Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council Partners with SINE IIT Bombay to Launch JewelStart Industry Innovation Challenge 2026
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), in partnership with SINE, IIT Bombay, has unveiled the inaugural edition of the JewelStart Industry Innovation Challenge 2026, a nationwide initiative focused on driving startup-powered innovation within India’s gem and jewellery industry.
The challenge aims to bring together startups, innovators, and technology providers to develop solutions for critical industry challenges across the jewellery value chain, including manufacturing, retail, supply chain management, sustainability, automation, traceability, design, and digital transformation.
Introduced under GJEPC’s JewelStart platform, the initiative is designed to bridge entrepreneurial innovation with practical industry demands. Key focus areas include smart factory monitoring, optimisation of precious metal inventory and capital, advanced manufacturing automation, sustainable jewellery production, cost-effective jewellery prototyping, and AI-driven productivity and process improvements.
Participants shortlisted for the programme will benefit from industry visibility, expert assessment, ecosystem validation, and opportunities to collaborate on pilot projects with leading industry players. They will also gain access to the innovation and mentorship ecosystem of SINE IIT Bombay.
Earlier this year, GJEPC launched JewelStart as a dedicated platform for innovation, incubation, and acceleration in the gem and jewellery sector, with the objective of promoting technology adoption, entrepreneurship, and scalable business solutions.
The challenge is open to startups registered in India that have validated prototypes, MVPs, pilot-stage, or market-ready solutions relevant to the gems and jewellery ecosystem. Startups from allied sectors such as AI, IoT, sustainability, logistics, and fintech can also participate if their technologies are adaptable to industry needs.
Applications for the JewelStart Industry Innovation Challenge 2026 will remain open until 18 June 2026.
Applicants can register through: https://jewelstart.org/jewelstart-industry-innovation-challenge/