Prize Page – the^delta

the

aahaar
bazaar
challenge

Her recipe. Your tech. One massive opportunity.

Prize purse ₹5.25 Cr

The opportunity

India's home-based women foodpreneurs hold a $3.6B opportunity

India’s 40.3% female labour force participation rate reflects a deep inclusion gap—yet behind it lies a powerful, untapped engine of growth.

Millions of women across India carry generational food knowledge, rooted in local ingredients and time-honoured techniques. With the packaged food market alone expected to double by 2029, their recipes are perfectly positioned to meet growing demand for authentic, regional snacks.

This isn’t just about food—it’s about fuelling a new vision of India’s economy, powered by women and their enterprises from the grassroots.

Introducing the challenge

empowering 1 million home-based women foodpreneurs to scale and succeed

The vision

imagine a future where she’s fully enabled to scale her home-grown business

What if India’s home-based women foodpreneurs working in grassroots markets had the tools, tech, and support they need to thrive? With the right interventions, she can:

Professionalise her operations

Expand beyond her neighborhood

Reinvest her earnings to scale

Build a brand that goes beyond one recipe

With this, she won’t just grow herself. She will also create jobs, drive economic inclusion, and reshape the future of India’s food economy.

The chokepoints

but what’s keeping women foodpreneurs from succeeding and scaling today?

Despite their potential, most home-based women foodpreneurs remain stuck in hyperlocal markets unable to standardise, scale or build lasting enterprises.

Who should apply

can you unlock growth for 1 million women foodpreneurs at the grassroots?

We’re looking for solutions that can help women-led home-based, small food enterprises thrive by supporting them in product development and market access.

Can your solution help these women enterprises attain:

a. market visibility & access to expand beyond their neighborhoods

i. D2C/B2B/B2C online platforms or marketplaces

ii. Logistics & distribution support

iii. Retail & sales intelligence

b. high-quality, market-ready products and streamlined business operations

i. Food product consultancy

ii. Product safety, standardisation & legal compliance (FSSAI, labeling, etc.)

iii. Shelf-life extension & packaging

iv. Pricing solutions

v. Transaction & order processing

vi. Bookkeeping (incl. receivables & payables)

vii. Inventory, SKU management & cataloguing

What’s on offer

more than a prize- a launchpad for scale

Compete for a prize purse of ₹5.25 Cr

Benefit from 1-on-1 mentorship by leaders

Gain privileged access to our investor network

Leverage GTM opportunities

Expand impact with on-ground partners

Capitalise on dedicated media coverage

What it takes to win

ready to scale impact and take home the prize?

Challengers will compete across a two phased journey designed to unlock scale for home-based women foodpreneurs. To win, your solution must prove both viability and scalability in real-world settings:

Proof of viability

300 women foodpreneurs supported with market access and enablement solutions

50%

of their sales generated from new customer channels

Proof of scalability

3000

women foodpreneurs reached across diverse geographies

10%

of them achieving 5–6x growth in monthly revenue

Challenge timeline

journey to the top

Application process

pathway to the cohort

Stage 1:

Application form 1

Submit your detailed work model and proposed solution through application form 1

All applicants will receive structured preparation guidelines for the subsequent phase

The prize internal team will conduct a thorough review to identify qualified organisations

Stage 2:

Application form 2

Shortlisted organisations will submit a comprehensive pitch deck accompanied by application form 2

Stage 3:

Jury evaluation

Selected organisations will present their methodology to our distinguished jury of gender and livelihood experts

The evaluation panel will select 8-10 challengers to participate in ‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’

our advisors and mentors

Chetna Sinha

Founder
Mann Deshi Foundation

Chetna Sinha founded Mann Deshi Bank and Foundation, empowering rural women through financial inclusion and community development.

Gayathri Vasudevan

Chairperson
LabourNet

Through LabourNet, Gayatri Vasudevan empowers vulnerable communities with education, employability, and entrepreneurship skills, earning global recognition.

Rituparna Chakraborty

Co-founder
TeamLease

Co-founder of TeamLease, Rituparna Chakraborty specialises in talent strategy. An independent director, she champions workforce development for inclusive progress.

