- Gautam Adani’s grassroots innovation movement extends deadline to July 30 amid overwhelming response
- Adani Group takes the innovation call to Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers across states
- A kit, a message and a national invitation: India’s young innovators urged to turn ideas into startups
- 75 finalists to receive mentorship, investor access and a Grand Finale around Independence Day
- Breaking the big-city monopoly: Vande Bharatam opens doors for talent from 800+ districts and beyond
NE YOUTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JULY 26
What if India’s next billion-dollar idea is taking shape not in a boardroom, but in a small town, a remote district or a college campus waiting for its first opportunity? Vande Bharatam is seeking to answer that question by turning India’s vast geography into its greatest innovation advantage. With more than 25,000 applications already received, the grassroots innovation movement launched by Gautam Adani is taking the message of opportunity directly to the states—while giving young Indians more time to step forward, dream bigger and build.
The Adani Group’s nationwide outreach for Vande Bharatam, the grassroots innovation movement launched by Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, continued this week with meetings with Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers across several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Puducherry, Odisha, Assam, Telangana, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Haryana and others.
During the outreach, Group representatives presented each leader with a Vande Bharatam kit comprising a memento in the respective State’s language featuring a personal appeal, along with a letter from Gautam Adani.
The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to encourage participation from every State and Union Territory and ensure that promising innovators from every region are aware of the opportunity.
The meetings focused on encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and youth talent, with discussions centred on how Vande Bharatam can help young innovators access mentorship, industry connect and a national platform to transform ideas into startups.
Leaders across States welcomed the initiative and its potential to give fresh momentum to local innovation ecosystems.
25,000+ applications and counting
Launched on June 25, 2026, Vande Bharatam was conceived to address a stark gap in India’s startup landscape.
Despite being among the world’s largest startup ecosystems, more than 80% of India’s founders emerge from just five cities, leaving talent from over 800 districts across the country largely unseen.
Vande Bharatam seeks to change that equation by widening the innovation map of India.
The initiative is open to participants of all ages and backgrounds. Applicants do not need a registered startup. All they need is an idea—and the determination to build.
Following a multi-stage selection process, 75 finalists will be invited to Ahmedabad for an immersive mentorship programme, investor access and a Grand Finale around Independence Day.
‘proof of extraordinary talent in every corner of Bharat’
Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, said: “The response to Vande Bharatam has moved me deeply. Crossing 25,000 applications is not just a number, it is proof of the extraordinary talent and ambition that exists in every corner of Bharat and beyond, waiting for the right platform.”
He added: “The support extended by Chief Ministers across the country reaffirms that when government and industry come together, we can unlock opportunity for every young innovator, regardless of where they come from.”
From ideas to impact
Since its launch, Vande Bharatam has received an outstanding response from across sectors, categories, countries, States and social strata.
The overwhelming response, along with the quality of talent emerging through the programme, has prompted the extension of the application deadline.
The last date for applications has now been extended to July 30, 2026.
The initiative seeks to create a national platform where ideas from India’s smallest towns can meet mentorship, industry expertise, investors and the opportunity to scale.
By taking innovation beyond the traditional startup hubs, Vande Bharatam is sending a powerful message to India’s youth: geography should not decide the destiny of an idea.
India’s innovation map gets a new address
The nationwide outreach underscores a larger ambition—to build a more inclusive innovation ecosystem in which talent from every State and Union Territory can participate.
From first-time innovators and students to entrepreneurs with ideas yet to become registered startups, Vande Bharatam is inviting India to look beyond established startup corridors and discover the next generation of problem-solvers.
With the application window now open until July 30, the race is on to find the ideas that could shape tomorrow’s India.
