Are you India's next big thing? Apply for Marico Innovation Foundation's Indian Innovation Icons 2027 to find out

Every so often, an innovation that could genuinely change lives stays hidden simply because it never found the right stage. A founder solving a real problem in a small town, a nonprofit quietly transforming access to healthcare or education, an entrepreneur building technology nobody else thought was possible in India. These stories exist across the country, often without the recognition, mentorship, or capital they need to scale. This is precisely the gap that Indian Innovation Icons aims to close and applications for its 2027 edition are now open.

The Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF) launched its flagship program, Indian Innovation Icons (previously called Innovation for India Awards), in 2006. It is a biennial platform designed to identify and spotlight ‘currently hidden, potentially game-changing’ Indian innovators whose work has the potential to create large-scale impact but has not yet received the visibility it deserves. As the program prepares to launch its 11th edition in 2027, it continues to serve as a benchmark for innovation excellence in the country.

Categories and eligibility

Applications are open across two categories. The Business category recognizes India-based for-profit organizations, including startups. The Social category is open to India-based not-for-profit organizations, including government entities, philanthropic bodies, charitable trusts, social enterprises, multilateral agencies, community foundations, NGOs, and CSR or corporate funds.

To be eligible, the solution must be unique, sustainable, rapidly scalable, and capable of creating large-scale economic, social, or environmental impact in India and beyond. Innovations implemented within 10 years for the business category, and 16 years for the social category, as of June of the application year, qualify for consideration. Applications in both categories are evaluated on four equally weighted criteria: uniqueness, impact, scalability, and sustainability.

The evaluation process spans nearly eight months, involving assessment by independent knowledge partners, two rounds of jury deliberation, and thorough on-ground due diligence before winners are announced at the Grand Finale in March 2027.

What winners actually receive

What sets Indian Innovation Icons apart is not just recognition, but the depth of what follows it. They receive a set of commitments that can genuinely reshape the trajectory of their organizations. This includes a guaranteed one-hour, one-on-one diagnosis session with Harsh Mariwala, Founder and Chairperson of Marico Limited, followed by six months of bespoke mentoring from the company's senior leadership across functions such as marketing, finance, supply chain, operations, and strategy.

Winners also gain elite access to capital and business networks, with Mariwala personally reaching out to venture capitalists, institutional investors, grant makers, and corporate leaders on their behalf. They present their stories on the Grand Finale stage in front of an audience of over 500 distinguished industrialists, chairpersons, philanthropists, and institutional investors, a platform the foundation describes as one where credibility compounds for years. A month later, winners attend InnoWin Day, a curated set of high-intent meetings with selected institutions designed to accelerate momentum without the need for cold outreach.

Beyond mentorship and access, winners receive a personal public endorsement from Mariwala on LinkedIn, along with national visibility through an exclusive video in partnership with The Better India, which has a reach of over 129 million. To help winners communicate their work more effectively, the program also includes dedicated storytelling and executive presence coaching delivered in partnership with The School of Practical Skills, led by communications trainer Ankit Vengurlekar.

The jury behind the icons

The 2027 edition brings together an eclectic mix of industry leaders, policy-makers, investors, and social impact champions to evaluate applications. The jury is chaired by Amit Chandra, Chairperson of Bain Capital India and co-founder of the ATE Chandra Foundation.

The Business jury includes Dr Ashish Lele, Director at CSIR-National Chemical Library; Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog; Namita Thapar, Executive Director at Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Prabha Narasimhan, MD and CEO of Colgate Palmolive India; Ravi Mariwala, Chairman and MD of Smaart Water; and Sanjiv Kaul, Senior Partner at ChrysCapital.

The Social jury includes Aniket Doegar, Founder and CEO of Haqdarshak; Chetna Gala Singh, Founder and Chairperson of Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation; Deepali Khanna, Senior VP and Head of Asia at The Rockefeller Foundation; Luis Miranda, Co-founder and Chairperson of the Indian School of Public Policy; Prateek Madhav, CEO and Co-founder of AssisTech Foundation; and Smarinita Shetty, Co-founder and CEO of India Development Review.

A look at past winners

Over the past 10 editions, more than 70 disruptive Indian innovations have been recognized through this platform. In the Business category, past winners include Astrome Technologies, which delivers high-speed, affordable broadband to remote and underserved areas through its multi-beam E-band wireless technology, and Chara Technologies, which builds rare-earth magnet-free Synchronous Reluctance Motors as a sustainable alternative for India's EV and industrial motor sectors. Also among past winners is Indra Water, whose patented ElectroX technology enables chemical-free wastewater treatment while cutting space needs by 90% and operational costs by 40%, and Skyroot Aerospace, the first Indian private company to build a fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine, which is working to democratize space access for satellite deployments.

In the Social category, past winners include AssisTech Foundation, India's first assistive technology accelerator supporting startups building mobility, communication, and independent living solutions for people with disabilities. Also recognized is People's Archive of Rural India (PARI), a digital platform preserving rural India's voices through multimedia archives in 15 languages, and Rocket Learning, which works to bridge the gap between parents, teachers, and communities in early childhood education through technology-driven solutions.

This track record underscores why Indian Innovation Icons has become a meaningful marker of credibility for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations across the country.

About Marico Innovation Foundation

Marico Innovation Foundation was founded in 2003 as the not-for-profit arm of Marico Limited. It runs two flagship programs, the Scale-Up Program and Indian Innovation Icons, both aimed at fostering and catalyzing India's innovation landscape. MIF's mission centers on identifying disruptive innovations capable of driving long-lasting socioeconomic and environmental impact, and equipping them with the visibility, opportunities, and support needed to succeed.

How to apply

For innovators who have built something meaningful but have not yet found the platform to match their ambition, Indian Innovation Icons 2027 offers exactly that.

Interested organizations can apply through the official application form here.