The Samsung grant that lets you keep 100% of your company

The Essentials

• Samsung R&D centres in Bangalore and Noida are looking for Indian startups to build mobile technologies.
• Selected companies receive up to $50,000 (approximately ₹4,175,000) to fund a six-month proof-of-concept.
• Founders keep full ownership of their ideas and company equity while using Samsung’s global distribution scale.

The Pulse

Samsung is looking for Indian startups to help build its future mobile experiences through the Samsung Mobile Advance programme. This is not a typical investment deal where you trade shares for cash. Instead, it is a financial grant aimed at solving specific technical problems in areas like AI, XR, and camera technology.

How do Indian startups apply for Samsung Mobile Advance 2026? You must send a detailed proposal to startup.connect@samsung.com by 30 June 2026. This proposal needs to outline a six-month plan that shows how your technology works and how it could improve a phone or wearable.

This programme suits early-stage founders who need a massive sandbox to test their software or hardware on millions of devices. You get access to experts from the Bangalore and Noida R&D centres to refine your product. Because Samsung takes zero equity, the risk to your company’s future ownership is non-existent.

The evaluation process begins in July, with a pitch day scheduled for September. If your startup is selected, the incubation and funding begin in October. This timeline is quite fast for a global corporation, making it ideal for lean teams that need to move quickly.

The Snapshot

The Big Picture

India has become a critical hub for Samsung’s software development, with the Bangalore centre being its largest research facility outside South Korea. By tapping into local startups, Samsung is competing with Google and Apple to create features that feel local but work on a global scale. This programme puts Indian engineering directly into the pockets of users from Seoul to San Francisco. It moves the conversation from low-cost service delivery to high-value product creation within the Indian borders.

The Inside Intel

The 2023 edition of this programme saw Samsung work with startups on 4D modelling and voice intelligence. Unlike many corporate accelerators that focus only on marketing or brand association, this one is run directly by the Research & Development wings. This means the people reviewing your code are the same ones who built the software running on your own Galaxy phone.

The UDHQ. Take

This is one of the cleanest deals an Indian founder can find. Unbox Daily HQ. likes the fact that there is no equity grab, which is rare for a brand of this scale. If you are building something in AI or mobile health, the $50,000 (approximately ₹4,175,000) is useful, but the real value is the six-month mentorship from Samsung’s engineers.

You should apply if your product is ready for a pilot but lacks the hardware scale to prove it works. It is a low-risk, high-reward move for any serious deep-tech founder in India. If you have a working prototype, this is the most direct path to a global partnership.

Best for: Deep-tech founders in India who want to scale their mobile software without losing ownership.

Who Is This For: Perfect for 24 to 40-year-old entrepreneurs in India who are building mobile-first hardware or software.

The Checkout

Samsung Mobile Advance

The Source

Samsung India