The next big idea can come from anywhere in India: that was the message from 16 startup founders mentoring the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 finalists — including Ankit Garg, Robin Singh, Samridhi Bhardwaj and Dishant Mishra.
The mentors say young innovators are increasingly drawing on problems they see every day — unsafe drinking water, stubble burning, communication barriers, gaps in local services — and building for them directly, rather than chasing market size first. "They really want to solve a problem that is actually hurting someone somewhere. Even if the market is looking small, these young innovators are attempting it, they are going for it," said Dishant Mishra, founder of IIT Delhi-incubated Water Resources.
The programme has already produced real companies: Robin Singh, founder of water-quality intelligence startup Cluix, mentored a team from rural Bihar that developed a filtration system for arsenic contamination in water — the team won the challenge and went on to commercialise its product.
The broader trend is democratisation: wider access to technology and information is helping ideas emerge from smaller cities and communities across India, not just the metro startup hubs.
Why it matters for founders
Solve-for-Tomorrow-style programmes are a real on-ramp — a rural Bihar student team went from an arsenic-filter prototype to a commercial product with founder mentorship. For early founders outside the metros, these platforms offer something money can't buy: experienced operators who've solved distribution in exactly your market.