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Vande Bharatam Launched by Gautam Adani Across India

Gautam Adani Launches Nationwide Search for Grassroots Innovators Through Vande Bharatam

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has announced Vande Bharatam, a nationwide initiative that aims to identify innovators, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers from every part of India. The programme, launched on Mr Adani’s 64th birthday, is designed to reach beyond the country’s established start-up centres and provide a national platform for promising ideas emerging from cities, towns and villages.

The initiative plans to cover all 36 States and Union Territories, more than 800 districts and multiple Indian languages. People from every age group and professional background can take part. Applicants do not need to own a registered start-up and may enter with an idea, an early prototype, a young business or an established enterprise.

The launch comes at a time when India has become the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem by number of start-ups, supported by the Government of India’s Start-up India programme introduced in 2016. While the country has seen rapid growth in entrepreneurship during the past decade, industry studies continue to show that a large share of venture-backed start-ups and founders are concentrated in major urban centres such as Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. This has left many innovators in smaller towns and rural areas with fewer opportunities to secure funding, mentorship and national visibility.

According to the organisers, Vande Bharatam seeks to address that gap by encouraging participation from across the country, including regions that have traditionally received less attention from investors and incubators. The programme will accept entries from sectors such as technology, manufacturing, agriculture, sustainability, traditional crafts and community-based solutions. Separate participation pathways are also planned for women entrepreneurs, tribal entrepreneurs, rural innovators, Divyang entrepreneurs and individuals developing solutions to local challenges.

Vande Bharatam applications will be assessed through a structured selection process based on innovation, entrepreneurial potential, social and economic impact, and the ability to scale. The organisers said further details about the jury, assessment process and selection stages will be announced later.

Following evaluations at the state and regional levels, 75 finalists will be selected and invited to Ahmedabad. They will participate in an intensive mentoring programme that includes interactions with business leaders, investors, industry experts and incubation partners before a national Grand Finale planned around Independence Day.

The finalists are expected to represent a broad cross-section of India’s entrepreneurial talent, bringing together participants from different regions, industries, languages and communities.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Adani reflected on his own business journey.

“When I began my journey, I had nothing. Everything I am and everything I have achieved was given to me by the soil of Bharat. There is no shortage of talent in our nation, but opportunity has not always reached every corner of the country.

India has built one of the world’s largest start-up ecosystems, yet most founders still emerge from a handful of cities. Vande Bharatam is our effort to discover the innovators, problem-solvers and entrepreneurs whose ideas deserve recognition, support and a larger platform. We invite every Indian with the courage to build and the determination to create to come forward and participate.”

Mr Adani later added:

“If I can do it, any Indian can do it. All they need is an opportunity and a stage.”

The programme is expected to offer finalists access to experienced mentors, investors, incubation support, strategic partnerships and networking opportunities that could help promising ideas develop into sustainable businesses. Prize money and category-based awards have also been announced in principle, although detailed information will be released at a later stage.

The organisers said the Grand Finale will not mark the end of the programme. Instead, it is intended to become the starting point for continued engagement between participants, mentors, investors and industry leaders through an ongoing support network.

The initiative also aligns with India’s wider economic ambitions. The Government has set the goal of becoming a developed nation under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, with innovation, entrepreneurship, manufacturing and employment generation expected to play an important role in achieving that target. Expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs outside established business hubs is increasingly viewed by policymakers and industry leaders as an important step towards creating more balanced economic growth across the country.

Over the past several years, large business groups, educational institutions, incubators and government agencies have introduced programmes to encourage innovation at the grassroots level. These efforts have focused on improving access to mentoring, finance, research support and market connections for young entrepreneurs. Vande Bharatam adds another national platform to that growing ecosystem by opening participation to individuals regardless of their educational qualifications, profession or business stage.

The Adani Group, one of India’s largest infrastructure and industrial conglomerates, has expanded into sectors including ports, airports, renewable energy, logistics, cement, power transmission, data centres and media. In recent years, it has also announced initiatives in skill development, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship as part of its wider social and community programmes.

With Vande Bharatam applications expected from across India and the global Indian diaspora, Vande Bharatam aims to discover entrepreneurial talent from places that are often overlooked and connect them with resources that can help transform ideas into businesses capable of creating jobs and addressing local challenges. Whether the initiative succeeds in widening participation beyond India’s traditional start-up hubs will become clearer as the selection process unfolds over the coming months.