Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 awarded ₹2 crore in combined incubation grants to four teams developing solutions in cybersecurity, autism support, wildlife safety and sports training. The fifth Indian edition attracted participants from 648 cities across 28 states and seven union territories.
JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung South West Asia, announced the winning teams from Raebareli, Raipur, New Delhi and Hyderabad, while Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, highlighted the role of young innovators in addressing community challenges.
Samsung India has announced four winning teams at the Grand Finale of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026, awarding a combined ₹2 crore in incubation grants to support the development of technology solutions addressing practical challenges.
The winning teams are QuantHunt from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh; morphism from Raipur, Chhattisgarh; InnoBotix from New Delhi; and Somatrace from Hyderabad, Telangana.
Each team will receive mentorship and incubation support through the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi to further develop its prototype and explore opportunities for commercial application.
The fifth Indian edition of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow received participation from 648 cities across 28 states and seven union territories.
More than half of the submitted ideas originated from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, reflecting participation from communities beyond India’s major metropolitan centres.
The competition covered four themes: AI Living for India, Health and Education, Sport and Tech, and Environmental Sustainability.
QuantHunt, representing Raebareli, won in the AI Living for India category.
The team developed an artificial intelligence based cybersecurity solution intended to identify encryption vulnerabilities and help organisations assess potential risks associated with emerging quantum computing technologies.
In the Health and Education category, Raipur based morphism was selected for an AI system designed to assist autistic individuals in interpreting emotions.
The proposed system analyses subtle facial expressions and other behavioural signals to help users better understand emotional communication.
InnoBotix from New Delhi won the Environmental Sustainability category for Sentinel, a solar powered AI edge device designed to identify wildlife approaching human settlements.
The technology combines camera inputs, radar and seismic information to detect animal movement and issue early warnings.
Hyderabad based Somatrace secured the Sport and Tech award for a wearable Internet of Things training device.
The system measures spinal angles and physical load during training, providing information that precision sport athletes and coaches can use when assessing movement and potential injury risks.
The finalists progressed through a six month programme involving 184 design thinking workshops across 135 cities, followed by bootcamps, prototype development and pitch evaluations.
Participants received guidance from Samsung professionals, startup founders and experts associated with FITT, IIT Delhi.
JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung South West Asia, said, “India’s next wave of innovation will depend on how well we connect technology to people’s needs and give young people the opportunity to take ideas from the problems they see to solutions they can test and build. Sustaining that journey strengthens the country’s capacity to innovate and is an important part of nation-building. This year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow finalists have brought curiosity, empathy and purpose to challenges in their communities, applying emerging technologies to real-world problems. As Samsung celebrates 30 years in India, we are proud to support their journey. The four winning teams reflect a confident, inventive Bharat, ready to turn ingenuity into impact.”
The Top 20 teams were awarded grants totalling ₹20 lakh, while every team member received a Samsung Galaxy flagship smartphone.
Two Community Choice Awards worth ₹1 lakh each and a Digital Impact Award of ₹50,000 were also presented.
Samsung organised an Investor Meet for all 20 finalist teams, giving participants an opportunity to interact with investors and startup representatives about potential funding and further development.
The programme operates through partnerships involving the United Nations in India, FITT at IIT Delhi, Startup India under DPIIT, MeitY Startup Hub, Atal Innovation Mission at NITI Aayog and Manthan, an initiative associated with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, said, “Innovation advances sustainable development when it is guided by inclusion, empathy and a clear understanding of people’s needs. India’s young innovators are at the heart of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow gives young people the opportunity to have these values frame their solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable future. I congratulate the winners and all participants, and commend Samsung for encouraging young people to engage with the challenges shaping our shared future.”
Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, said, “Science and technology create the greatest value when they address challenges in people’s lives. This year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow finalists have brought that approach to a wide range of issues, from healthcare and sustainability to sports, using curiosity and problem-solving to shape their ideas. Platforms that take young people from identifying a challenge to designing and testing a solution strenghten the ecosystem with a culture of innovation across the country.”
Dr. PS Madanagopal, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, said, “Innovation takes more than a promising idea; it requires a deep understanding of the user and the discipline to test, refine and scale a solution. This year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow finalists have demonstrated both technological ingenuity and a strong sense of purpose. The next step is to help the winning teams move beyond prototypes towards solutions with measurable impact. I congratulate them and look forward to seeing how they use the incubation support to contribute to India’s startup ecosystem.”
The Grand Finale jury included senior representatives from Samsung’s research and design operations.
The internal jury comprised Mohan Rao Goli, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute India Bengaluru; KY Roo, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute India Noida; Demian Hyun, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute India Delhi; and Yuran Kim, Managing Director, Samsung Design Delhi.
External jury members were Himanshu Joshi, Director, AIM, NITI Aayog; Dr. Srinivasan Venkatraman, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi; Dr. Sapna Poti, Director, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India; and Saurabh Ranjan, Scientist, MeitY.
The awards ceremony was attended by Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Technology, Government of India; Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India; and Nikhil Agarwal, Managing Director, FITT, IIT Delhi.
Since the programme began in India in 2022, approximately 80,000 students have participated in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.
The initiative forms part of Samsung’s global corporate social responsibility programme, Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People, and its India citizenship focus, Powering Innovation for India.
The four winning teams will now work with incubation and mentoring partners to refine their technologies and examine their potential for wider use.
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