New Delhi, September 10: Thirty-six young Indian innovators forming the Top 20 teams of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 will advance to the national Grand Finale after developing technology-based solutions to challenges in healthcare, education, environment, accessibility and sports.
Samsung India announced the finalists on Thursday, with more than half of the selected participants coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The Top 20 teams represent 18 cities across 12 states.
The finalists will now receive continued mentorship from Samsung experts and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, as they prepare for the Grand Finale scheduled for October 14 and 15. An Investor Meet will also provide the teams an opportunity to interact with representatives of the startup and investment ecosystem.
The finalists have developed solutions using technologies including artificial intelligence, computer vision, sensors, voice interfaces and wearable devices. Their projects cover four themes—AI Living for India, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Education, and Sport & Tech.
Among the solutions are an offline AI application that explains complex documents in simple language, an Indian Sign Language translation platform, a voice-based learning tool for visually impaired students, and technologies aimed at monitoring neurological health and sensory conditions.
Other projects focus on converting agricultural residue into energy and carbon materials, reducing textile and construction waste, detecting wildlife near human settlements and improving access to technology for para-athletes and visually impaired swimmers.
The Top 20 teams were selected from 40 semi-finalist teams that participated in a hands-on prototyping programme conducted in collaboration with FITT-IIT Delhi. During the programme, participants attended an Innovation Bootcamp and received mentoring on product development and user needs.
The teams also visited Samsung’s design, research and development facilities in Delhi, Noida, Bengaluru and Gurugram before appearing at a National Pitch Event. A panel of 20 experts, including mentors from Samsung R&D and Samsung South West Asia, selected five teams from each of the four themes.
The Top 20 teams will receive a cumulative grant of ₹20 lakh for prototype development, with ₹1 lakh allocated to each team. All 36 participants will also receive a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.
Four winning teams, one from each theme, will collectively receive an incubation grant of ₹2 crore from Samsung through FITT-IIT Delhi. The support will be used to further develop and validate their solutions and explore their potential as market-ready ventures.
The Grand Finale will also include a Digital Impact Award carrying ₹50,000 and two Community Choice Awards of ₹1 lakh each.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a global youth innovation programme that encourages participants to identify community-level problems and develop technology-based solutions.
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