Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami, 23
Co-founders, Greensole

This start-up with a heart was conceived when its co-founders met at Napeansea Road's Priyadarshini Park for a run. Shriyans Bhandari, a sports enthusiast from Jai Hind College, and Ramesh Dhami, a national level athlete from Uttarakhand, had a common crib — their shoes fell apart every few months, but the soles remained intact. Dhami had recycled a pair of American sports shoes into slippers after reusing the soles. The friends experimented with recycling footwear on Bhandari's suggestion and exhibited their unique innovations at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, in 2014. They were selected among the top 50 innovators and asked to patent the idea. "We won over Rs 10 lakh in competition prizes following this!" says Dhami.