The UnboxingBLR Foundation and Nikhil Kamath’s WTFund announced the five winners of the Namma Bengaluru Challenge on Saturday.
Each winner will be awarded a grant of Rs 10 lakh for their ideas that address Bengaluru’s critical urban challenges and drive transformation in the city.
More than 600 have registered for the challenge, which was launched in November. 16 of these ideas were shortlisted and 8 of them were studied for their proposed solutions. In the end, five winners were awarded grants.
“Bengaluru has given me so much over the years, and this is my way of supporting those who are now standing where I was two decades ago. The challenge is to bring together people who care deeply about this city — who are not content to sit on the sidelines but roll up their sleeves.” And are willing to go to work. A big thank you to everyone involved. I’m really excited to see how these ideas evolve and make a difference in the years to come,” said Nikhil Kamath, an investor and co-founder of Zerodha.
Winners of the challenge included Clean Water, a startup developing nature-based solutions to address water pollution. Mahila Shakti Electric Auto Driving Training Programme, an initiative that trains underserved women to drive last mile connected vehicles. and Nagara Meter Auto, a social entrepreneurship initiative that offers metered rental autorickshaw services.
The list also includes the Anahat Foundation, which helps improve access to primary and preventive health care for the urban poor, and Let’s Be the Change, a waste management project that aims to send less than 1% of waste to landfills.
“The city has always been a beacon of innovation, and the incredible response to the Namma Bengaluru Challenge reaffirms that sentiment. We are grateful to all the participants for sharing their inspiring ideas and passion for the betterment of Bengaluru. The winners are not just ingenuity, but a more sustainable, inclusive and forward-thinking Bangalore. He has also shown a deep commitment to making,” said Prashant Prakash, Founding Partner of Excel India and Chairman of UnboxingBLR.