Innovation For India Awards

Applying for the Innovation for India Awards 2025 opens doors to:

• MIF’s Exclusive Innovation Day: A half-day event hosted one day before the Awards where winners participate in a curated networking session with Indian and international investor networks, government offices (including the PMO and state/central government authorities), and corporate department heads. Non-profit award recipients gain access to Foundations and International Grant bodies like UNDEF, Swadesh Foundation, and P4G.

At the Innovation Day, winners also participate in focused knowledge sessions covering topics, such as strategies for international market expansion, often in collaboration with partners like IIX, workshops addressing organisational culture and development, and training sessions focused on PR and content creation techniques.

• Innovation For India Awards Showcase: The grand finale of the Awards is a curated experience with an audience of over 1,000 distinguished people including India’s top industrialists, business leaders, potential investors, CXO’s and government officials. Winners get an opportunity to showcase their innovation and their stories to key stakeholders from India’s business ecosystem, amplifying their impact, accelerating their growth, and positioning themselves as forerunners in driving positive change and innovation in India.
• PR & Digital Exposure: Each winner stands to gain a cumulative PR value of INR 1.5 crore through during and post-award amplification. This includes extensive media coverage across premier platforms such as ET, Hindu Business Line, Forbes, Fortune, CNBC TV 18, and Your Story, as well as regional media coverage in languages like Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu, and Gujarati to ensure nationwide visibility. Winners in the Social/Non-Profit category get tailored PR to spotlight their positive societal impact through exclusive features in publications like CSR Box, IDR, PARI, and YourStory. All winners are digitally promoted across MIF’s digital platforms, with cross-promotion on partner platforms and amplification by MIF’s Governing Council (GC) and jury members. Winners also get to feature on a prominent podcast to share their story.
• Access to MIF’s no equity, rapid acceleration program, Scale-Up, and strategic mentorship: Winners get a chance to be a part of Scale-Up which aims to scale the INR 1-100 cr growth journey of innovations. (*This is applicable if the winners meet the selection criteria of Scale-Up.) Plus, five one-on-one sessions over a span of six months with strategic mentors among MIF’s GC and jury members to address specific business challenges faced by the award winners. MIF will also assist the winners in crafting a compelling pitch deck, a key asset designed to enhance their credibility, attract potential investment, and facilitate partnerships, and collaborations.
• Leadership & executive presence coaching: Personalised training sessions valued at INR 10 lakhs per winner, led by a renowned coach specialising in storytelling and executive presence. These sessions are designed to enhance communication skills in preparation for the Awards Grand Finale. Plus, two dedicated leadership training sessions per winner, valued at INR 2 lakhs per winner, aimed at refining entrepreneurial leadership skills such as team building, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

The awards recognize innovations in three categories: Business (for-profit), Social (not-for-profit) and Global Gamechangers.

No, the awards are not accompanied by monetary benefits of any sort. However, they provide catalytic opportunities for growth and support, tailormade to benefit innovative startups.

MIF defines innovation as unique, sustainable, rapidly scalable, and exceptional for-profit and not-for-profit products, services, business models, or efforts with the potential to create large-scale economic, social, or environmental impact on lives in India and around the world. Innovations that have been implemented within the last 8 years as of June of the application year are eligible.

If the innovation has the potential to substantially impact the performance of a for-profit business, it qualifies under the “Business” category. If the innovation has the potential to create a substantial ‘social’ impact, it qualifies under the “Social” category. 

The Innovation for India Awards employs a unique and robust evaluation process spanning over eight months, including two rounds of deliberations by an independent jury for each category and thorough on-ground due diligence conducted by an independent knowledge partner.

Applications in the business category are evaluated based on the following four criteria with equal weightage: 

• Uniqueness: Extent of differentiation of the innovation in comparison to existing alternatives
• Impact: Extent of positive economic difference the innovation can make
• Scalability: Size of market opportunity and the potential for expansion of the innovation
• Sustainability: Extent of affordability and profitability of the innovation   

Applications in the social category are evaluated based on the following four criteria with equal weightage:

• Uniqueness: Extent of differentiation of the innovation in comparison to existing alternatives
• Impact: Extent of the positive economic, social, or environmental difference the innovation can make
• Scalability: Extent of stakeholders/ users/ beneficiaries that the innovation can impact in the future
• Sustainability: Extent of self-sustainability of the organisation (as determined by its dependence on external financial aid, community participation, and supportive government policies for its growth and sustenance)   

Applications for the India for Innovation Awards 2025 will tentatively open in June 2024 and remain open for four weeks. 

Yes, provided the innovation being submitted under each application is different.

Yes. If a startup has applied for a previous edition of the Awards, they can apply again for an upcoming edition with updated information.

No, applicants are required to submit the application form online only.

All data submitted by the applicants will remain confidential and will be accessed and perused only by our advisors, the MIF team, the Awards jury, and the knowledge partner organisation under strict terms of confidentiality and data protection. The information will be used solely for evaluation and will not be shared with any external parties.

The whole process takes around eight months.

• Applications Phase:

Application window for the Innovation for India Awards under the business and social category usually opens for 4 weeks. 

• Screening

A robust process of first-level application screening is undertaken by our knowledge partner for up to 4 weeks. 

• Jury Round 1

Shortlisted applications are thoroughly evaluated by two separate panels of highly distinguished and independent jury members, one each for the business category and the social category of applicants.

• Due Diligence

The knowledge partner undertakes a deep, on-ground due diligence of the applicants selected by the Jury. This can take about a month. 

• Jury Round 2

Second round of evaluation of shortlisted applicants by the Jury, based on the findings of the due diligence.

• Awards Ceremony

Grand, in-person finale to showcase & felicitate the winners of the India for Innovation Awards.

Yes. Inputs into the form are saved in the current browser as one types, and an applicant may come back to it at any point within 30 days to complete the application.

The terms and conditions regarding the awards are listed on our website here. By submitting the application form, an applicant is deemed to be accepting these terms and conditions.

Please write to us at innovate@marico.com.