The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has launched the 2025 edition of its WaveX Startup Challenge, calling upon startups across India to develop an artificial intelligence-based multilingual translation solution titled BhashaSetu – Real-Time Language Tech for Bharat. The initiative is part of the ministry’s flagship startup accelerator platform, WaveX, and aims to create a real-time tool capable of translation, transliteration, and voice localisation across at least 12 major Indian languages.
In a bid to maximise participation, the government has set no eligibility criteria, making the challenge open to startups at any stage of development. The challenge encourages solutions that are scalable, low-cost, and preferably based on open-source technologies, although proprietary tools are also welcome if they ensure affordability and practicality for widespread use.
Participating startups must submit working prototypes by 22 July 2025 via the official WaveX portal at . The selected winner will receive full incubation support under the WaveX Accelerator, including access to mentorship, workspace, and product development guidance until deployment.
WaveX is a specialised accelerator initiative under the Ministry’s WAVES programme, designed to foster innovation in media, entertainment, and language technologies. At the WAVES Summit in May 2025, WaveX had already provided pitching platforms for over 30 startups, facilitating direct interaction with investors and public sector agencies.
Through this challenge, the Ministry aims to bridge linguistic divides with inclusive and emotion-aware digital communication tools that can serve India’s diverse populations in real time, thereby advancing the larger goal of digital inclusivity and innovation-driven governance.
