16 creative startups were honored at the second City Champions Summit, which was organized by Josh Talks and sponsored by Omidyar Network India, for their ground-breaking efforts to change India's urban environments.

 The event, which was held on Saturday at The Claridges, brought together prominent figures in urban planning to highlight the future of inclusive, sustainable cities .

This summit marks the end of a three-month accelerator program created by Josh Talks in collaboration with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park to support 16 impact entrepreneurs operating in a variety of industries, including energy, transportation, city planning, and climate action. Out of over 350 candidates, these startups were hand-picked after a thorough review process.

In April of this year, the City Champions initative opened for submissions in eight different subject sectors. In addition, Josh Talks demonstrated their dedication to urban sustainability by planting 400 trees for every application they got.

Speaking to this, Shilpa Kumar, Partner at Omidyar Network India, said, “It’s been inspiring to see the incredible work of the 16 startups who are part of the City Champions program. The innovators are truly the heart of urban development efforts and it is critical we support them in bringing to market and / or scale. That has been our focus through this partnership and we need more such initiatives that empower and celebrate these champions, as they hold the key to making our cities more livable and inclusive for everyone.” Recently, T-Hub, India’s leading startup incubator has announced the launch of AIC T-Hub Lab2Market program, a new initiative designed to transform groundbreaking research into market-ready innovations. The program offers a unique pathway for researchers and innovators to translate their ideas into commercial successes by focusing on two key objectives: developing Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and converting them into scalable startups. Startups participating in the Lab2Market program will receive comprehensive, tailored support. This includes interactive group learning sessions focused on product development, market strategies, and business model refinement.