Tennis training in India may soon get more accessible, thanks to a pair of young players who are using artificial intelligence to fill the coaching gap that persists beyond big cities.

Aadish Shelke from Aurangabad and Bhagyashri Meena from Mumbai — both 21-year-old tennis players and Computer Science students at IIIT Pune — have developed NextPlayAI, a platform that analyses tennis videos using machine learning to offer personalised feedback on strokes, footwork and match movements. The aim: to help budding tennis players from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities access guidance that usually requires expensive academies and elite coaches.

The duo’s innovation earned them a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow grant under the category Social Change through Sport and Technology. The platform is part of Samsung’s flagship education programme that supports youth-led tech solutions for real-world challenges. This year, four winning teams received ₹1 crore incubation support at IIT Delhi to scale their ideas.

Shelke said the idea emerged from the reality that tennis remains concentrated in a few urban pockets. “Tennis coaching often feels like a luxury,” he said. “In a city like Aurangabad, high-quality infrastructure and expert coaching are extremely limited. Many promising players drop out because they can’t get the right support at the right time.”

NextPlayAI helps players record their practice sessions and compare them with professional benchmarks — from serve mechanics to racket angles and on-court movement. Meena said the goal is to make tennis learning affordable and accessible. “There is so much valuable footage and data on elite players. We wanted to bring that intelligence to young athletes everywhere, especially those outside big metros,” she said.

Through the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow mentorship, the team refined their approach using design thinking to ensure the tool adapts to different learning styles. “Every tennis player has a unique rhythm and technique,” Shelke said. “The AI has to recognise individuality, not force uniformity.”

The duo now plans to collaborate with district sports associations and tennis academies to pilot the platform across smaller towns. They also want to build a team of developers and players from similar backgrounds — those who know firsthand the challenges of pursuing tennis from outside the mainstream circuit.

“We want to see more tennis champions emerge from places people don’t expect,” Meena said. “Talent exists everywhere — opportunity must too.”

As India looks beyond cricket to build a broader sporting culture, innovations like these aim to ensure that future tennis stars aren’t limited by their pin code.

Winners of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025

Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, today announced the winners of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025, the fourth edition of its national education programme that challenges young students to use technology to create real-world solutions for pressing challenges in their local communities.

The Top Four winning teams — Percevia (Bengaluru), NextPlay.AI (Aurangabad), Paraspeak (Gurugram), and Prithvi Rakshak (Palamu) — received INR 1 crore in incubation grants and will continue to develop their prototypes into scalable real-world solutions with mentorship support at IIT Delhi’s FITT Labs.

The jury panel brought together Samsung leadership and experts from across academia, government, and industry to evaluate the finalists’ solutions across four thematic tracks — AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat; Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India; Environmental Sustainability via Technology; and Social Change through Sport and Tech.

This year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow witnessed thousands of participants from across India presenting bold, human-centered ideas that blended innovation with purpose. For the first time, finalists also gained hands-on access to FITT’s advanced R&D infrastructure, refining their concepts before the Grand Finale.

Winning Innovations That Redefine Possibility

Percevia (Bengaluru): An AI-powered wearable glasses system that identifies objects, announces their location through a 33-grid voice and vibration feedback, providing real-time spatial awareness for the visually impaired.

NextPlay.AI (Aurangabad): A mobile-first AI platform for sports that integrates an AI Virtual Coach, AI Referee, and Neuro-Inclusive Tracker, ensuring fairness, access, and inclusion for athletes — anytime, anywhere.

Paraspeak (Gurugram): A real-time, speaker-independent speech enhancement device that converts slurred speech (dysarthria) into clear communication using deep-learning algorithms, helping individuals communicate confidently.

Prithvi Rakshak (Palamu): A community-driven green app that encourages sustainable living through tree adoption, recycling, and gamified eco-actions — promoting environmental awareness across India.

