the
aahaar
bazaar
challenge
Her recipe. Your tech. One massive opportunity
Prize purse ₹5.25Cr
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 aahaar bazaar 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:
Market visibility & access to expand beyond their neighborhoods
| D2C/B2B online platforms or marketplaces |
| Logistics & distribution support |
| Retail & sales intelligence |
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’s on offer
More than a prize — a launchpad for scale
Compete for a prize purse of ₹5.25 Cr
Gain privileged access to our investor network
Avail implementation partners to expand impact
Benefit from 1-on-1 mentorship by industry leaders
Leverage go-to-market opportunities & expertise
Capitalise on dedicated spotlighting & media coverage
What’s on offer
Ready to scale impact and take home the prize?
Challengers will compete in a two-phase process 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
3,000
women foodpreneurs reached across diverse geographies
10%
of them achieving 5–6x growth in monthly revenue
our advisors
Chetna Sinha
Mann Deshi Foundation
Chetna Sinha
Mann Deshi Foundation
Chetna Sinha
Mann Deshi Foundation
Chetna Sinha
Mann Deshi Foundation
Chetna Sinha
Mann Deshi Foundation
ecosystem partners
frequently asked questions
Who is eligible to apply?
‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’ is open to a variety of organisations – for-profit, non-profit, hybrid and social enterprises – that are either currently enabling or seeking to enable entrepreneurial pathways for home-based women foodpreneurs. These organisations should be operating across the following work types:
- Business management tools developers:
Smart solutions that streamline operations, finances, cataloguing and inventory of foodpreneurs, turning kitchen businesses into professionally managed enterprises. - eCommerce marketplaces or enablement platforms:
Digital platforms that connect homemade products to wider markets, enabling women entrepreneurs to expand beyond local boundaries with minimal tech barriers. - Product marketability and shelf-life extension solutions:
Innovative technologies that preserve food quality, extend product viability, and enhance presentation while maintaining authenticity of homemade goods. - Food safety, standardization and compliance tech:
Accessible solutions helping homepreneurs meet industry and market standards and legalities and regulations, building consumer trust through certified safety practices. - Retail and sales intelligence:
Data-driven insights that reveal consumer preferences, optimize pricing and cataloguing and identify growth opportunities, empowering strategic business decisions.
What is the last date to apply?
The last date to complete the first application is July 7th 2025.
What is the prize purse for winners of the challenge?
The total prize purse is INR 5.25 Crore. At specific points in the challenge, there will be seed grants and milestone grants disbursed to the challengers, the particulars of which will be shared with the shortlisted organisations.
Can I fill out the application in parts?
The application form does not have an option to save a partially filled form or resume the application later. Once the tab is closed/refreshed, you may lose your filled in data. Please keep the data and any attachments handy before starting to fill out the application to reduce the risk of data loss
How will I know if my application is selected for evaluation?
What happens after my application is selected for evaluation?
When will the cohort be announced?
What knowledge and networking opportunities are available to the contestants of the challenge?
‘the aahaar bazaar challenge’, presented by the^delta prize, creates a comprehensive support ecosystem for participants throughout their journey. This collaborative network brings together knowledge and implementation partners, investors, and industry thought leaders to provide multifaceted guidance.
Participants benefit from personalized development through scheduled one-on-one mentorship sessions, alongside collective learning opportunities via specialized knowledge sharing sessions, skill-building workshops, and targeted masterclasses. The challenge framework also creates valuable networking opportunities with potential investors during structured pitching events.
What are the avenues through which I can take my solution to women in rural and peri-urban regions?
Will there be any form of mentorship for the contestants of the challenge?
We have a mentor-in-residence model where we onboard experts connected to the female labour force participation ecosystem to provide mentorship to the challenger cohort. 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 in the past had the mentors:
- Providing 1:1 mentorship/guidance with a minimum of 3-4 hours per month across the cohort of organisations during the course of the challenge
- Providing connects to relevant stakeholder such as government, academic institutions and potential opportunities such as investment, pilot if possible
- Serving as speakers/panellists at events and seminars during the course of the challenge, as required for coverage of topics based on expertise.
