Representatives of the four recipient startups along with YouthNet officials during the GENESIS 2.0 grant award programme at the YouthNet Dimapur office on January 13. (Photo Courtesy: YouthNet)
Dimapur, January 13 (MExN): YouthNet Incubation Centre (YIC) on Tuesday awarded a cumulative grant of Rs 20 lakh to four early-stage startups under the Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS 2.0) scheme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Speaking at the grant award programme held at the YouthNet Dimapur office, Director of YouthNet, Nuneseno Chase, congratulated the selected startups and acknowledged their growing role in strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem. She said the grants recognise not only the ingenuity behind the solutions but also their potential to create sustained and positive impact.
Associate Director at YouthNet, Neikepekho Shosahie, also noted that the GENESIS initiative represents a shift towards outcome-driven innovation, with milestone-linked funding enabling startups to demonstrate technological viability, market relevance and impact at each stage. He added that the scheme focuses on frontier technologies such as electronics and information technology, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and blockchain, while remaining grounded in real-world challenges across sectors including healthcare, education, agriculture and sustainability.
The recipients
The four startups selected under the scheme included URA Agritech Private Limited, an AI-driven, soil-first irrigation platform that uses real-time IoT intelligence to automate water usage exactly when and where crops need it, from farms to backyards.
Another recipient, Khamlou India Private Limited, is described as Nagaland’s digital construction operating system, connecting materials, labour, contractors, equipment rentals and resale into one seamless marketplace.
The third startup, BLEND, aims to transform automobiles into smart safety nodes using QR technology to prevent illegal parking and enable instant emergency response at a fraction of the market cost.
AGRI+, the fourth recipient, aims to democratise soil biology through TerraLink+, an at-home microbial soil test that delivers lab-grade insights in five minutes using a simple strip and AI-powered mobile scan.
In a press release, YouthNet informed that it had disbursed Rs 20 lakh in grants under MeitY GENESIS 1.0 earlier in 2025, reflecting a sustained commitment to supporting high-impact, outcome-oriented startups.
GENESIS 2.0
The GENESIS 2.0 is a flagship MeitY initiative aimed at supporting startups from Tier II and Tier III cities, with a focus on developing technology-driven solutions to address regional and local challenges.
Under the GENESIS scheme, the Government of India has earmarked a budget of Rs 490 crore over five years to support around 1,600 technology startups across smaller cities nationwide, with the objective of strengthening the startup ecosystem and generating economic growth and employment opportunities, the release added.
