Hyderabad: Jubilant Bhartia Foundation (JBF)’s unique initiative BHARAT IMPACT has announced the selection of 15 innovative Social Impact Start-ups from across various sectors and 11 states in India through its Impact Quest program. A two-day Boot Camp with experiential training and mentorship by industry stalwarts kicked off in Delhi starting 15th January 2025, followed by an early incubation and accelerator program for extensive nine months.
BHARAT IMPACT, an initiative of the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation has been established with the purpose of making a lasting social impact by nurturing and promoting social entrepreneurship in India. It leverages its understanding of social entrepreneurship through Jubilant Bhartia Foundation’s 15 year journey of the coveted Social Entrepreneurship of the Year (SEOY) Award in partnership with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, through its engagement at the grassroots level in developing micro-enterprises across pan-India and through the deep business expertise of over 15 companies.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Founder & Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group and Director, Jubilant Bhartia Foundation said, “Social entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon and India provides a fertile ground owing to its vast social challenges and supportive ecosystem. Social Entrepreneurs will play a pivotal role in India’s journey to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028, a developed economy by 2047 and a net zero carbon country by 2070. We are pleased to introduce our initiative BHARAT IMPACT which will further strengthen the endeavours of Jubilant Bhartia Foundation around social entrepreneurship. Through BHARAT IMPACT we aim to create an ecosystem that provides a robust support system for start-ups, enhancing their capacity to scale and create meaningful change” he further added, “The 15 social Impact start-ups selected in the first cohort are promising enterprises. Apart from providing them experiential training and financial support, in a unique incubation model, we will also give them access to extensive Jubilant Group Businesses for expert mentorship & Industrial Infrastructure.”
The Impact Quest Program is at the heart of BHARAT IMPACT initiative. It is a program designed to foster innovation and drive transformative change across diverse sectors. In November 2024 it called upon passionate entrepreneurs sensitive to the needs and challenges at the bottom of the pyramid. A total of 204 applications were received from across 11 states in India from various sectors including – Agriculture & Allied,
Healthcare & Life science, Circular Economy/Waste Management, Rural Livelihoods & Enterprises, Inclusive Development and Climate Action. More than 50% of applications had women as CEOs/Co-Founders.
Out of 204 applications, a stringent three-stage evaluation process was conducted. Initially, the applications were filtered based on program eligibility by the project management unit, resulting in the shortlisting of 35 startups. In the third stage, these 35 startups were reviewed by panels comprising eminent jury members from various spheres of business and the social sector, which eventually led to the selection of 15 startups for the first cohort.