Two Rajkot Innovators Make it to Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Top 40

What if a material discarded by one industry could become a useful resource for another? For 19-year-old Varma Swati Birbahadur and 20-year-old Vadher Pushti Amitbhai from Rajkot, this question has led to Stencil2School, a solution that explores how discarded nylon stencil sheets from the city’s saree-printing industry could be given a second life.

Their idea reflects the kind of community-led innovation that Samsung Solve for Tomorrow seeks to support. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is Samsung’s flagship CSR innovation programme for young people aged 14 to 22. In its fifth edition, the programme brings together young innovators from across India to identify real-world challenges and develop potential solutions through design thinking, mentorship and hands-on learning, helping them move their ideas from the early stages towards prototypes.

From Discarded Stencils to New Possibilities
For Swati and Pushti, the starting point was waste generated by Rajkot’s saree-printing industry. Nylon stencil sheets used in the printing process are often discarded after a design cycle and may be burned, creating pollution while leaving behind a durable material that could potentially be reused.

Their solution, Stencil2School, explores how these discarded sheets can be converted into educational products such as document folders, pouches and waterproof book covers. The prototype is ready, with the products designed for government school students and children supported by NGOs. The model also explores opportunities for local women and Self-Help Groups to manufacture the products.

The idea brings together waste reduction, education and livelihood opportunities — turning a material that would otherwise be discarded into products that can serve a practical purpose.

Their selection among the national Top 40 gives Swati and Pushti an opportunity to further develop the prototype, test their approach and explore its potential beyond the initial context.

Their achievement comes as India’s innovation landscape continues to expand, with more than half of the national Top 40 teams in this year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The participation highlights how young innovators are drawing on challenges in their own communities to explore potential solutions.

For Gujarat, the presence of two young innovators from Rajkot among the national Top 40 reflects how ideas can emerge from local industries and communities beyond India’s traditional technology hubs.

The Top 40 teams will now participate in a 10-day Innovation Bootcamp, where they will receive intensive mentoring from startup founders and industry experts at FITT-IIT Delhi. As part of the Bootcamp, the teams will also get an opportunity to visit Samsung R&D Institute India – Delhi, Samsung R&D Institute India – Noida, Samsung R&D Institute India – Bengaluru, Samsung Design Delhi and Samsung’s Regional Headquarters in Gurugram.

The teams will then compete for a place in the Top 20, which will receive further support to strengthen and advance their solutions ahead of the Grand Finale.

At the culmination of the programme, the four winning teams will collectively receive incubation grants worth INR 2 crore, along with incubation support from FITT-IIT Delhi, helping them take their solutions towards further development and market readiness.