Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue 2022

Introduction

In the 5th Edition of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Dialogue India, twelve outstanding start-ups from various Indian states emerged as winners. These start-ups, operating in sectors such as agriculture, ed-tech, women’s livelihood, circular economy, and biodiversity, were awarded seed funding of up to $5,000 each to scale up their innovative solutions.

Focus

The 2022-23 edition of Youth Co:Lab India focused on six thematic areas: Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth, Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment, Developing FinTech Solutions for Biodiversity Conservation, Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance, Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations, and Behavioral Nudges for LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment).

Pool Prize

Each winner in the thematic areas received a seed grant of $5,000, while runners-up received $3,000. This funding will enable the winners to transform their ideas into tangible products or services, fostering their growth and impact.

India’s Future

Ms. Shoko Noda highlighted India’s unique opportunity to lead innovation and social entrepreneurship with its large youth population, numbering 254 million between the ages of 15 and 24. She commended the diversity of ideas and frugal innovation showcased by this year’s winners, noting that UNDP is proud to provide a platform for young social entrepreneurs to scale their initiatives and make a difference.

About Youth Co:Lab

Youth Co:Lab, a collaborative initiative launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation in 2017, aims to empower and invest in youth across the Asia-Pacific region. The program fosters leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In India, Youth Co:Lab was introduced in 2019 in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog. The 2022-23 edition received an overwhelming response, with 378 applications from start-ups representing 28 states across the country.