For decades, environmental sustainability was seen as sacrifice and compromise. With the support and mentorship from Samsung’s flagship education programme, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) 2025, in partnership with IIT Delhi, the young innovators flipped the narrative: technology can drive prosperity while protecting the planet. Thousands of students across India designed cutting-edge solutions under the theme “Environmental Sustainability via Technology” – focusing on resource conservation, waste management, clean water, and carbon reduction.
Here’s what this new generation of changemakers achieved:
1. Innovation Rooted in Urgency and Growth
Students developed technologies that conserve water, energy, waste, and biodiversity, turning sustainability into a catalyst for economic and social progress.
2. Theme Winner Prithvi Rakshak: Transforming Waste into Wealth
The standout Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 winner, Prithvi Rakshak, is a modular AI-powered vermicomposting system developed by three teenagers – Abhishek Dhanda, Prabhkirat Singh, and Rachita Chandok. Their innovation automates organic waste conversion into nutrient-rich compost with smart sensors, making it suitable for schools, markets, and communities.
3. Other Leading Innovations Challenging Environmental Issues
Additional top teams tackled critical environmental challenges:
- Drop of Hope (Uttar Pradesh): A device to extract water from air using solar atmospheric condensation
- Renewable Desalination (Assam): Low-cost & energy efficient desalination system to deliver clean drinking water
- SmalBlu (Gujarat): AI platform to optimize enterprise data infra & reduce carbon footprint in cloud infrastructure
- VOXMAPS (Madhya Pradesh): LiDAR & HD imaging sensors mounted drones to collect pollution data & create Voxel maps
4. Support for Scaling Impact
Winners received up to ₹1 crore incubation support at IIT Delhi, with additional awards for top teams, including ₹1 lakh grants, Goodwill Awards and Young Innovator Awards and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphones for the top 20 teams.
5. A Growing, Decentralised Innovation Ecosystem
The 2025 edition saw increasing participation from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, with alumni mentoring newcomers and access to IIT Delhi’s FITT Labs for prototype development. This reflects the spread of STEM innovation beyond metropolitan hubs.
6. Empathy-Driven, Responsible Innovation
Students were guided through design-thinking focused on solving real-world problems responsibly, prioritizing societal impact and sustainable AI solutions.
7. Legacy of Changemaking
Since 2010, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has engaged 2.9 million young innovators in 68 countries, empowering students with mentorship and tools to create impactful STEM solutions. India’s diverse and vibrant contribution continues to grow year on year.