Three young innovators from Maharashtra have advanced to the national Top 40 of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, the South Korean electronics giant’s flagship student innovation programme for participants aged 14 to 22, the company announced on Tuesday.
The selected innovators: Shrihan Jha (16) and Yogeeta Kishor Suwasiya (21) from Mumbai, and Palaash Gang (17) from Pune, are developing solutions across two programme themes: AI Living for India and Environmental Sustainability. A fourth participant, Avika Miheer Ghotikar (16), is also named among the Maharashtra representatives.
Jha is building an app that reads handwritten bills and UPI transaction data to generate AI-derived credit scores for small businesses, paired with a financial chatbot. The tool is aimed at helping informal businesses establish a more structured financial record and potentially improve credit access.
Gang is working on a biodegradable substitute for PFAS-based firefighting foams, using collagen and chitosan derived from fish-scale waste to suppress fuel vapours without the chemical hazards associated with conventional agents.
Suwasiya is developing a circular denim ecosystem that repurposes discarded textile fabric into lifestyle products, incorporating material tracking and partnerships with women artisans.
Now in its fifth edition, the programme this year drew entrants from across the country. More than half of the national Top 40 teams represent Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, indicating broader geographic participation in the competition.
The Top 40 teams will attend a 10-day Innovation Bootcamp at FITT-IIT Delhi, with mentoring from startup founders and industry professionals. They will also visit Samsung facilities in Delhi, Noida, Bangalore and Gurugram before competing for Top 20 positions.
At the Grand Finale, four winning teams will share incubation grants totalling ₹2 crore, along with continued support from FITT-IIT Delhi to develop their solutions toward market readiness.