Milestones, lessons, and the work already underway at MIF
January rarely feels slow anymore. Even as the year begins, the pace is already set—ideas are moving, conversations are restarting, and the next set of priorities is taking shape. At the Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF), the first month of 2026 was less about easing in and more about building continuity—carrying forward the learnings of the past year while sharpening focus for what’s next.
Our first collaboration of 2026, Marico Innovation Foundation along with Samunnati Foundation will work together to help address one of agriculture’s most persistent challenges: post-harvest losses.
Starting in Varanasi and Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, this pilot will work with farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to:
MIF will lead the initiative, with Samunnati Foundation as our implementation partner on the ground. Over the coming months, we’ll share stories and insights from the field as this collaboration unfolds.
India celebrated the National Startup Day on January 16, marking a full decade of Startup India. MIF, along with its parent company Marico, marked this milestone by reflecting on how India’s startup ecosystem has evolved—and where it is headed.
We see this diversification across geographies, leadership, and sectors. Over the last ten years startups recognised by MIF through the Indian Innovation Icons Awards show an ecosystem aligned with India’s evolving economic, social, and environmental priorities.
In January, Marico Chairman Harsh Mariwala continued to share hard-earned lessons with founders navigating scale and uncertainty. His reflections reinforced a simple but often overlooked idea: growth is not just about speed—it’s about direction.
How closely have you been following innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups this month? Try answering these questions—no Googling or ChatGPT allowed.
Answers at the end of the blog.
📍 SCALE @ ChemTECH World Expo 2026: MIF is hosting a closed-door roundtable on 5th February 2026 at SCALE 2026 in Mumbai, organised by Spectrum Impact in partnership with CHEMTECH, as part of the ChemTech World Expo. You can register here.
📍 Watch out for interesting collaborations and announcements.
Subscribe InnoWin by MIF, it’s our monthly newsletter where diverse stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem answer questions about hurdles, possibilities, and progress.
In the January edition Suranjana Ghosh, the head of MIF set the ball rolling with all the learnings from a successful year of being committed to programmes like MIF’s no-equity accelerator, Scale Up, and of curating and participating in rooms that take innovations from ideas to reality.
Pick a Book: “Is a River Alive” by Robert Macfarlane. The book takes a look at three rivers – Ecuador’s Rio Los Cedros, Chennai’s Adyar, and the Canadian Mutehekau Shipu – and explores them as living entities. His unique approach to endowing rivers with personhood aims to address the global crisis they face and how they can be revived.
January closed with intent taking shape and resolutions turning into action.
As the year moves quickly ahead, we step into February with focus, curiosity, and the work already underway.
With over 1,000 applications coming in for the Indian Innovation Icons 2027, a look at the sectors and social challenges driving India's next wave of game-changing innovations.
Scaling ideas, strengthening systems, and turning innovation into action across farms and climate platforms in India.
How MIF, Samunnati Foundation and agri-startups are piloting solutions in Mirzapur and Varanasi
Get insights from entrepreneurs, investors, and change-makers on innovation,
success and what it takes to get there.
