Innovating for delivery workers? Here's your chance to be recognised at Eternal's Inclusive Growth & Platform Economy Conference

India’s platform economy has become one of the most visible engines of its digital growth story. From food delivery and quick commerce to logistics and on-demand services, platform-led work has reshaped how millions earn, transact, and participate in the economy.

As this workforce scales, the need for worker-centric innovation has become urgent. To turn policy intent into real-world impact, Eternal (Zomato and Blinkit) is inviting applications for the Platform Worker Wellbeing Challenge 2026, hosted on Startup India’s Bharat Grand Startup Challenge page and being held alongside the Inclusive Growth and Platform Economy Conference 2026.

The initiative invites startups and social enterprises that are designing practical, scalable solutions that improve safety, well-being, and financial resilience for India’s growing platform workforce — one of the fastest-expanding segments of the country’s labour market.

Two challenge tracks

Challenge I: Health and Safety Solutions for Delivery Workers

This track seeks inclusive, practical, scalable, and user-centric innovations that improve the safety, health, and overall well-being of India’s delivery workforce. The challenge focuses on technology-led, inclusive solutions that enhance road safety, health protection, and accessibility, with particular emphasis on supporting women and persons with disabilities (PwDs).

Challenge II: Financial Inclusion and Upskilling Solutions for Delivery Workers

This category focuses on scalable solutions that strengthen financial inclusion, skills and social protection for India’s delivery workforce. The focus is on simplifying access to welfare schemes, credit, upskilling, and insurance or pension products designed for the platform workers.

Post-Submission Process

• Application phase: Startups submit their proposals on the Startup India platform by 18th January, 2026.
• Evaluation phase: Applications will be reviewed by internal stakeholders, based on eligibility, innovation, and feasibility.
• Shortlisting: Selected startups will be invited to pitch or demonstrate their solutions at Eternal’s Inclusive Growth and Platform Economy Conference.
• Final Selection: Winners will be announced on February 25, 2026, at the Inclusive Growth and Platform Economy Conference, based on innovation, potential impact, and ease of implementation.

Winning startups in each category will receive:

• Rs 10 lakh for first prize and Rs 5 lakh for second prize
• Three months of mentorship with Eternal’s leadership
• The opportunity to co-build scalable, real-world solutions aligned with platform needs
• Direct exposure to policymakers, ecosystem partners, and industry leaders

More importantly, this is an opportunity to help shape the future of India’s platform economy by bringing evidence, innovation, and lived experience into one shared conversation, and translating it into real, scalable impact.

Why this matters

According to national estimates, India had 7.7 million gig and platform workers in 2020–21, a number projected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30. In the long run, the platform economy could create up to 90 million jobs and contribute nearly 1.25% of India’s GDP.

Policy momentum is beginning to align with scale. The Government of India’s Code on Social Security 2020 lays the foundation for extending life, disability, health, maternity, and pension benefits to gig and platform workers. At the same time, over 30 crore unorganised workers, including gig workers, are now registered on the e-Shram portal, creating the country’s first unified national database of informal labour.

At a time like this, inclusive growth cannot remain a parallel conversation. It must become part of how platforms scale, how policies are designed, and how innovation is deployed.

Eternal’s Inclusive Growth and Platform Economy Conference 2026, powered by Zomato and Blinkit, aims to do just that — by placing evidence, policy, innovation, and lived experience in the same room, and inviting startups to help design what comes next.

Building on earlier editions that examined economic growth and road safety, the 2026 edition shifts the lens to inclusion, financial empowerment, and social protection for gig and platform workers. The conference will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society organisations, academic institutions, and startups to co-develop practical pathways for strengthening India’s platform workforce.

Applications for the Platform Worker Wellbeing Challenge are open until January 18, 2026.

1. Click here for Challenge I — Health and Safety Solutions for Delivery Workers
2. Click here for Challenge II — Financial Inclusion and Upskilling Solutions for Delivery Workers.