The YouthNet Incubation Centre (YIC) has awarded a cumulative grant of ₹20 lakh to four promising early-stage startups under the Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS 2.0) scheme, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The GENESIS scheme is designed to channel targeted funding into startups from Tier II and Tier III cities, empowering them to build innovative solutions that directly address regional and local challenges.
Speaking at the funding event, Nuneseno Chase, Director of YouthNet, congratulated the selected startups, acknowledging their growing impact on strengthening the regional innovation landscape. She emphasized that the grants celebrate not only the ingenuity behind their solutions but also their capacity to create lasting, positive change.
According to a press release from Youth Net, the selected startups include: URA Agritech Private Limited an AI-driven, soil-first irrigation platform that replaces guesswork with real-time IoT intelligence automating water exactly when and where crops need it, from farms to backyards;
Khamlou India Private Limited a Nagaland’s digital construction operating system, connecting materials, labor, contractors, equipment rentals, and resale into one seamless marketplace;
BLEND aims to enhance automobiles into a smart safety node using QR technology to prevent illegal parking and enable instant emergency response at a fraction of the market cost; and AGRI+ an innovation with an aim to democratizing soil biology with TerraLink+, at-home microbial soil test, delivering lab-grade insights in five minutes through a simple strip and AI-powered mobile scan.
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Neikepekho Shosahie, Associate Director at YouthNet, framed the GENESIS initiative as a decisive shift toward outcome-driven innovation rather than speculative growth. He underscored that milestone-linked funding allows startups to build with discipline; proving technology, market relevance, and impact at each stage of their journey. The scheme, he noted, places a clear bet on frontier technologies from electronics and information technology to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchainwhile keeping its focus grounded in real-world problems across healthcare, education, agriculture, and sustainability. Shosahie further added that the scheme demonstrate how targeted capital and structured support can unlock entrepreneurial momentum in regions often overlooked by mainstream innovation pipelines.
It may also be noted that earlier in 2025, YouthNet deployed ₹20 lakh in grants to innovators under MeitY GENESIS 1.0, signaling a consistent, long-term commitment to backing founders who are building high-impact solutions with measurable outcomes.
The Government of India under the GENESIS scheme, with a budget of ₹490 crore over five years, aims to support approximately 1,600 technology startups across India’s smaller cities. By fostering innovation and empowering earlystage ventures, the initiative seeks to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem and create new opportunities for economic growth and employment.
