Ericsson Innovation Challenge launched in India to leverage 5G for societal solutions

Ericsson today announced the launch of its ‘Ericsson Innovation Challenge’, an initiative designed to identify and support innovative technology solutions that address societal challenges through the application of 5G and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud and Internet-of-Things (IoT).

Launched in partnership with IAN Mentoring and Incubation Services and TiE Delhi-NCR, the Ericsson Innovation Challenge seeks to bring together India's startup ecosystem, research community, academic institutions and technology innovators to develop and deploy solutions that can create impact across sectors critical to the country's development.

This initiative has been designed for India and forms part of Ericsson's global 150-year jubilee celebrations.


The Ericsson Innovation Challenge will focus on solutions that address public-benefit challenges in areas such as rural technology and digital inclusion, healthcare access and diagnostics, climate and environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity and food security, and manufacturing.

Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India, said in a statement, "For 150 years, Ericsson has pushed the boundaries of innovation to connect people, transform industries and positively impact the communities in which we operate. As we celebrate this milestone, we are proud to launch the Ericsson Innovation Challenge, an initiative that brings together innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs in India to leverage 5G technology in order to solve real-world challenges.”

Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder- IAN Group and Senior Managing Partner - IAN Alpha Fund said, "At IAN, we have always backed founders who see opportunity where others see obstacles. As partners in this initiative, IAN brings not just capital but deep mentoring expertise to help the most promising solutions mature into ready investment ventures.”

“India's entrepreneurs have never lacked ambition — what they need is the right platform, the right mentors and the right moment. The Ericsson Innovation Challenge brings all three together. TiE Delhi-NCR is proud to partner in identifying and nurturing solutions that use 5G to address India's most pressing needs across healthcare, agriculture, sustainability, food security and digital inclusion," said Geetika Dayal, Director General, TiE Delhi-NCR.