The Sustainability Mafia (SusMafia) has awarded India's largest non-dilutive grant for early-stage climate startups, the₹31.4 lakh Big Pi Grant, toAgropak, a biotech startup developing a natural fibre materials platform that creates premium bio-based packaging solutions for the beauty and personal care industry. The grant was presented at the third edition ofSusCrunch 2026and aims to help promising climate startups accelerate innovation, commercial validation and market adoption without diluting founder equity. In addition to the₹31.4 lakhgrant, Agropak will receive mentorship, strategic guidance, access to incubators and government programmes, and continued support through SusMafia's investor, fellowship and grant ecosystem. The grant amount derives its name from the mathematical constantπ (3.14), symbolising bold thinking and breakthrough innovation. The third edition of SusCrunch also witnessed participation from leading investors includingZerodhaand3one4 Capital, alongside corporates such asReliance, Biocon, ZomatoandApollo Hospitals, reflecting the growing interest among investors and industry leaders in partnering with climate startups to accelerate sustainable innovation and commercial deployment. The announcement comes at a crucial time for climate innovation. According to theTracxn India Climate Tech 2026 Report, India's climate-tech ecosystem has attracted nearlyUS$12.8 billionin funding across1,583 startupsbetween 2008 and June 2026, reflecting growing investor confidence in sectors such as clean energy, circular economy, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. However, theState of Climate Tech 2025report notes that global early-stage climate funding has fallen to a five-year low, making non-dilutive grants increasingly important for helping startups bridge the gap between research, pilot projects and commercial scale. Jointly supported bySusMafiaand theBITS Pilani PIEDS Accelerator, the Big Pi Grant received over50 curated applicationsfrom founders across the BITS Pilani, IIT and broader startup ecosystem through the SusVentures network. Five startups working across water and waste management, climate intelligence, sustainable materials and the built environment were shortlisted after multiple evaluation rounds based on innovation, founder-market fit, climate impact, validation and scalability, with Agropak emerging as the winner. The impact of the Big Pi Grant is already visible across previous recipients.BioCompute, the 2024 winner, has since established laboratory infrastructure, conducted thousands of experiments, expanded into the Bay Area and raised over₹5 crorefrom investors includingWTF Fund, Grad Capital and 1517 Fund.Bisket Labs, which received the grant in 2025, subsequently secured theKarnataka Government's ELEVATE Grant, demonstrating how early-stage non-dilutive funding can help climate startups unlock larger funding opportunities and accelerate growth. Commenting on the initiative,Mr. Ganesh Shankar, Co-founder
