Mphasis F1 Foundation and The/Nudge Institute launch Rs 6.5 Cr prize challenge to create digital work opportunities for 1M women

Mphasis F1 Foundation and The/Nudge Institute on Monday announced the launch of the ‘Digital Naukri Challenge,’ to create and showcase digital work opportunities for one million women by 2030.

According to a press release, the challenge features a prize purse of Rs 6.5 crore and a duration spanning 20 months. It invites tech startups and innovators across digital work organisations, IT/ITES, BPO, tech outsourcing companies, job access platforms, digital and tech skilling organisations to discover disruptive, tech-first, and population-scale solutions to provide employment opportunities for more women in India.

Digital Naukri is the fourth prize challenge by The/Nudge Institute—a series of grand challenges which focuses on scalable solutions for complex livelihood challenges, ensuring urgency and a sharp focus on supporting the vulnerable segments of society.

Once a cohort of eight-10 organisations is selected from the applicant pool, they will kickstart their 20-month journey of developing and testing their idea for scalability and retention, among other outcomes, the press statement added.

During this process, they can access support from an eminent group of investors, research, and implementation partners, advisers, academia, and policymakers.

The advisers include Sharad Sharma, co-founder of iSPIRT Foundation, Rituparna Chakraborty, Co-founder, Teamlease, Gayathri Vasudevan, Chairperson, Labournet, and Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder, MannDeshi Foundation.

The/Nudge Prize’s ecosystem partners include Lead at Krea University, Pradan, and Digital Empowerment Foundation Frontier Markets, with ACT Grants and Rang De on board as some of the capital and investment partners.

“While female workforce participation is rising, data shows that women remain concentrated in a few low-productivity sectors, highlighting the need to close solution gaps. At Mphasis, we are committed to supporting initiatives that drive real change. We're proud to take this step through The/Nudge Prize, helping to identify and support innovative ideas that create equitable livelihoods for women,” Deepa Nagraj- Senior Vice President & Global Head - ESG, Sparkle Innovation Ecosystem, and Communications, Mphasis said.

Kanishka Chatterjee, Director, The/Nudge Prize, added, “This is the most ambitious challenge we’ve ever launched—an audacious call for visionary founders to drive inclusive growth, contribute to reshaping the future of work in India, and amplify opportunities for women through government-market-civil society collaboration."

"The untapped potential of millions of homemakers and aspiring women, eager to break free and actively participate in this economy, is nothing short of inspiring. Our hope is that this potential resonates deeply with the ecosystem we are building and sparks real change. Even the smallest progress on this path could ignite a remarkable new journey for countless women with dreams and aspirations," Chatterjee said.