Empowering India’s Young Innovators

At the Grand Finale in New Delhi, winners were chosen after a rigorous six-month journey that included multiple mentorship rounds, prototype development, and bootcamps. The Top 20 finalist teams also received INR 1 lakh each and the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphones for their creativity and commitment to building a better world.

Additionally, the event presented five special awards:

• Goodwill Awards (2) – INR 1,00,000 each
• Young Innovator Awards (2) – INR 1,00,000 each
• Social Media Champion Award – INR 50,000

Building India’s Innovation Ecosystem

Through multi-year partnerships with Startup India (DPIIT), MeitY Startup Hub, and Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog), Samsung continues to strengthen India’s youth innovation pipeline — creating opportunities for young changemakers from every corner of Bharat.

“Over the years, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has built an innovation architecture that democratizes technology and celebrates creativity from every part of India. This year, too, we witnessed extraordinary ideas emerging from small towns and rural communities — reaffirming that talent knows no boundaries. Our vision is to keep using technology for good — mentoring, resourcing, and empowering these young innovators to build a more inclusive and future-ready India in line with the government’s pathbreaking initiatives such as Digital India and Startup India,” said Mr JB Park, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia.

The jury included experts from Samsung leadership, academia, and government — such as Mr Mohan Rao Goli (MD, SRI-B), Mr Pankaj Mishra (CTO, SRI-D), Mr Yuran Kim (MD, SDD), Mr KY Roo (MD, SRI-N).

Other jury members brought cross-domain expertise and diverse perspectives to the evaluation process. The panel included Dr. P.S. Madanagopal, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub; Dr. Srinivasan Venkatrama, Assistant Professor of Design at IIT Delhi; Dr. Rakesh Kaur, Scientist ‘G’, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India, Mamtha Venkatesh, Head, Startup India, and Himanshu Joshi, Director of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, each of whom evaluated entries across all four themes. They were joined by Dr. Rand Harrington, Director of the American Embassy School, who served on the jury for the theme Social Change through Sport and Tech: For Education & Better Futures along with Dr. Sumeet K. Jarangal, Director, DPIIT.

Distinguished guests at the Awards Ceremony included Professor Ajay K Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, Managing Director, FITT, IIT Delhi and Pragnya Mohan, International Olympic Committee Young Leader.

“This generation of young innovators is exactly what India needs. They are capable of designing with purpose, not just imitating what is being done globally. When ideas emerge from the ground up, rooted in local challenges, they have the power to transform our trajectory as a product nation,” said Prof. Ajay K Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Driving Innovation for Bharat’s Future

This year’s edition saw participation from every Indian state, with strong representation from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, reaffirming Samsung’s mission to make innovation inclusive and accessible. From AI-powered accessibility tools to sustainability apps, these projects reflect the power of youth-led technology in transforming communities.

Through sustained mentorship, access to Samsung’s R&D expertise, and incubation at IIT Delhi, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 continues to nurture India’s next generation of innovators — shaping the future of technology, for Bharat and beyond.

Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, today announced the Top 20 finalist teams of the 4th edition of its pan-India innovation competition, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025.

The finalists include bright young minds from rural India, Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across 12 states, reflecting the programme’s vision of encouraging young changemakers to use technology to solve wide-ranging issues in their communities. This year, a 14-year-old qualified as a finalist, an all-girls team entered the final round, and two teams from the North East made it to the Top20.

They are working on innovations such as AI-powered solution to enable people with visual impairment to play chess independently, imaging sensors mounted drones to collect pollution data and create Voxel maps. Besides, ideas include a drone-enabled AI monitoring system for alerting infiltration and security breaches on international borders.

The selected teams presented ideas across four key themes: AI for Safer, Smarter and Inclusive Bharat; Future of Health, Hygiene and Wellbeing in India; Environmental Sustainability via Technology; and Social Change through Sport and Tech: For Education & Better Futures.

