💰️ Samsung Solve’s For Tomorrow

Good morning and Happy Friday. Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead 🫶 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•  💰️ Samsung Solve’s For Tomorrow

•  🎨 India’s billion dollar bet on the Creator Economy

• 🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

  • 📈 Indian exports rise year over year

  • 🔌 Zomato pulls the plug on Quick & Everyday

• 🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

• 🍿 Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment

MARKETS

🇮🇳 India

• Indian markets were closed on the account of Maharashtra Day, and International Labour Day.

🌍️ International

• US stocks extended their rally, closing higher for the eighth consecutive session as strong earnings from Microsoft and Meta Platforms boosted confidence in the AI sector and eased concerns about economic uncertainty and tariffs. Tech and consumer discretionary sectors led the gains, with Meta’s robust quarterly results and upbeat commentary from CEO Mark Zuckerberg reinforcing optimism for continued growth in artificial intelligence.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

 💰️ Samsung Solve’s For Tomorrow

Samsung is scaling up its flagship innovation contest Solve For Tomorrow 2025, aiming to spark creativity and problem-solving among India’s youth. The tech giant plans to reach over 100 educational institutions this year, targeting 10,000 student applications—up significantly from 6,000 entries in 2024.

The competition invites students to develop tech-driven solutions for real-world societal challenges, combining innovation with impact. As part of its expanded effort, Samsung will provide incubation support and funding for the most promising ideas. The top four teams will receive a grant of ₹1 crore, while the top 20 and top 40 teams will be awarded ₹20 lakh and ₹8 lakh respectively.

“This year, Solve For Tomorrow is going to be even bigger and more inclusive,” said JB Park, President & CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia. “We are reaching more cities and creating new opportunities for students to innovate using design thinking.”

Past contest winners have tackled pressing issues such as access to clean drinking water, AI platforms to encourage women in STEM, wearable stress-reducing tech, and smart solutions for elderly care and sanitation.

Overall: Samsung’s broader vision is to foster a generation of innovators who apply technology to build a smarter, more inclusive future. By taking Solve For Tomorrow to more institutions and communities, the company is cultivating a national culture of innovation and social impact.

As India continues to rise as a global innovation hub, initiatives like these are essential in bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world problem solving—while empowering young changemakers to turn their ideas into meaningful action.

Read more: Economic Times

CREATOR ECONOMY

 🎨 India’s billion dollar bet on the Creator Economy

India’s media and entertainment sector just got a major boost with the launch of WAVES 2025—the country’s first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, the four-day event is set to position India as a global hub for digital content, animation, gaming, and the broader creator economy.

The summit has drawn participation from 90+ countries, 1,000 creators, 350 startups, and 10,000+ delegates. At the heart of the initiative lies a bold $1 billion fund to support creators—aimed at improving access to capital, technology, skill development, and global markets. Complementing this is the upcoming Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), backed by ₹391 crore, which will train future-ready talent in creative and digital fields.

“WAVES will connect our creators, unite our animators, and empower our gamers,” PM Modi declared, calling on India’s youth—from podcasters in Kochi to game designers in Bengaluru—to lead the country's Orange Economy.

India’s creator economy has grown 322% since 2020, now boasting over 4 million influencers. From infotainment and finance to gaming and parenting, creators are redefining content and commerce. The launch of WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace for Indian creators to pitch, partner, and export content, underscores the government's ambition to make India a net exporter of digital creativity.

Overall: With YouTube also pledging over ₹850 crore to support Indian creators, and influencer marketing expected to reach ₹3,375 crore by 2026, the ecosystem is ripe for monetization and global recognition. Yet, challenges remain: while top creators are earning up to ₹10 lakh/month, only 30% treat content as a full-time career.

Read more: Economic Times

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

📈 Indian exports rise year over year - India’s total exports reached a record $824.9 billion in FY25, marking a 6% increase over the previous year. This surge was driven by strong growth in services exports, which rose 13.6% to $387.5 billion. Key contributors included telecommunications, IT services, transport, travel, and financial services. March alone saw services exports rise 18.6% year-on-year. Despite the milestone, exporters raised concerns about weak order inflows from the US and Europe, urging the government to introduce a 5% interest subvention scheme to stay competitive globally. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations emphasized the need for swift policy support to sustain momentum.

🔌 Zomato pulls the plug on Quick & Everyday - Eternal, formerly known as Zomato, has shut down its 10-minute food delivery service, Zomato Quick, and homely meal offering, Everyday, due to low demand and lack of profitability. CEO Deepinder Goyal said Quick faced operational hurdles like low restaurant density and inadequate kitchen infrastructure, leading to poor customer experience. Everyday saw limited use, mainly in metro office areas, with low return on investment. Both services were discontinued after brief trials. In Q4 FY25, Eternal’s net profit dropped 78% year-on-year to ₹39 crore, despite a 64% revenue increase to ₹5,833 crore, as expenses surged 68% to ₹6,104 crore.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

• Ukraine and the US have finally signed a minerals deal. What does it include?

• Rubio calls India and Pakistan in effort to defuse crisis over Kashmir attack.

• Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX’s Starlinks.

• US consumer confidence plummets to Covid-era low as trade war stokes anxiety.

• Musk defends his work as he prepares to wind down at DOGE but gives hazy answers on future.

• Air India sees Pakistan airspace ban costing it $600M over 12 months.

CULTURE

🍿 Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment

• Diljit Dosanjh and GOT7 member Jackson Wang to collaborate for a song.

• IPL 2025: 

  • MI beat RR by 100 runs. Leaderboard here.