Youth Co-Lab National Innovation Challenge 2026: Six youth-led startups win seed grants

Exam-focused facts from the 28 June 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Six youth-led startups won the 8th edition of the Youth Co-Lab National Innovation Challenge 2026.
The initiative is jointly led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India and Citi Foundation, in partnership with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and implemented by the T-Hub Foundation.
The challenge received more than 350 applications from startups across 28 states to promote youth-led innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Fifty high-potential startups were shortlisted for the National Springboard Programme, a three-month virtual capacity-building initiative supported by 16 industry mentors and domain experts.
Winning startups received seed grants of ₹3,50,000 each, while the runners-up were awarded ₹2,20,000 each.