“Samsung Solve for Tomorrow becomes bigger, bolder and more creative each year, reaching deeper into rural and remote India and continuing with Samsung’s vision of democratizing innovation for a smarter Bharat. The Top 20 finalists represent how technology, when applied with empathy and context, can transform lives, whether in healthcare, sustainability, or inclusive sports. We have seen first-hand how students are using AI to address some of the most pressing healthcare challenges, while leveraging IoT and other emerging technologies to support the elderly and the differently abled, making this year’s competition truly inclusive,” said SP Chun, Corporate Vice President, Samsung Southwest Asia.

The 2025 edition drew applications from every corner of India with strong regional representation from places such as Cachar (Assam), Banaganapalli (Andhra Pradesh), Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh), Mahabubnagar (Telangana) and Sundargarh (Odisha).

The top 20 teams emerged from the semi-final phase that concluded recently with 40 teams that attended an experiential, hands-on Prototyping Programme at IIT Delhi’s state-of-the-art labs. This phase was conducted in collaboration with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow alumni, featuring a Residential Innovation Bootcamp. A National Pitch Event followed, where the Samsung Jury comprising experts from Samsung R&Ds and Southwest Asia, selected the Top 20 finalist teams (five finalist teams from each theme).

Now, as they advance to the next level, the Top 20 teams will receive one-on-one online mentoring from Samsung experts, FITT and IIT Delhi professors.

Who are the finalists?

Under the theme, AI for a Safer, Smarter, and Inclusive Bharat, teams such as Chakravyuh, Error 404, Passionate Problem Solver, Percevia, and Sicario are reimagining safety and accessibility. Their solutions range from AI-IoT surveillance networks and real-time safety apps for women, to wearable navigation aids and face-recognition devices designed to empower the visually impaired.

In the category, Future of Health, Hygiene, and Well-being in India, the ideas are equally bold and human-centered. Teams like Alchemist, BRHM, HEAR BRIGHT, PARASPEAK, and Pink Brigadiers are pioneering products such as non-invasive tools for early silicosis detection, affordable multi-articulated bionic hands, AI-powered speech recognition tools, and predictive breast health applications that bring early detection and awareness into women’s homes.

The theme of Environmental Sustainability via Technology further expands the canvas of impact. Teams like Prithvi Rakshak, Drop of Hope, Renewable Desalination, SmalBlu and VOXMAPS are sharing solutions that include solar-powered water extraction, automated vermicomposting, modular desalination, AI-driven carbon and pollution mapping.

The theme of Social Change through Sport and Tech: For Education & Better Futures has finalists who see change as a real-time event. Teams Next Play AI, Shatranj Swaya Crew, SPORTS4AUTISM, STATUSCODE200, Unity are developing solutions such as gamified therapy tools for autistic children, platforms to discover hidden sporting talent, and voice-enabled chess apps for the visually impaired.

Top 20 finalist teams (five per theme) will receive cumulative INR 20 lakh (INR 1 lakh per team), and every participant (37 in total) will be gifted the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.

What Lies Ahead?

The journey now heads to the Grand Finale in New Delhi on October 28 and 29, 2025. Before the two action-packed days, the 20 teams will get a dedicated day for prototyping at FITT IIT Delhi. This will be followed by the Grand Finale Pitch Presentation on Day 2. On Day 3, an Investor Meet for all the 20 teams will bring these participants closer to their entrepreneurship journey and finally this edition will culminate with Winner Announcement and Awards Ceremony on October 29.

At the Grand Finale, the four winning teams (one from each theme) will collectively receive a grant of INR 1 crore from Samsung for incubation at IIT Delhi, enabling them to nurture their ideas into market-ready solutions.

About Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a global problem-solving platform where youth around the world use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to build a better future together. Since 2010, 2.9 million youth in 68 countries have grown as global innovators through this programme. To explore more about Samsung’s global CSR programmes, visit our [CSR webpage].