIM-A provides financial assistance to companies coming up with innovative ideas in preferred sectors like Internet and Mobile, Healthcare and Clean technology solutions, Gupta said.

The Centre provides financial assistance to select start up companies between Rs 3 lakh and 30 lakh, he added.