Turning Trash Into Treasure: Shrijan Tayde and the Amlaan RiverCorp (ARC) Mission

Every year, millions of tons of waste choke rivers, lakes, and coastlines across India, endangering marine life and communities that depend on these water sources. While many see this as an insurmountable environmental crisis, Shrijan Praveen Tayde saw it as a call to action.

As the founder and CEO of Amlaan RiverCorp (ARC), a Nagpur-based clean-tech startup founded in 2022, Shrijan is on a mission to fight marine pollution while driving sustainable development and a circular economy.

The Spark of Innovation

Shrijan's journey into marine conservation didn't happen by accident. He pursued his engineering degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from the Indian Maritime University in Visakhapatnam. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world slowed down, Shrijan found himself with the time and opportunity to reflect on how he could use his specialized education to create a tangible impact.

He soon identified a glaring gap: despite the severe pollution in India's water bodies, the country lacked an indigenous, efficient machine designed specifically to clean local lakes, ponds, and rivers. This realization became the foundation for his first major product creation.

Overcoming Entrepreneurial Hurdles

Building a hardware-focused clean-tech startup from the ground up is no easy feat. Shrijan openly shares that the most difficult part of his journey was navigating the business world without a built-in support system of family or friends who had experience in entrepreneurship.

Despite these hurdles, Shrijan managed to build a passionate team of over 30 young students who shared his vision. Together, they realized that ARC was more than just a business—it was a way to live a purposeful life while solving a critical global issue.

CataClean 2.0: India's Indigenous Solution

At the heart of the ARC project is CataClean 2.0, India’s first indigenously built Water Trash Skimmer. Unlike traditional manual cleanup methods that are slow and often ineffective against large-scale pollution, CataClean 2.0 tackles physical pollution in rivers and lakes efficiently, removing waste before it can flow into the oceans and harm marine ecosystems.

But ARC's vision goes beyond just extracting trash. By adopting a Blue Ocean Economy model, the startup focuses on a circular economy where waste is upcycled and recycled into reusable resources. This approach ensures that environmental protection generates economic growth, creating new jobs in waste collection, processing, and environmental management.

The Vande Bharatam Platform

Shrijan and his co-innovator Rajshekhar recently pitched their vision on Vande Bharatam Unplugged, a grassroots innovation movement launched by Gautam Adani to identify and support hidden entrepreneurial gems across India. For a hardware startup targeting public infrastructure, gaining access to government contracts is notoriously difficult. Shrijan noted that platforms like Vande Bharatam are game-changers, providing crucial market access, mentorship, and a bridge to enter the complex Business-to-Government (B2G) sector. During their pitch, the mentors praised the nobility of their cause, advising them to continue developing their prototypes and securing initial contracts to prove their scalability.

A Sustainable Future

Amlaan RiverCorp is more than a startup; it is a movement toward sustainable oceans and responsible growth. Through the ARC project, Shrijan Tayde is proving that profit and purpose can coexist. Every waterway cleaned and every piece of trash upcycled brings us one step closer to a future where India's water bodies are free of pollution, marine life can flourish, and local communities are empowered.