NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Cities are home to a growing majority of the world’s population and account for more than 80% of the global GDP. Despite occupying only 3% of the world’s land, cities account for two-thirds of the global energy demand. As cities around the world prepare for continued growth — with an estimated 2.5 billion new residents by 2050 — they face the dual challenge of ensuring sustainable urban development while also delivering an improved quality of life and economic opportunities for all residents.

By 2030, 40% of India’s population is expected to reside in urban areas, up from one-third today. More than half of India’s population is under 30 years old. The country, with its vision of becoming a $5 trillion economy, also hosts a robust start-up ecosystem, with over 110 unicorns and around 130,000 start-ups driving innovation across various sectors.

Known as India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru is a dynamic tech capital and one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the world, at the forefront of this transformation. It offers a bold urban development vision, thriving IT sector and start-up ecosystem, cutting-edge infrastructure, rich talent pool and a deeply rooted culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Like many major cities around the world, Bengaluru faces multiple urban sustainability challenges, including poor air quality, water scarcity and quality, and a vulnerability to extreme weather events.

To unlock Bengaluru’s potential as one of the global leaders in sustainable urban transformation, the World Economic Forum, together with the Government of Karnataka, Greater Bengaluru Authority, and a strong coalition of public and private collaborators, is launching the Yes/Bengaluru, Urban Innovation Challenge inviting start-ups from across India and the world to deploy and scale solutions that address the city’s most pressing challenges across three key themes: efficient utilities and infrastructure solutions; resilient and evironmentally sustainable city solutions; and reliable mobility solutions.

See the FOCUS AREAS tab for a detailed description of each of these focus areas.

This challenge is set up to address immediate issues and lay the groundwork for lasting transformation. To this end, it is looking for start-ups and innovators who:

1. Are located in the Greater Bengaluru Area or if elsewhere, have identified Bengaluru as a key strategic location for their potential growth, and are therefore looking to deploy and hire locally, and commercialize and scale their innovation in Bengaluru.
2. Display innovative usage of technology in their work, such as Artificial Intelligence and other disruptive or unique technological innovations in urban sectors which would benefit from technological introductions.
3. Seek to engage and collaborate with an ecosystem of key supporters that are mission-aligned to drive transformative innovation in Bengaluru and contribute to a broader movement redefining the role of cities in delivering resilient, impactful and sustainable futures.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the challenge, we invite you to join our info session on 3 November 2025 at 4:00 PM (India time). Please register in advance here: Zoom registration link!