Five social enterprises bag INR 4.5 million in funding at SBI Youth for India Conclave

SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of the State Bank group recently hosted the two-day SBI Youth for India Conclave in Bengaluru, offering a dynamic platform to social entrepreneurs and trailblazers from the social sector. The event, held in Bangalore witnessed the convergence of social entrepreneurs, academia, civil society representatives, and alumni of the SBI Youth for India (YFI) Programme.

SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of the State Bank group recently hosted the two-day SBI Youth for India Conclave in Bengaluru, offering a dynamic platform to social entrepreneurs and trailblazers from the social sector. The event, held in Bangalore witnessed the convergence of social entrepreneurs, academia, civil society representatives, and alumni of the SBI Youth for India (YFI) Programme.

The Youth for India Conclave served as a platform for social sector organisations for dialogue, networking and possible collaborations in the rural development sector.

The conclave featured an array of interactive sessions, including advisory forums, speed networking, boot camps, YFI Sahyog-The Pitch Fest, and formal and informal discussions, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among non-profits, think tanks, YFI Fellows, and other stakeholders from across the country.

According to the release, YFI Conclave, ‘SBI YFI Sahyog - The Pitch Fest’ saw 9 social enterprises compete for funding, where 5 winners were granted seed funding of INR 4.5 million. The initiative aims to provide seed funding to promising non- profit and for-profit ventures led by SBI YFI alumni, facilitating their continued efforts towards social impact and community development.

The selection process for the winning ventures involved assessment and evaluation conducted by a jury comprising Sanjay Prakash (MD & CEO, SBI Foundation), Jagannath Sahoo (President & COO, SBI Foundation), Gayathri Swahar, Senior Director, Social Entrepreneurship at The/Nudge Institute and Co-founder of Ycook India, Suresh Krishna Bandi, Associate Vice President- Programs & Partnerships, I-Ventures@ ISB, Hyderabad, and Gyan Prakash Program Head, SBI Youth For India Fellowship.

Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director & CEO of SBI Foundation, said, “Through initiatives like the Youth for India Fellowship, we have witnessed firsthand how our young Fellows have harnessed their potential to initiate tangible social impact projects in rural communities. Having impacted 1,50,000+ lives in 250+ villages across the length and breadth of the country, we take pride in nurturing social entrepreneurship and contributing to India’s national priorities around rural development.”