SBI Youth for India Conclave 2026 Announces SBI YFI Sahyog

Mumbai: The SBI Youth for India Conclave 2026, hosted by SBI Foundation, brought together social entrepreneurs, development practitioners, academicians, and Fellows from across the country to deliberate on scalable solutions for rural transformation. Held in Kochi, Kerala, the annual gathering served as a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and showcasing grassroots innovations emerging from rural India. The event was attended by Swapan Dhar, MD, SBI Foundation, Jagannath Sahoo, President and COO, SBI Foundation, and other distinguished dignitaries from the development sector.

A key highlight of the SBI YFI Conclave was the SBI YFI Sahyog – the Pitch Fest 2026, that saw 10 shortlisted social ventures present their ideas to an expert jury comprising SBI Foundation leadership and independent consultants Anupam Joshi, Startup Ecosystem Leader, and Dr Gayathri Swahar, Senior Director for Social Entrepreneurship, The/Nudge Institute. The selected ventures were awarded seed funding of INR 69,00,000/- (sixty-nine lakh only), along with strategic mentorship support to help scale their solutions. Over the years, SBI Foundation has supported 30 youth-led social ventures with cumulative funding of INR 1.06 crore, enabling them to build sustainable, high-impact social ventures rooted in community needs.

Speaking on the occasion, Swapan Dhar, Managing Director, SBI Foundation, said, “SBI YFI Sahyog – the Pitch Fest reflects our continued commitment to nurturing grassroots innovation by enabling promising social ventures to scale with the right support. Over the years, it has evolved into a strong platform for SBI Youth for India Alumni to transform their ideas into sustainable, high-impact enterprises. As we mark 15 years of the Fellowship, initiatives like the Pitch Fest play a crucial role in strengthening this ecosystem by combining funding with strategic mentorship to drive meaningful change at the community level.”

Jagannath Sahoo, President & COO, SBI Foundation, “As SBI Youth for India marks 15 years of impact, the Sahyog Pitch Fest highlights the spirit of innovation nurtured through the Fellowship. It offers a platform for Fellows and social entrepreneurs to present solutions that are rooted in grassroots realities and designed for scale. Over the years, we have seen how such ideas can evolve into sustainable models with meaningful community impact. Through Sahyog, we aim to further strengthen this ecosystem by enabling access to mentorship, resources, and visibility, empowering changemakers to translate ideas into long-term outcomes.”

The Conclave also marked 15 years of the SBI Youth for India Fellowship, underscoring its role in building a strong pipeline of socially conscious leaders working at the grassroots. Over the years, the Fellowship has created a vibrant network of changemakers, many of whom continue to lead social enterprises, influence policy, and drive long-term community impact.

The SBI Youth for India Conclave 2026 reinforced the importance of partnerships across sectors, bringing together diverse stakeholders to exchange ideas and spotlight scalable solutions for India’s rural challenges.