Sharad Sharma

Co-founder
iSPIRT

Co-founder of iSPIRT Foundation, Sharad Sharma drives India's digital public goods like India Stack. With a tech background, he contributes to national and global digital policy.

Dhiren Kanwar

Founder
Zaad Ventures

Dhiren is a food and beverage leader with 30+ years of experience, having served as President at Griffith Foods and CEO of Switz International. An INSEAD alumnus, he now invests in startups through Zaad Ventures and serves as President of the All-India Ingredient Manufacturers Association.

ecosystem partners

frequently asked questions

Who is eligible to apply?

‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’ is open to a variety of organisations – for-profit and non-profit (with valid FCRA llicenses) organisations – that are either currently enabling or seeking to enable entrepreneurial pathways for home-based women foodpreneurs. We are looking for organisations that can enable:

1. Market visibility & access to expand beyond their neighborhoods
  - D2C/B2B/B2C online platforms or marketplaces
  - Logistics & distribution support
  - Retail & sales intelligence
2. High-quality, market-ready products and streamlined business operations
  - Food product consultancy
  - Product safety, standardisation & legal compliance (FSSAI, labeling, etc.
  - Shelf-life extension & packaging
  - Pricing solutions
  - Transaction & order processing
  - Bookkeeping (incl. receivables & payables
  - Inventory, SKU management & cataloguing

What is the last date to apply?

The last date to complete the first application is August 24th 2025.

How is the funds disbursal of the prize purse planned?

The total prize purse is ₹5.25 Crore. The funds disbursal will be results-based and in three parts:

1. Milestone 1 grant for all selected challengers (8-10 orgs) of up to ₹4-6 lakhs
2. Milestone 2 grant for challengers who advance to the scalability phase as finalists (3-4 orgs) of up to ₹15-20 lakhs
3. Final prize of up to ₹3 Cr for winner and up to ₹1 Cr for the runner-up after the end of the challenge

Can I fill out the application in parts?

Yes. The application form allows candidates to save their progress at any point using ‘Save Draft’ and complete the remaining sections later at their convenience

How will I know if my application has been selected for the next stage of the evaluation process?

You will receive an intimation from the prize team via email for the next steps.

How is the application evaluation process planned?

Your application undergoes a comprehensive multi-stage evaluation process. Initially the application will be thoroughly assessed by, the^delta prize team. Qualified applicants will receive a second application form, which will be evaluated by an panel of industry experts and thought leaders. Next, shortlisted organisations (~15-20 orgs) will present their solutions along with a clear implementation plan to our distinguished jury of mentors/advisors. Following these presentations, 8-10 exceptional organisations are selected to form the challenger cohort for ‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’.

When will the cohort be announced?

The cohort will be announced by September – October 2025. Updates will be shared on our website and social media handles.

What knowledge and networking opportunities are available to the contestants of the challenge?

‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’ creates a comprehensive support ecosystem for participants throughout their journey. This collaborative network brings together knowledge and implementation partners, investors and capital partners, and industry thought leaders to provide multifaceted guidance. Challengers benefit from one-on-one mentorship sessions, alongside collective learning opportunities via specialised skill-building workshops, knowledge sharing sessions and masterclasses. The challenge framework also creates valuable networking opportunities with potential investors through structured demo days and events as well as multiple ecosystem connect opportunities.

Will there be any form of mentorship for the contestants of the challenge?

‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’ offers a mentor-in-residence model where experts connected to the entrepreneurship | gender | F&B industry ecosystem will guide and support the challengers in their journey. In the past, our mentor-in-residence model enabled online office hours for each contestant on various aspects such as business models, technical expertise, etc. throughout the course of the challenge. The mentor-in-residence model typically had the mentors:

Providing 1:1 mentorship/guidance with about 3-4 hours of dedicated sessions during the course of the challenge
Providing connects to relevant stakeholder such as government, academic institutions and potential opportunities such as investments and pilots, if possible
Serving as speakers/panelists at events and seminars during the course of the challenge, as required for coverage of topics based on expertise

the

aahaarbazaarchallenge